Greg Pence | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2019 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIndiana's6th district | |
| In office January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Luke Messer |
| Succeeded by | Jefferson Shreve |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Gregory Joseph Pence (1956-11-14)November 14, 1956 (age 68) Columbus, Indiana, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4, includingJohn |
| Relatives | Mike Pence (brother) |
| Education | Loyola University Chicago (BA,MBA) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1979–1984 |
| Rank | First Lieutenant |
Gregory Joseph Pence (born November 14, 1956) is an American businessman and politician who served as theU.S. representative forIndiana's 6th congressional district from 2019 to 2025. The district serves much of east-central Indiana, including Pence's hometown ofColumbus, as well asGreenfield,Richmond,Shelbyville, and the southern third ofIndianapolis. A member of theRepublican Party, he is the older brother of formerU.S. vice presidentMike Pence, who represented the district from 2001 to 2013.
In January 2024, Pence announced that he would not be running for re-election to the119th United States Congress.[1]
Born inColumbus, Indiana, on November 14, 1956,[2] Pence is the oldest of six children born to his parents, Ann Jane "Nancy" (née Cawley) and Edward Joseph Pence Jr., who ran a group of gas stations.[3][4] He was raised in the Catholic faith. According to his mother, Pence and his three brothers rode wagons in a 1964 campaign parade for Republican presidential nomineeBarry Goldwater.[5]
Pence earned aB.A. intheology andphilosophy and aMaster of Business Administration in 1983 fromLoyola University Chicago.[6][7] He earned a commission in theMarines in 1981 after receiving his undergraduate degree and served for five and a half years, rising to the rank of first lieutenant.[8][7] In 1983, his battalion was stationed inBeirut,Lebanon, and shipped out shortly beforethe bombings.[9]
Pence owns and operates antique malls insouthern Indiana.
After being honorably discharged from the Marine Corps, Pence joined Kiel Brothers Oil Company in 1988, after his father died, and served as its president from 1998 to 2004. After his departure, the company filed forChapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2004.[8] Through the company, he also ran a chain of gas stations and convenience stores.[10][11]
According to some reports, the cleanup from the defunct business sites has cost Indiana at least $21 million.[12] Pence also worked forMarathon Oil andUnocal. In 1999, he was elected to the board of directors of Home Federal Bancorp and its subsidiary Home Federal Savings Bank.[7][13]
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Pence was the finance chairman in U.S. RepresentativeLuke Messer's 2018 campaign for the U.S. Senate.[11] In October 2017, Pence launched his own campaign for the position Messer was leaving.[14] On May 8, 2018, Pence won the Republican nomination for the U.S. House seat his brotherMike had held for 12 years. With Pence raising and spending about $1 million as of mid-April and his closest Republican challenger loaning himself about three quarters of that amount, it made the "race the most expensive in the state." Pence faced DemocratJeannine Lake in the November general election and won by a margin of over 30%.[10]
Pence defeated Lake in a rematch in the November 3 general election with 68.6% of the vote.
In January 2021 in the aftermath of theinsurrection at the Capitol and despite the rioters' chants of "Hang Mike Pence," Greg Pence voted to side with Trump and reject the Pennsylvania votes which swung the election to Biden.[15]
In May 2021, Pence voted against a House bill establishing aJanuary 6 commission, accusing SpeakerNancy Pelosi and Democrats of partisan plans to use the commission to carry out the "political execution of Donald Trump". The bill passed.[16]
In August 2022, Pence criticized PresidentJoe Biden for forgiving up to $10,000 of student loan debt for eligible borrowers. Pence was criticized for hypocrisy because he had $79,441 of debt from hisPPP loan forgiven.[17]
For the118th Congress:[18]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Greg Pence | 47,955 | 65.3 | |
| Republican | Jonathan Lamb | 17,523 | 23.9 | |
| Republican | Mike Campbell | 3,229 | 4.4 | |
| Republican | Stephen MacKenzie | 2,500 | 3.4 | |
| Republican | Jeff Smith | 2,258 | 3.1 | |
| Total votes | 73,465 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Greg Pence | 154,260 | 63.8 | |
| Democratic | Jeannine Lee Lake | 79,430 | 32.9 | |
| Libertarian | Tom Ferkinhoff | 8,030 | 3.3 | |
| Independent | John Miller (write-in) | 5 | 0.0 | |
| Independent | Heather Leigh Meloy (write-in) | 1 | 0.0 | |
| Total votes | 241,726 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Greg Pence (incumbent) | 62,346 | 83.6 | |
| Republican | Mike Campbell | 12,234 | 16.4 | |
| Total votes | 74,580 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Greg Pence (incumbent) | 225,318 | 68.6 | |
| Democratic | Jeannine Lake | 91,103 | 27.8 | |
| Libertarian | Tom Ferkinhoff | 11,791 | 3.6 | |
| Total votes | 328,212 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Greg Pence (incumbent) | 44,893 | 77.6 | |
| Republican | James Alspach | 12,923 | 22.4 | |
| Total votes | 57,816 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Greg Pence (incumbent) | 130,686 | 67.5 | |
| Democratic | Cinde Wirth | 62,838 | 32.5 | |
| Total votes | 193,524 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
Pence and his wife, Denise, own two antique malls.[13] They have four children and ten grandchildren.[19] Pence is a practicing Catholic and attends St. Bartholomew Catholic Church in Columbus.[20]
Denise Pence was an Indiana delegate at the2016 Republican National Convention and2020 Republican National Convention and cast her vote forDonald Trump and Mike Pence to be the party's nominees.[3] She was also a delegate at the2024 Republican National Convention, where she cast her vote for Trump andJD Vance to be the nominees. Pence and his family were in attendance atTrump's inauguration, seated several rows behind him.[citation needed]
Their oldest daughter, Nicole, was a TV anchor in Indianapolis[21] and their son,John, worked onTrump's 2020 campaign as a senior advisor and is married toKellyanne Conway's cousin Giovanna Coia.[22][23]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIndiana's 6th congressional district 2019–2025 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Representative | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Representative |
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