Electoral history of Mike Pence

Mike Pence, the 48th vice president of the United States (2017–2021), has run for public office several times, beginning in 1988. He is a member of the Republican Party, one of two major parties in the United States.[1][2] Pence represented Indiana's 2nd (2001–2003) and 6th (2003–2013) congressional districts in the United States House of Representatives, and served as the 50th Governor of Indiana (2013–2017).[3]

Pence began political career in 1988 by challenging incumbent Democratic Representative Philip Sharp. He lost the general election in a landslide. Pence ran again in 1990; he lost to Sharp by an even larger margin. In 2000, he made his third run for Congress to replace retiring Representative David McIntosh, when he was finally elected to represent the district. He ran for reelection five times, never winning by less than 60 percent. In 2012, instead of seeking another term in the House, Pence ran in the 2012 Indiana gubernatorial election; he won the Republican nomination unopposed. He selected Sue Ellspermann a member of the Indiana House of Representatives to be his running mate. They defeated the Democratic ticket of John R. Gregg, former Speaker of the Indiana State House of Representatives, and his running mate, State Senator Vi Simpson.

In 2016, Pence, alongside Eric Holcomb, who Pence appointed Lieutenant Governor after Ellspermann's resignation,[4] was set to run in the 2016 gubernatorial election. However, despite winning the Republican nomination, Pence withdrew from the race after Republican nominee Donald Trump selected him as his running mate in 2016 United States presidential election. Despite losing the popular vote, Trump and Pence defeated the Republican ticket of Hillary Clinton, former United States Secretary of State, and her running mate, Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia. Their victory was considered one of the largest upsets in American politics.[5] In the 2020 United States presidential election, Trump and Pence sought a second term, they were defeated by Democrats former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris of California. However, Trump did not concede and instead claimed fraud.[6] Despite pressure from Trump, Pence refused to overturn the results resulting in the January 6 United States Capitol attack.[7] In 2023, Pence ran for president, seeking the Republican nomination. However, he dropped out before the 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries.

House of Representatives (1988–1990, 2000–2012)

1988

1988 Indiana's 2nd congressional district election[8]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Philip R. Sharp (incumbent) 116,915 53.20
Republican Mike Pence 102,846 46.80
Total votes 219,761 100.00
Turnout 291,761

1990

After his 1988 loss, Pence told The Indianapolis News he was considering running in 1990, saying "We're looking hard at that option."[9]

1990 Indiana's 2nd congressional district election[10]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Philip R. Sharp (incumbent) 93,495 59.37
Republican Mike Pence 63,980 40.63
Total votes 157,475 100.00
Turnout 157,475

2000

2000 Indiana's 2nd congressional district election[11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mike Pence 106,023 50.87
Democratic Robert Rock 80,885 38.81
Independent Bill Frazier 19,077 9.15
Libertarian Michael E. Anderson 2,422 1.16
Total votes 208,407 100.00
Turnout 208,407

2002

2002 Indiana's 6th congressional district Republican Party primary[12]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mike Pence (incumbent) 55,142 100.00
Total votes 55,142 100.00
Turnout 55,142 22
2002 Indiana's 6th congressional district election[12]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mike Pence (incumbent) 118,436 63.79
Democratic Melina Ann Fox 63,871 34.40
Libertarian Doris Robertson 3,346 1.80
Total votes 185,653 100.00
Turnout 185,653 39
Republican hold

2004

2004 Indiana's 6th congressional district Republican Party primary[13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mike Pence (incumbent) 61,794 100.00
Total votes 61,794 100.00
2004 Indiana's 6th congressional district election[13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mike Pence (incumbent) 182,529 67.09
Democratic Melina Ann Fox 85,123 31.29
Libertarian Chad (Wick) Roots 4,397 1.62
Total votes 272,049 100.00
Turnout 272,049 58
Republican hold

2006

2006 Indiana's 6th congressional district Republican Party primary[14]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mike Pence (incumbent) 52,188 86.13
Republican George Holland 8,406 13.87
Total votes 60,594 100.00
Turnout 60,594 19
2006 Indiana's 6th congressional district election[14]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mike Pence (incumbent) 115,266 60.01
Democratic Barry A. Welsh 76,812 39.99
Total votes 192,078 100.00
Turnout 192,078 40
Republican hold

2008

2008 Indiana's 6th congressional district Republican Party primary[15]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mike Pence (incumbent) 46,488 100.00
Total votes 46,488 100.00
Turnout 46,488 40
2008 Indiana's 6th congressional district election[15]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mike Pence (incumbent) 180,549 63.96
Democratic Barry A. Welsh 94,223 33.38
Libertarian George T. Holland 7,534 2.67
Total votes 282,306 100.00
Turnout 282,306 62
Republican hold

