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With 41 per cent of voters supporting Donald Trump according to NBC polls as of July 17, there is a looming possibility that Trump could become the next president of the United States. He announced that his running mate would be Mike Pence, a 57-year-old Indiana governor with ample political experience. But who is he and what role will he have in the upcoming elections?

So far, it appears that Pence has had little influence on gathering further support; 74 per cent of responders to a USA Today poll said Pence will not affect their likeliness to vote for Trump. With the ongoing Republican National Convention (RNC) and expectations that Hillary Clinton will announce her VP choice within the next few days, we first give you a breakdown of everything you need to know about the man who might become America’s next second-in-command.

1. Former Democrat from a family of Irish immigrants

Pence was born in the small city of Columbus, Indiana. His grandfather emigrated from Ireland and his father ran a gas station. After graduating from Hanover College in Indiana, he attended Indiana University’s law school. He then became an attorney, think-tank president, radio and TV show host until he was elected into congress in 2000. Although he was a Catholic and Democrat in his youth, he converted to evangelical Christianity and became a Republican.

2. Long-time reputed Indiana politician

Since 2000, Pence has held strong ground on Indiana politics. After being elected for 6 consecutive times from Indiana to the House of Representatives, he has been the state’s governor since 2012. He has also been on the forefront of establishing his home state as a “state that works”, managing a 2 billion dollar budget surplus in a time of nationwide budget deficits and signing a bill to cut corporate income taxes from 6.25% to 4.9%. During his time, Pence has left impactful legislative and executive marks on Indiana.

3. Lacking large-scale experience

From his birth to education to career, Mike Pence was only associated with the state of Indiana. By running for VP, he is competing outside of the state for the first time in his 16 years of political experience. Many argue that he lacks involvement on not just the national but also international level. Because after all, the US presidential election is a global matter due to the US’s complex entanglement in foreign affairs. Pence was indeed involved in a foreign relations committee during his time in congress and retained experience on Capitol Hill while he was governor. However, critics underscore that it won’t be enough to cover up for Trump’s complete lack of electoral experience.

4. Widely unknown outside of Indiana

Unlike former Republican VP candidates such as Paul Ryan or Sarah Palin, Mike Pence is not a familiar name to most Americans. According to a poll by Gallup early this week, nearly half (44%) of the respondents had no idea of who he is. This raises questions on whether he suits the position of Vice President, the second most important person in the US. He will need to work hard to earn a name outside of Indiana and to prove himself capable of representing all 50 states.

5. Controversial stances: smoking, Mulan, RFRA

Pence is known for taking several controversial standpoints, especially during his earlier days. In 1998, he stated that “smoking doesn’t kill” although the harmful effects of tobacco were already well-known by the 1960s. He has also faced backlash for writing in a 1999 op-ed column for The Mike Pence Show that “women in military [is a] bad idea” by suggesting that Mulan was written by “some mischievous liberal” at a “politically correct Disney”. Pence also signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) in 2015, which many accused could allow businesses to reject service to gender minorities.

6. A hopeful addition to the Trump Train?

Pence is rather soft-spoken compared to Trump, which could be viewed as favourable to voters. On the other hand, his comparatively calm demeanour could also be seen as meek and passive, as was noted by his 60 Minutes interview where Trump frequently interrupted him. In many of his speeches so far, he merely expressed his support for Donald Trump and rarely spoke about his own ideas or viewpoints on how to “make America great again”. For one thing, Pence does not speak in discriminatory or derogatory terms. He also knows how to appease different sides by clarifying his stance, instead of clinging onto extreme beliefs. This was apparent when he signed a fix to the controversial RFRA for which he long argued for.

7. Trump-Pence mismatch?

It appears that just a few weeks ago, Pence had no intentions of running for Vice President since he had already decided to re-run for Indiana governor. He also previously stated his support for Ted Cruz’s presidency. This appears problematic since Cruz was at the forefront of Trump-haters in the Republican Party, even going so far as to officially announce that he would not endorse Trump on July 20. Several questions have been raised regarding whether Trump and Pence even really know each other. Many found their chemistry awkward as Trump rarely let Pence speak for himself in their first joint interview on the 60 Minutes TV show. Still, proponents highlight that Pence’s focus on low regulation and corporate-friendly policies in Indiana will work well with Trump’s business mentality.

8. Christian, conservative, Republican

Mike Pence has repeatedly uttered that he is “a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order”. He has also stated that many of his decisions are influenced by his religious beliefs. This has given hope to the Trump campaign that Pence’s religiousness could gather more support from evangelical Christians.

9. A favourite of conservatives

Pence agrees with mainstream conservatives on most matters such as gender minorities or abortion. Thus his nomination for Vice President is hoping to soothe Republicans displeased with Trump’s extremism. Pence’s pro-business policies in the conservative state of Indiana, coupled with his previous support for Ted Cruz is also expecting to gather a greater cohort of typical Republican followers.

10. His RNC speech: confident and enthusiastic with a lack of substance

Mike Pence made his debut speech at the Republican National Convention on July 20 Eastern Time. Throughout his 33-minute speech, he talked about his background, Indiana, Trump, Clinton, the Republican Party and the status quo. Most of the speech revolved around praising Trump and bashing Clinton (although he didn’t call her “crooked Hillary”). He also appealed to Christians and veterans by making constant references to his faith and his family’s involvement in the army. However, Pence failed to address his own perspective on key issues like race and immigration.

He made Trump sound like some mythical hero – “then Donald Trump came along” – but didn’t talk about his own role in the upcoming elections. 30 minutes into his speech, he finally touched on what he would do as VP: “[as] Vice President, I promise to keep faith with that conviction to pray daily for a wise and discerning heart for who is able to govern this great people of yours”. It appears that no one understood what he meant, because the audience that had cheered at his every remark didn’t do so this time.