'Pence: The Path to Power,' a biography of Vice President Mike Pence, will be out on Aug. 1 and in it author Andrea Neal puts forth a question that intrigues everyone in one way or another, though she says it bluntly, USA Today reported.
“How could a biblically based Christian so readily align himself with a man prone to flout the most recognized rules of civility?” asks Neal, a former Indianapolis Star reporter who was appointed to Indiana’s State Board of Education by then Governor Pence in 2013.
Neal leaves the answer to that question to the reader, but the book published by Indiana University Press isn't anti-anyone. USA Today said the biography provides a good overview of the path the politically ambitious Pence took to get to his current position.
The book documents Pence’s political path from his early days with his strong 1988 congressional campaign to his current position, including his early influences, key mentors, successes and setbacks.
Neal has interviewed sources who are closest to Pence, but not Pence himself, and chooses to focus on people who can be named, giving her book authenticity.
Neal writes of how Pence joined then later left the Indiana Public Policy Review Foundation amid controversy and chose to pursue a job as radio talk show host before being embraced as an effective spokesman for conservatism by national conservative groups.
The book also analyzes how Pence chose to downplay social issues during his 2012 run for governor and later admitted to feeling overwhelmed with the minutiae that came with being governor.
“In Washington, he had seen his role as obstructionist — fighting bad bills, holding leadership accountable, and reminding colleagues of Republican principles of limited government,” Neal said, according to USA Today. “As governor, he had to lead. That meant setting a vision and winning over the public and lawmakers.”
In the biography, Neal writes about how in 2015 Pence was trapped between local businesses and Christian conservatives when he signed the amended the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in 2015.
“Looking ahead to presidential possibilities, he’d been advised by his consultants to avoid making waves that could affect his political ambitions,” Neal writes. “The RFRA proved to be a tidal wave. Although it was not a part of the governor’s agenda, by signing it into law he had become its most visible champion.”
Neal touches upon how Pence was facing a difficult re-election campaign when days before the deadline to withdraw from the ballot, Trump approached him to be his running mate.
The book examines the night in July 2016 when Trump was forced to stay overnight in Indiana due to troubles with his plane, giving Pence the chance to sell himself to Trump over breakfast, The Indianapolis Star noted.
CBS News had reported that Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort lied about the plane's mechanical problems, but Neal debunks this in the book.
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