I have always regarded Hoosiers as somewhat sensible people. After all, Indiana is not a liberal bastion like the Northeast or West Coast, but it's also not a conservative stronghold like the South. Rather, I see Indiana residents as people who are genuinely motivated by a desire to elect officials based on their hopes for their communities rather than time-honored traditions of being politically "left" or "right." And in 2008, for the first time in 44 years, Indiana voted for a Democrat in the presidential election, contributing to Barack Obama's victory over John McCain. Though the margin was slight, and Indiana quickly voted red again in 2012, I've always thought of that moment eight years ago as our state's public rejection of the titles like "backwards," "ignorant," and "regressive" that are so often afforded to us by outsiders.

Then there's Mike Pence.

In the three and half years since Pence assumed the office of governor, he has been unrelenting in his quest to become the most disliked man in the state. Just as the amount of Draconian laws passed under Pence continued to rise, so too did the number of "PENCE MUST GO!" signs popping up in lawns around town. And by bringing national ire onto the Hoosier state with legislation like the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which was opposed by many Republican mayors, and H.B. 1337, which spawned the social-media trend "Periods for Pence," Mike Pence has been sure to alienate even his own party in the state. I'm sure he has great things planned should he become vice president.

So why am I not sorry?

Well, it seems like my earlier hypothesis was wrong, and Hoosiers are not as entirely rational as I had made them out to be. Mike Pence was up for re-election as governor this year, and early polling had him extremely close to, if not ahead of, challenger John Gregg. That is, until Trump picked Pence as his running mate, ensuring that Pence would no longer be in the gubernatorial race. As a result, many Hoosiers believe that Democrat John Gregg will be the new governor, considering Republican Eric Holcomb has almost no name recognition after joining the race only a few days ago.

Sorry, America, Mike Pence is your problem now.

Does this mean that I want Donald Trump and Mike Pence to win the presidential election this year? Of course not. But if elevating Pence onto the national stage is what it takes to restore Indiana's educational system, economy, and social policies, all of which had been trailing the rest of the country since Pence's election, then so be it. And hopefully, come November, Mike Pence will be powerless, both in Indiana and otherwise.