Who is Mike Pence?

Pence lost two elections in 1988 and 1990 for Congress before tabling his political ambitions and entering the world of talk radio. He described his conservative broadcasting persona as “Rush Limbaugh on decaf,” and grew his audience in Indianapolis.

In 2000, Pence, who also worked as a practicing attorney and running a free-market think tank, triumphed on his third try for Congress. Six years later as chair of the Republican Study Committee he made a bid for House Minority Leader, but lost to future House Speaker John Boehner. In 2009, he became chair of the House Republican Conference.

Pence then passed on the opportunity to run for the U.S. Senate in 2010, and decided to pursue the Hoosier state’s governor’s mansion a couple of years later. He succeeded GOP Gov. Mitch Daniels and defeated Democratic challenger John Gregg in a closer-than-expected election. Gregg is running for governor again in 2016.

The governor flirted with a presidential bid in 2015, but ultimately decided to sit it out. When the hotly contested GOP primary came to the Hoosier state, Trump had Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich on the ropes. Pence offered a tepid — and short-lived — endorsement for Cruz. After Trump won Indiana and Cruz quit, Pence boarded the Trump train and has campaigned for the presumptive GOP nominee.

In recent years, Pence has sparked controversy at home for his handling of Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act and his attempt to prevent Syrian refugees from settling in the Hoosier State. His re-election bid was expected to be competitive.

He has also criticized Trump’s proposed ban on Muslim migration and offered support for trade deals that Trump opposes vehemently. His public comments put him at odds with his potential running mate, but also could help bridge the divide between warring factions of the Republican Party.

When Pence takes the stage in Cleveland he will step into a national spotlight for the first time, but he has been trying to get there for decades.