The Pence family is building a dynasty in Indiana—it just seems like a pretty passive-aggressive dynasty.
Greg Pence, older brother of Vice President Mike Pence, is preparing to launch a congressional campaign. And like Mike, Greg will be running for Indiana’s 6th congressional district, the seat that transformed his brother from a radio host into a social conservative icon. Anything Mike can do, it would seem Greg is saying, he can do better.
Maybe that sibling rivalry isn’t immediately clear from the paperwork Greg filed with the Internal Revenue Service. But it’s absolutely apparent from an interview with the New Yorker because Greg either doesn’t have a filter or Greg really doesn’t care for his over-achieving younger brother.
The vice president wouldn’t talk to the reporter about the profile. He didn’t need to. Greg said more than enough, describing his younger brother as “chubby and funny” as a kid and also “kind of full of shit” as a candidate for Congress. And while the boy’s mother, Fritsch, said Mike was all about service, Greg said he was all about “popularity” and “ambitions.”
None of those comments will probably hurt the eldest Pence. With an identical shock of white hair on top of an almost identically shaped head and with an identical sounding voice, donors and voters won’t be able to tell them apart. In a state brimming with pride over the vice president and a district not held by a Democrat since Reagan, Greg is considered a sure bet to win the seat.
His younger brother sat in that seat for a dozen years and now he will more than likely sit there for a dozen more. Long after Mike leaves the White House, Greg will probably be the only Pence in politics.
Philip Wegmann is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
