The Pence factor

INDIANAPOLIS—Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has been married three times and boasts about adultery. He’s been a casino gambling promoter and used massive debt and bankruptcy to build his business empire. He is the master of scorn of his critics.

Mike Pence has been married to the same woman for more than 30 years and has opposed legal gambling as a matter of principle. When he was younger he repented for negative campaigning and has forged friendships with political opponents. He’s lived a modest lifestyle.

Now that Trump has chosen Pence as his running mate, he has split the evangelical movement.

Some evangelicals think Trump is so far removed from Christian values and character that conscientious Christians should have nothing to do with him. The only association might be a prophetic one, letting Trump know of his need to repent. The role model in Scripture could be Elijah with Ahab, or Nathan with King David.

Others see an opportunity and the potential for believers to influence a man who hopes the evangelical caucus will help him win the election. (Trump would also need a lot of help after the election, if he wins.) These people are generally Republican anyway and see no way to influence Hillary Clinton, with all the flaws in her Democratic Party. They see Trump as unsure of himself on social issues such as abortion, yet apparently willing to make Supreme Court appointments that would block an aggressive progressive agenda through the judicial branch. Trump is a wild card, but he’s part of a party with some openness to aspects of the evangelical perspective. The role model in Scripture could be Joseph with Pharaoh, or Daniel with Nebuchadnezzar.

Vice presidential candidate Mike Pence is clearly in the second camp.

Some conservative voices from Indiana offer reasons why, as the campaign for the White House rolls out this summer.

Former Indiana Secretary of State Ed Simcox has been a longtime lobbyist in state government and has led a weekly Bible study for members of the Indiana legislature, including both Republicans and Democrats.

“Mike would be thinking about the role he can play for his country,” Simcox explained. “How can I contribute? Mike could wind up as the foremost counselor to the king, like in the Bible.”

Like many conservatives, Pence thinks a Clinton presidency would be disastrous enough for him to set aside objections to Trump’s rhetoric, tactics, and lifestyle.

“There’s something Trump sees in Mike that he doesn’t have himself,” Simcox added. “In business, a board of directors has a collective IQ. You don’t want all like-minded people. The successful ones want a diversity of thinking, creativity, and other attributes. With Mike you have a contemplative person. His ego is very much in check. Trump didn’t want a mirror of himself for vice president.”

Indiana state Sen. Jim Banks is a Republican running for a U.S. House seat from the northeast section of the state and hears from current members of Congress about their strong respect for Pence.

“As vice president, Mike Pence will be a very effective liaison between President Trump and the legislative branch,” Banks said, adding that he echoes a sentiment about Pence’s personal cordiality that may sound trite, yet is clearly a reality: “Mike Pence is one of the most decent, kind people I’ve ever known in politics.”

What does Banks say to conservative supporters who think Pence is abandoning his principles by joining a ticket with Trump?

“Mike Pence has always been a movement conservative,” Banks replied. “This is a very significant way for him to fight for conservative principles in a very high office and be effective at it.”

Jay Hein served in the George W. Bush administration, running his faith-based office, and has seen the impact mid-level federal government appointments can have, not so much in politics as in the day-to-day governing of the country.

“It’s possible the Indiana governor is doing this less for Donald Trump and more for America,” Hein said. “Even in the age of permanent campaigning, governing is superior to politicking, and Pence may feel called to the policy work, especially in congressional relations, bringing talent into hundreds of key administration positions, and helping steer our national security in these uncertain times.”

State Sen. Jim Merritt, R-Indianapolis, identifies an interesting contrast in the career paths of Pence and Trump.

“Mike Pence was winning oratory contests in seventh grade. He ran for Congress and lost in his early years. Then he served in Congress several terms and then as governor,” Merritt noted. “Trump did the opposite. He’s been business-oriented all his life. Now at the end of his business career he jumps into politics.”

Merritt doesn’t see Trump as another Lincoln, but he thinks he may be following Lincoln in surrounding himself with a team of rivals.

“Lincoln put many of his opponents in his Cabinet,” Merritt said. “Leaders have to hear from different channels of life and perspectives.”