Mike Pence, former vice president of the United States, is now running for president.
He announced his candidacy on Wednesday, June 7, setting up a battle with his former boss, Donald Trump, for the Republican nomination.
When Trump made him his running mate, Pence was governor of Indiana. Before that, he served in the US House of Representatives from 2001 to 2013.
By 2009, Pence had risen to become the House Republican Conference chairman, a position he occupied as a leader of the party's socially conservative flank. During the 2010 Value Voter Summit, Pence took the stage and said, "I'm a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order."
![A young Pence plays guitar in a Hanover College chapel. Pence graduated from the Indiana school in 1981 and then went on to study law.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/200930131525-03-pence-unfurled.jpg?q=w_888,c_fill)
A young Pence plays guitar in a Hanover College chapel. Pence graduated from the Indiana school in 1981 and then went on to study law.
Courtesy Hanover College
![Pence meets with President Ronald Reagan while running for Congress in 1988. He lost that race and another one in 1990. After his second loss, Pence became president of the Indiana Policy Review Foundation, a conservative think tank. From 1993-1999, he hosted a syndicated talk radio show in which he described himself as Rush Limbaugh on decaf.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/200930122110-03-pence-unfurled.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Pence meets with President Ronald Reagan while running for Congress in 1988. He lost that race and another one in 1990. After his second loss, Pence became president of the Indiana Policy Review Foundation, a conservative think tank. From 1993-1999, he hosted a syndicated talk radio show in which he described himself as Rush Limbaugh on decaf.
Mike Pence Office/Roll Call Photos/Newscom
![Pence poses with his three children: Audrey, Michael and Charlotte. <a href="https://twitter.com/GovPenceIN/status/744510173339856896" target="_blank" target="_blank">He posted this old photo to Twitter in 2016.</a>](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/200930122115-04-pence-unfurled.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Pence poses with his three children: Audrey, Michael and Charlotte. He posted this old photo to Twitter in 2016.
@GovPenceIN/Twitter
![Pence is joined by his wife, Karen, and other family members after winning a congressional race in 2000.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/200930122105-05-pence-unfurled.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Pence is joined by his wife, Karen, and other family members after winning a congressional race in 2000.
Darron Cummings/The Republic/AP
![Pence talks with US Sen. Jeff Flake in 2002, during the markup of a bill that would establish the Department of Homeland Security.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/160714105101-03-mike-pence-0714-restricted.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Pence talks with US Sen. Jeff Flake in 2002, during the markup of a bill that would establish the Department of Homeland Security.
Scott J. Ferrell/Congressional Quarterly/Getty Images
![Pence, second from left, joins other Republican congressmen who were calling for budget offsets to pay for the Hurricane Katrina relief and reconstruction effort.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/160714105542-05-mike-pence-0714-restricted.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Pence, second from left, joins other Republican congressmen who were calling for budget offsets to pay for the Hurricane Katrina relief and reconstruction effort.
Tom Williams/Roll Call/Getty Images
![Pence speaks at a 2008 news conference in Washington, DC. Pence and other House Republicans were calling on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to schedule a vote on energy legislation to help lower gasoline prices.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/160714105920-06-mike-pence-0714-restricted.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Pence speaks at a 2008 news conference in Washington, DC. Pence and other House Republicans were calling on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to schedule a vote on energy legislation to help lower gasoline prices.
Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images
![Pence makes marks on a House health-care bill in 2009.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/200930122118-09-pence-unfurled.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Pence makes marks on a House health-care bill in 2009.
Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images
![Pence sits with the Royerton Elementary School choir as it prepares to sing patriotic songs on the House steps in May 2011.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/200930122123-11-pence-unfurled.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Pence sits with the Royerton Elementary School choir as it prepares to sing patriotic songs on the House steps in May 2011.
Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images
![Pence walks with House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan as they head to a meeting in July 2011.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/200930122121-10-pence-unfurled.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Pence walks with House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan as they head to a meeting in July 2011.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
![Pence is sworn in as Indiana's 50th governor in 2013.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/160714110428-10-mike-pence-0714-restricted.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Pence is sworn in as Indiana's 50th governor in 2013.
Michael Conroy/AP
![Pence holds a news conference in Indianapolis in March 2015. Pence spoke about the state's Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which banned local governments from intervening when businesses turn away customers for religious reasons. The law sparked concern about discrimination, particularly within the LGBT community. A week after it was enacted, Pence signed a new version that prohibited discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/200930122125-13-pence-unfurled.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Pence holds a news conference in Indianapolis in March 2015. Pence spoke about the state's Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which banned local governments from intervening when businesses turn away customers for religious reasons. The law sparked concern about discrimination, particularly within the LGBT community. A week after it was enacted, Pence signed a new version that prohibited discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images
![Pence shakes hands with Trump after being selected as his running mate in July 2016.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/170414125605-mike-pence-vp-candidate-july-16-2016.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Pence shakes hands with Trump after being selected as his running mate in July 2016.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
![Pence prepares for an interview prior to the start of the fourth day of the Republican National Convention in July 2016.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/200930122128-15-pence-unfurled.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Pence prepares for an interview prior to the start of the fourth day of the Republican National Convention in July 2016.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
![Trump and Pence acknowledge the crowd at the end of the Republican National Convention in 2016.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/200930122131-16-pence-unfurled.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Trump and Pence acknowledge the crowd at the end of the Republican National Convention in 2016.
Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
![Pence takes a selfie before a presidential debate in Hempstead, New York, in September 2016.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/200930122132-17-pence-unfurled.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Pence takes a selfie before a presidential debate in Hempstead, New York, in September 2016.
Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images
![Pence debates Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine in October 2016.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/161004205257-11-vp-debate-1004.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Pence debates Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine in October 2016.
SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images
![Pence and his wife, Karen, take the first dance at the Indiana Society's Inaugural Ball in January 2017.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/200930122134-19-pence-unfurled.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Pence and his wife, Karen, take the first dance at the Indiana Society's Inaugural Ball in January 2017.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
![Pence arrives for Trump's inauguration in January 2017.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/170120114121-28-inauguration-0120.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Pence arrives for Trump's inauguration in January 2017.
SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images
![Pence is joined by his wife, Karen, and his daughter Charlotte as he lays a wreath at the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site in southwestern Germany in February 2017.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/170219101348-04-mike-pence-dachau-0219.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Pence is joined by his wife, Karen, and his daughter Charlotte as he lays a wreath at the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site in southwestern Germany in February 2017.
THOMAS KIENZLE/AFP/Getty Images
![Pence and his wife are joined by their daughters Audrey, left, and Charlotte as they leave Japan in April 2017.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/200930122136-22-pence-unfurled.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Pence and his wife are joined by their daughters Audrey, left, and Charlotte as they leave Japan in April 2017.
Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP/Getty Images
![Mike and Karen Pence hold their family rabbit Marlon Bundo during an event celebrating military families in May 2017.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/200930122140-23-pence-unfurled.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Mike and Karen Pence hold their family rabbit Marlon Bundo during an event celebrating military families in May 2017.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
![The Space Shuttle Discovery is the backdrop as Pence speaks during the inaugural meeting of the National Space Council in October 2017.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/200930122141-24-pence-unfurled.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
The Space Shuttle Discovery is the backdrop as Pence speaks during the inaugural meeting of the National Space Council in October 2017.
Mark Wilson/Getty Images
![Pence cleans a portion of the wall at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in November 2017.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/200930122142-25-pence-unfurled.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Pence cleans a portion of the wall at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in November 2017.
Alex Brandon/AP
![Pence and his wife, Karen, attend the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in February 2018. Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, is seated at back left.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/200930122143-27-pence-unfurled.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Pence and his wife, Karen, attend the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in February 2018. Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, is seated at back left.
Matthias Hangst/Getty Images
![Pence speaks while visiting US and Polish soldiers at a military base in Warsaw, Poland, in February 2019.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/200930122146-28-pence-unfurled.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Pence speaks while visiting US and Polish soldiers at a military base in Warsaw, Poland, in February 2019.
Sean Gallup/Getty Images
![Pence meets with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in London in September 2019.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/200930122144-27-pence-unfurled.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Pence meets with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in London in September 2019.
Peter Summers/Getty Images
![In this photo released by the White House, President Trump sits in the White House Situation Room, monitoring developments in the October 2019 military raid that killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in northwest Syria. From left are national security adviser Robert O'Brien; Pence; Trump; Defense Secretary Mark Esper; Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Brig. Gen. Marcus Evans, the deputy director for special operations on the Joint Staff.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/200117132315-02-trump-third-year-unf.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
In this photo released by the White House, President Trump sits in the White House Situation Room, monitoring developments in the October 2019 military raid that killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in northwest Syria. From left are national security adviser Robert O'Brien; Pence; Trump; Defense Secretary Mark Esper; Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Brig. Gen. Marcus Evans, the deputy director for special operations on the Joint Staff.
Shealah Craighead/White House Photo
![Pence and Trump attend a December 2019 meeting about the Governors Initiative on Regulatory Innovation.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/200930124825-30-pence-unfurled.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Pence and Trump attend a December 2019 meeting about the Governors Initiative on Regulatory Innovation.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
![Pence speaks during a White House coronavirus briefing in March 2020. He was chosen by President Trump to lead the White House Coronavirus Task Force.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/200930124830-32-pence-unfurled.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Pence speaks during a White House coronavirus briefing in March 2020. He was chosen by President Trump to lead the White House Coronavirus Task Force.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
![Pence stops to talk to reporters after meeting with congressional Democrats and Republicans in March 2020.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/200930124828-31-pence-unfurled.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Pence stops to talk to reporters after meeting with congressional Democrats and Republicans in March 2020.
Samuel Corum/Getty Images
![Pence visits Dennis Nelson, a patient who survived the coronavirus and was going to give blood, during a tour of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, in April 2020. Pence chose not to wear a face mask during the tour despite the facility's policy. Pence initially told reporters that he wasn't wearing a mask because he's often tested for coronavirus. He later said he should have worn one.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/200930124834-33-pence-unfurled.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Pence visits Dennis Nelson, a patient who survived the coronavirus and was going to give blood, during a tour of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, in April 2020. Pence chose not to wear a face mask during the tour despite the facility's policy. Pence initially told reporters that he wasn't wearing a mask because he's often tested for coronavirus. He later said he should have worn one.