2010

2010 Indiana's 6th congressional district Republican Party primary[16]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mike Pence (incumbent) 61,381 100.00
Total votes 61,381 100.00
Turnout 61,381 21
2010 Indiana's 6th congressional district election[16]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mike Pence (incumbent) 126,027 66.57
Democratic Barry A. Welsh 56,647 29.92
Libertarian Talmage "T.J." Thompson, Jr. 6,635 3.51
Total votes 189,309 100.00
Turnout 189,309 41
Republican hold

Indiana gubernatorial (2012-2016)

2012

2012 Indiana Republican Party gubernatorial primary[17][18]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mike Pence 554,412 100.00
Total votes 554,412 100.00
Turnout 554,412 22
2012 Indiana gubernatorial election[19][20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Mike Pence / Sue Ellspermann 1,275,424 49.49%
Democratic John Gregg / Vi Simpson 1,200,016 46.56%
Libertarian Rupert Boneham / Brad Klopfenstein 101,868 3.95%
No party Donnie Harold Harris / George Fish (write-in) 21 0% —
Margin of victory 75,408 2.93% %
Turnout 2,577,329 56.58%
Republican hold Swing

2016 Republican primary

In 2016, Pence ran for a second term as Governor, winning the Republican primary unopposed. However, after being selected by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump to be his running mate in the 2016 United States presidential election, Pence dropped out. The Indiana Republican Party nominated Lieutenant Governor Eric Holcomb as a replacement.[4]

2016 Indiana Republican gubernatorial primary[21][22]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mike Pence (incumbent) 815,699 100
Total votes 815,699 100

Presidential elections (2016–2024)

2016

See also: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

Nomination

2016 Republican National Convention, vice presidential tally
Candidate Votes %
Mike Pence _[a] 100.00
Total votes 100.00

General election

Electoral results
Presidential candidate Party Home state Popular vote Electoral
vote 		Running mate
Count Percentage Vice-presidential candidate Home state Electoral vote
Donald Trump Republican New York 62,984,828 46.09% 304 (306) Mike Pence Indiana 304[b]
Hillary Clinton Democratic New York 65,853,514 48.18% 227 (232) Tim Kaine Virginia 227
Gary Johnson Libertarian New Mexico 4,489,341 3.28% 0 William Weld Massachusetts 0
Jill Stein Green Massachusetts 1,457,218 1.07% 0 Ajamu Baraka Illinois 0
Evan McMullin Independent Utah 731,991 0.54% 0 Mindy Finn District of Columbia 0
Darrell Castle Constitution Tennessee 203,090 0.15% 0 Scott Bradley Utah 0
Gloria La Riva Socialism and Liberation California 74,401 0.05% 0 Eugene Puryear District of Columbia 0
Tickets that received electoral votes from faithless electors
Bernie Sanders[c] Independent Vermont 111,850 [d] 0.08% [d] 1 (0) Elizabeth Warren[c] Massachusetts 1
John Kasich[c][e] Republican Ohio 2,684 [d] 0.00% [d] 1 (0) Carly Fiorina[c][e] Virginia 1
Ron Paul[c][e] Libertarian[24] Texas 124 [d] 0.00% [d] 1 (0) Mike Pence Indiana 1
Colin Luther Powell[c] Republican Virginia 25 [d] 0.00% [d] 3 (0) Elizabeth Warren[c] Massachusetts 1
Maria Cantwell[c] Washington 1
Susan Collins[c] Maine 1
Faith Spotted Eagle[c] Democratic South Dakota 0 0.00% 1 (0) Winona LaDuke[c] Minnesota 1
Other 760,210 0.56% — Other —
Total 136,669,276 100% 538 538
Needed to win 270 270

2020

See also: Donald Trump 2020 presidential campaign

Nomination

2020 Republican National Convention, vice presidential tally
Candidate Votes %
Mike Pence _[a] 100.00
Total votes 100.00

General election

2020 United States presidential election[27]
CandidateRunning matePartyPopular voteElectoral vote
Votes%Votes%
Joe BidenKamala HarrisDemocratic81,286,45451.2530656.88
Donald TrumpMike PenceRepublican74,225,92646.8023243.12
Jo JorgensenSpike CohenLibertarian1,865,6411.1800.00
Howie HawkinsAngela Nicole WalkerGreen406,7110.2600.00
Others829,7430.52
Total158,614,475100.00538100.00

2024 Republican primary

Main article: Mike Pence 2024 presidential campaign

On June 7, 2023, Pence announced he would seek the Republican nomination in the 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries.[28] In late July, Pence visited Ukraine to meet with Prime Minister Volodymyr Zelenskyy to speak about the Russian Invasion of Ukraine.[29] In August, Pence participated in the first two 2024 Republican Party presidential debates.[30][31] He polled poorly and struggled to fundraise. On October 28, he announced he was dropping out of the race saying, "This is not my time."[32]

Notes

  1. ^ a b Chosen by acclamation.
  2. ^ Pence received 305 electoral votes for vice president, but only 304 as part of the Trump–Pence ticket; one faithless elector from Texas voted for Ron Paul as president instead of Trump, and is recorded separately below.[1]
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Received electoral vote(s) from a faithless elector
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Candidate received votes as a write-in. The exact numbers of write-in votes have been published for three states: California, New Hampshire, and Vermont.[25]
  5. ^ a b c Two faithless electors from Texas cast their presidential votes for Ron Paul and John Kasich, respectively. Chris Suprun said he cast his presidential vote for John Kasich and his vice presidential vote for Carly Fiorina. The other faithless elector in Texas, Bill Greene, cast his presidential vote for Ron Paul but cast his vice presidential vote for Mike Pence, as pledged. John Kasich received recorded write-in votes in Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Vermont.

