File photo taken on July 20, 2016 shows Indiana Governor and Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence speaking at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, the United States. Indiana Governor Mike Pence, the running mate of Donald Trump, became the U.S. vice president-elect on Nov. 8, 2016. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)
WASHINGTON, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- Indiana Governor Mike Pence, the running mate of Donald Trump, on Tuesday became the U.S. vice president-elect.
Pence, 57, was a Republican lawmaker for 12 years before becoming the governor of Indiana in 2013.
Pence served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee for a long time, a credential which could make up for Trump's lack of foreign affairs experience in the White House.
Once calling himself as "a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order," Pence is a respected social conservative among the devout evangelical conservatives within the party.
Therefore, Trump's pick of Pence will also help quell concerns among social conservatives that the New York billionaire developer is too liberal on social issues.
However, the two differ on a range of important issues.
During the primary season, Pence endorsed Trump's rival Senator Ted Cruz, and was once a vocal critic of Trump's proposal for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the country.
Unlike Trump, Pence also joined U.S. President Barack Obama and House Speaker Paul Ryan to back the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade deal staunchly opposed by Trump.
