Vice President Mike Pence’s big brother Greg Pence wants to follow his little bro to Washington. The Indiana businessman and former Marine is running for the U.S. House seat from Indiana’s District 6, the one held by Mike Pence for 12 years before he became governor. Here’s what you need to know.
1. Greg Pence is shy
Greg Pence rarely gives interviews. He does not grant them to the national press at all, Roll Call reports.
2. He’s Republican and (very) pro-Trump
No family feud here. Greg Pence’s campaign website says, “Greg is a staunch supporter of the Trump-Pence agenda and will fight alongside the President to Make America Great Again.” The candidate is described as “an unwavering pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, and faith-driven conservative.”
3. His biggest asset is a duo of antique malls
Greg Pence and his wife own the 72,000-square-foot Exit 76 Antique Mall in Edinburgh, Indiana. “The warehouse-like building carries everything from a $10 U.S. Capitol porcelain plate to an $800 barbecue bull that lets smoke out of its nose, with plenty of Elvis figurines, costume jewelry, knives and grandfather clocks stuffed in between,” reports Roll Call. The value of the mall, and another smaller one Pence owns, is somewhere between $5 and $25 million, according to campaign financial disclosures.
4. He has a background in oil — and corporate bankruptcy
After serving in the Marine Corps in the ’80s, Greg Pence worked for Marathon Oil and Unocal Corporation. He then became vice president of Kiel Brothers Oil Company, a chain of about 200 gas stations and convenience stores. In 2004, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and Greg Pence resigned. By 2006, the company owed more than $100 million to creditors, including $9 million to local and state governments.
5. There was some controversy
Greg Pence’s only government experience involved some drama. In 2005, Indiana’s governor appointed him deputy commissioner of the state’s Department of Environmental Management — which had previously cited Kiel Brothers for environmental violations. Greg Pence quit after two-and-a-half months, saying he was redundant. “I am the spare groom at the wedding,” he told the Indianapolis Star.
6. Friends of Trump are friends of his, money-wise
Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy, a longtime supporter of Donald Trump, has donated to Greg Pence’s campaign. So have Paul Ryan’s expected replacement as Speaker of the House (or Minority Leader) Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA).