References

  1. ^ Weaver, Justin; Schlosberg, Jon; Cathey, Libby (September 26, 2023). "Mike Pence calls out Trump for skipping debate: 'He ought to be on that debate stage'". ABC News. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
  2. ^ Schrad, Mark Lawrence (October 23, 2024). "Why a third-party presidential candidate can never win". The Hill. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  3. ^ "Former Gov. Mike Pence: About the Former Governor". in.gov. Retrieved 2026-01-31.
  4. ^ a b Robillard, Kevin (2016-07-26). "Indiana GOP picks Lt. Gov. Eric Holcomb to replace Mike Pence on 2016 ballot". Politico. Retrieved 2026-01-15.
  5. ^ Jackson, David. "Trump claims victory in stunning upset, calls for healing divisions". USA Today. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
  6. ^ Gringlas, Sam (2020-11-07). "'Far From Over': Trump Refuses To Concede As Biden's Margin Of Victory Widens". NPR. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
  7. ^ Cillizza, Chris (2021-09-14). "Analysis: How Dan Quayle saved democracy. Yes, really". CNN. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
  8. ^ Thomas, Richard C. (June 1989). "Election Results for the U.S. President, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  9. ^ Davidoff, Douglass T. (November 9, 1988). "Loser Pence may try to unseat Sharp again in '90". The Indianapolis News. p. A-12. Retrieved January 31, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Thomas, Richard C. (April 1991). "Federal Elections 90 Election Results for the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  11. ^ "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 7, 2000" (PDF). Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. June 21, 2001. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  12. ^ a b "2002 Indiana Election Report" (PDF). Indiana Election Division. pp. 7, 59, 67, 111. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 10, 2012. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  13. ^ a b "2004 Indiana Election Report" (PDF). Indiana Election Division. pp. 14, 49, 78. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 23, 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  14. ^ a b "2006 Indiana Election Report" (PDF). Indiana Election Division. March 28, 2007. pp. 10, 62, 69–70, 110. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 25, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  15. ^ a b "2008 Indiana Election Report" (PDF). Indiana Election Division. May 24, 2009. pp. 14, 56, 66–67, 104. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 15, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  16. ^ a b "2010 Indiana Election Report" (PDF). Indiana Election Division. pp. 15, 61, 69, 111. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 23, 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  17. ^ "Indiana Primary Election, May 8, 2012-United States Senator". Secretary of State of Indiana. June 5, 2012. Archived from the original on October 18, 2014. Retrieved June 11, 2012.
  18. ^ "2012 Primary Election Turnout and Registration" (PDF). Indiana Secretary of State. May 8, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 27, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  19. ^ "Election Results". Indiana Secretary of State. November 28, 2012. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  20. ^ "2012 General Election Turnout and Registration" (PDF). Indiana Secretary of State. November 6, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 15, 2021. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  21. ^ "Indiana Primary Election, May 3, 2016". Indiana Secretary of State. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  22. ^ "2016 Primary Election Turnout and Registration" (PDF). Indiana Secretary of State. May 3, 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 12, 2019. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  23. ^ "2016 Electoral College Results". National Archives and Records Administration. 2019-11-05. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
  24. ^ Lau, Ryan (February 3, 2018). "Ron Paul Attacks Libertarian Leadership in Response to Controversy". 71Republic. Archived from the original on February 4, 2018. Retrieved February 3, 2018. I paid my lifetime membership, in 1987, with a gold coin, to make a point.
  25. ^ CA: [2] and [3] NH: [4] VT: [5]
  26. ^ "2020 US Presidential Election Results: Live Map". ABC News. December 18, 2020. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
  27. ^ Liep, Dave. "2020 Presidential General Election Results". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
  28. ^ Baio, Ariana (2023-05-31). "Mike Pence to announce 2024 White House bid on 7 June". The Independent. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
  29. ^ LeVine, Marianne (2023-06-29). "Mike Pence makes surprise trip to Ukraine". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
  30. ^ Watson, Kathryn (2023-08-22). "Who qualifies for the first 2024 Republican presidential debate? - CBS News". CBS News. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
  31. ^ Price, Michelle L.; Riccardi, Nicholas (2023-09-28). "Key takeaways from the 2nd GOP debate: 'Donald Duck,' feuding candidates and more". NBC New York. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
  32. ^ Colvin, Jill (2023-10-28). "Pence ends White House campaign after struggling to gain traction. 'This is not my time,' he says". Associated Press. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
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