If you ever turn on the TV, search the news, or at least click on a few readable Facebook posts now and then, by now you’ve heard the announcement. Donald Trump has chosen Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his running mate. If you are already a Hoosier, you may know a little bit about this guy. After all, he’s been governor for a while (although you may not know some of these fun facts). Without further ado, here’s a quick, mostly unbiased look at the top ten facts you may want to know about America’s potential future Vice President.

Who is Mike Pence?

1. He is a born-and-raised Hoosier

Pence was born in Columbus, Indiana on June 7, 1959. He went to Columbus North High School. He graduated from Hanover College before attending law school in 1986. He decided to run for governor because he loved the state and wanted to reach out and serve the community he grew up in. Pence was elected governor of Indiana in 2012.

2. He opposed No Child Left Behind

Yep, Pence isn't a fan of the No Child Left Behind Act signed into action by Bush. Pence was one of only twenty-five Republicans to vote against the act. He has vocalized and encouraged support of technical and vocational schooling in the Hoosier state. Pence also voiced a preference for better means of testing the performance of students and teachers, considering taking a step back from ISTEP. He voted "no" on requiring states to administer these types of tests to students.

3. He "balances" Trump

Mike Pence may be the answer for Trump in gaining the trust of Conservative Republicans a little weary of some of Trump's policies. He speaks with deliberation, but is known to be a little more, uh...polite, than Trump seems to be.

4. He's not too full of himself to have a casual chat

My parents got to meet him once. They were near his office and he took the time out of his busy day to say hello and have a conversation with them. He was very excited and proud about his son having just completed military training.

5. He chose politics over priesthood

Mike Pence was the son of a gas station manager and was himself considering becoming a priest, but apparently he chose to get into politics instead.

6. He is all for trade

While Trump believes in the power of a protectionist trade policy, Pence believes trade is a necessity not only for jobs, but for security. He has called for the U.S. to quickly adopt the Trans Pacific Policy.

7. He's been married thirty-one years

He married Karen Pence thirty-one years ago in 1985. They have one son and two daughters.

8. He is Pro-Life

Pence is more radical than Trump in this case, preferring to make abortion illegal even in cases of rape or incest. Pence swings all the way to the right on this issue. He is completely committed to being pro-life in nearly every circumstance, with the exception being to save the mother's life.

9. He voted to support the Iraq war in 2002

Although he may not have supported the education policy enacted under George W. Bush, he did support the war in Iraq, another policy on which he and Donald Trump have differed. Pence voted against re-deploying American troops fighting in Iraq. Pence's son, Michael, currently serves in the military, and is pictured above.

10. He has two cats

Last but not least, here's some entirely trivial information. He also has a dog. The cats' names are Pickle and Oreo. So, for all you cat lovers out there, those are some name suggestions for your next set of kittens.

These are just a few of the facts to know about Mike Pence. Donald Trump chose him as running mate because of a general agreement on big policies, while they still are able to disagree on some social and economic positions. Hopefully for Trump, Pence will prove to be a good balance to the blunt businessman. Last, but not least, it can be easy to discuss politics with a lot of hate and pent-up anger behind every word. Believe me when I say I encourage and gladly accept chances for healthy debate, but I also will always challenge myself and others to consider the human being behind the policies, and simply consider the person along with their policies. If they turn out to be a pretty terrible person, well, get the word out-- you're free to state whatever you'd like, thanks to your first amendment rights...though it would be nice to first take the time to research the facts before spewing opinions. Have a wonderful week, and exercise your right to vote in November.