Many politicians will frequently refer to their colleagues as “my good friend.” But for Alabama Congressman Robert Aderholt (R-AL4) and Vice Presidential Nominee Mike Pence (R-IN), the phrase is more than just a common courtesy.
Both men served in Congress at the same time, until Pence left the House of Representatives to run a successful campaign for Indiana governor. Aderholt, who has been in the House since 1997, was good friends with Pence’s congressional predecessor, David McIntosh. After McIntosh left Capitol Hill to pursue his own gubernatorial ambitions, he introduced Aderholt to Pence, and the rest is history.
In the more than ten years the two men served together, Aderholt and Pence became close friends. Pence’s children actually babysat Aderholt’s, and their families would frequently get together to have dinner.
“Mike and I just always had that friendship because he had a young family, and I had a young family, and we got together for different occasions,” Aderholt told Yellowhammer. “Politically, we saw eye to eye. We just had a lot of things that we held in common.”
Their friendship did not waver when Pence left congress for the Indiana state house. Aderholt and his wife actually traveled to Indianapolis to watch Pence get inaugurated as governor in January of 2013.
When Donald Trump selected the Indiana governor to be his running-mate, Aderholt, predictably, praised the move.
“When Trump picked Mike to be his running mate it was very exciting because of our friendship,” Aderholt said.
The Alabama congressman did not just support his friend because of their relationship; he noted that they see eye to eye on sever key issues, such as their pro-life stance against abortion.
Aderholt said that Pence would be very helpful in a Trump White House because of his legislative experience. As a former member of the House, Pence will be able to help his non-politician running-mate navigate the back-channels in Washington to get things done.
Aderholt flew out to the debate last night to support his friend against Democratic VP Nominee Tim Kaine (D-VA), a debate that he believes Pence won.
“Mike did a tremendous job. His message was that if you like the way that the country is going right now, you should vote for Hillary Clinton,” he said. “He set out to communicate that the Trump-Pence plan will take America in a different direction, and that is exactly what he did.
After the debate concluded, Aderholt and his 17 year-old daughter went up to congratulate Pence, who greeted them both with a hug.
Aderholt believes that while Trump and Pence have many similarities, their contrasting styles make for a balanced ticket.
“Mike likes to say that he has a lot in common with Donald Trump, except for a whole lot of zeros,” Aderholt said. “But Mike definitely has a more measured tone, and that was evident last night.”
While Donald Trump has tapped into the raw anger of the electorate surrounding “political correctness,” Pence is able to communicate in a way that reaches a different audience, Aderholt said.
“You have to let Donald Trump be Donald Trump,” he said. But Pence’s polite and measured tone is as genuine as his stances on conservative issues, Aderholt added.
