Indiana Gov. Mike Pence and Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine faced off in the 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate on Oct. 4 at Longwood University in Farmville, Va. The 90-minute showdown was moderated by CBS reporter Elaine Quijano, the first Asian-American reporter to moderate a national debate. Along with the now-expected characteristics of national debates — attacks on the presidential candidate of either ticket, substance versus style, and, for this election cycle, repeated interruptions — one distinguishing factor of last night was the religious nature of both candidates.
Both Mike Pence and Tim Kaine were raised in Irish Catholic homes. And both are known for being devout Christians in high-profile governing roles.
Gov. Pence has described himself as a “Christian, a conservative, and a Republican — in that order.” Having become an evangelical in college, Pence has stated that his faith informs his views on issues like abortion.
His opposition to Planned Parenthood is well-documented: He championed the defunding of the organization throughout his tenure in the House of Representatives. As governor, he recently signed a controversial bill which banned abortion based on race, sex, or any disabilities. The law also requires that aborted fetuses be buried or cremated and called for punishment for doctors that provide abortions.
Pence is also known for signing the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in the spring of 2015. The law caused immense backlash and forced him to sign a “fix” to stop the criticism and lessen economic fallout. The legislation would have allowed private business to refuse service to LGBTQ customers citing their religious beliefs — the “fix” ensured that state law would not supersede local ordinances protecting LGTBQ rights, such as those in Indianapolis, Lafayette (home of Purdue University), and other small cities.
Surprisingly, this issue did not come up during last night’s debate.
Sen. Kaine, a regular congregant at a black Catholic parish in Richmond, Va., has also been outspoken about his faith and how it informs his public life. Last night he echoed this, saying that while his views are informed by his faith, he does not believe that his beliefs should be necessarily codified in American law.
When asked how his faith and work have existed in tension, Kaine discussed his personal opposition to the death penalty as informed by his Catholic faith. Virginia state law currently allows for the death penalty — while governor of Virginia from 2006-2010, Kaine swore to uphold the law despite his moral opposition to the practice.
Kaine also spoke about his time as a missionary in Honduras, and how his experience there influenced his views on caring for the most vulnerable in society.
Another notable exchange focused on race and policing. Quijano asked the candidates if they believe society expects too much of police officers, referencing a quote from Dallas Police Chief David Brown. Kaine, recalling his time as mayor of Richmond and governor of Virginia, discussed the concept of “community policing” and the success he had in reducing homicides in Richmond and across the state. He also rebuked the militarization of police forces and Donald Trump’s proposal for “stop-and-frisk” as solutions. Kaine went on to discuss how reforming background checks for gun owners made Virginia safer for everyone — including police officers after the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007.
Gov. Pence began by praising police officers without qualification, while recalling his memories of an uncle that walked the beat in Chicago. He went on to support Trump’s call for “law and order” policies and highlighted the Fraternal Order of Police’s endorsement of Trump. Continuing a line from the campaign trail, Pence implicitly criticized the Movement for Black Lives and explicitly criticized the Clinton/Kaine campaign for their calls to discuss implicit bias and institutional racism in law enforcement.
Citing the shooting death of Keith Lamont Scott in Charlotte, N.C., Pence stated that implicit bias is not an issue, as the officer that killed Scott was black.
Pence also called for transparent investigations anytime police officers kill someone — despite having signed a bill that gives law enforcement agencies the authority to release or withhold body camera footage.
Sen. Kaine and Gov. Pence also traded barbs on immigration and refugees. Kaine criticized Trump’s announcement speech last year where he called Mexicans “rapists” and claimed they are bringing drugs and crime. When asked about Trump’s insults of Mexicans, women, and black people, and his praise for Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Mike Pence sidestepped his running mate's comments and claimed that Clinton’s was the “insult-driven campaign.” Pence also denied that Trump has called for a deportation force.
LGBTQ issues were noticeably not mentioned, despite Gov. Pence’s controversial record. Also absent from this debate were substantive discussions on climate change and poverty, though both issues were briefly mentioned by Sen. Kaine.
Patrick Walls is the Communications Assistant for Sojourners. He muses about the world at @I_Am_PWalls.
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