Jim Mone/AP
![Pence and Trump watch the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in May 2020. It marked the first time in history that a commercial aerospace company carried humans into Earth's orbit.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/200930124835-34-pence-unfurled.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Pence and Trump watch the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in May 2020. It marked the first time in history that a commercial aerospace company carried humans into Earth's orbit.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
![Pence accepts the vice presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention in August 2020.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/200930163856-40-pence-unfurled.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Pence accepts the vice presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention in August 2020.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
![Pence greets his predecessor, Joe Biden, during a 9/11 memorial service in New York in September 2020. Biden is also the Democratic Party's presidential nominee.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/200930124838-35-pence-unfurled.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Pence greets his predecessor, Joe Biden, during a 9/11 memorial service in New York in September 2020. Biden is also the Democratic Party's presidential nominee.
Amr Alfiky/Pool/Getty Images
![Pence smiles during a Fox News interview in Gilford, New Hampshire, in September 2020.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/200930124840-36-pence-unfurled.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Pence smiles during a Fox News interview in Gilford, New Hampshire, in September 2020.
Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe/Getty Images
![Pence and Trump arrive at a campaign rally in Newport News, Virginia, in September 2020.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/200930124842-37-pence-unfurled.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Pence and Trump arrive at a campaign rally in Newport News, Virginia, in September 2020.
Steve Helber/AP
![Pence debates US Sen. Kamala Harris at the <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2020/10/07/politics/gallery/2020-vice-presidential-debate/index.html" target="_blank">vice presidential debate</a> in October 2020.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/201007212237-11-vp-debate-2020.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Pence debates US Sen. Kamala Harris at the vice presidential debate in October 2020.
Eric Baradat/AFP/Getty Images
![Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi officiate a joint session of Congress in January 2021. Congress was meeting to count and certify Electoral College votes before <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2021/01/06/politics/gallery/electoral-college-vote-count/index.html" target="_blank">the US Capitol was breached by pro-Trump rioters.</a> Pence later called it "the most difficult day of my public life." In the days that followed, he said, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/16/politics/takeaways-mike-pence-cnn-town-hall/index.html" target="_blank">he was upset with Trump</a> over the then-president's role in the deadly insurrection. "The president's words and tweet that day were reckless," Pence said. "They endangered my family and all the people at the Capitol."](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/210108011710-36-week-in-photos-0108.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi officiate a joint session of Congress in January 2021. Congress was meeting to count and certify Electoral College votes before the US Capitol was breached by pro-Trump rioters. Pence later called it "the most difficult day of my public life." In the days that followed, he said, he was upset with Trump over the then-president's role in the deadly insurrection. "The president's words and tweet that day were reckless," Pence said. "They endangered my family and all the people at the Capitol."
J. Scott Applewhite/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
![Pence and his wife, Karen, are trailed by his successor, Kamala Harris, and her husband, Doug Emhoff, after <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2021/01/19/politics/gallery/joe-biden-inauguration-photos/index.html" target="_blank">the inauguration</a> in January 2021.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/210120173713-01-pence-harris-inauguration-restricted.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Pence and his wife, Karen, are trailed by his successor, Kamala Harris, and her husband, Doug Emhoff, after the inauguration in January 2021.
Sarah Silbiger for CNN
![Pence and US Sen. Chuck Grassley, left, tour the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines in August 2022.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/230516104537-mike-pence-220819.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Pence and US Sen. Chuck Grassley, left, tour the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines in August 2022.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
![Pence joins CNN's Wolf Blitzer for a one-on-one conversation in March 2023.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/230516104619-mike-pence-230330.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Pence joins CNN's Wolf Blitzer for a one-on-one conversation in March 2023.
John Nowak/CNN
![People watch as Pence <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/07/politics/pence-2024-presidential-campaign/index.html" target="_blank">announces his presidential candidacy</a> in Ankeny, Iowa, in June 2023. "The American people deserve to know, on (January 6, 2021), President Trump also demanded I choose between him and the Constitution. Now voters will be faced with the same choice. I chose the Constitution, and I always will," Pence said to applause from the crowd at Des Moines Area Community College.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/230608123025-01-pence-gallery-0607.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
People watch as Pence announces his presidential candidacy in Ankeny, Iowa, in June 2023. "The American people deserve to know, on (January 6, 2021), President Trump also demanded I choose between him and the Constitution. Now voters will be faced with the same choice. I chose the Constitution, and I always will," Pence said to applause from the crowd at Des Moines Area Community College.
Will Lanzoni/CNN
![Pence speaks at a <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/07/politics/takeaways-mike-pence-town-hall-cnn/index.html" target="_blank">CNN town hall event</a> in Des Moines, Iowa, in June 2023.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/230608123323-02-pence-gallery-0607.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
Pence speaks at a CNN town hall event in Des Moines, Iowa, in June 2023.
Will Lanzoni/CNN