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Greg Pence, VP Mike Pence's older brother, gets ready to run for Congress
Vice President Mike Pence's older brother, Greg Pence, is getting his paperwork together and making plans to run for Indiana's 6th Congressional District seat. (2015 file photo/Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images)

Greg Pence, VP Mike Pence's older brother, gets ready to run for Congress

Greg Pence, the oldest brother of Vice President Mike Pence, has filed a tax document indicating he's preparing to run for Indiana's 6th Congressional District seat, the IndyStar reported Wednesday.

“He starts off with good name ID. I think he has a tremendous advantage. But I think he’ll also work hard,” Bob Grand, a major Republican fundraiser and power broker in Indiana, told The Associated Press. “He can also raise a fair amount of money. A number of people that I’m aware of starting this afternoon have already reached out.”

Greg Pence filed organizational papers with the Federal Election Commission Wednesday, according to the IndyStar. On Monday, he formed the Greg Pence for Congressional Committee, according to a filing with the IRS that was obtained by the AP. He will run for the seat that vice president and former governor, Mike Pence, represented for 12 years.

Indiana operative Craig Kunkle, who has ties to both Mike Pence and Rep. Luke Messer, is listed as the contact and custodian of records for the new committee. Kunkle is part of MO Strategies, a firm started by longtime Mike Pence aide Marty Obst, according to Politico. Kunkle is also a former campaign treasurer for Messer.

The AP also reported that Greg Pence took over the family's Kiel Bros. Oil Co. gas station and convenience store business from his father. The company went bankrupt under his watch in 2004 and wiped out more than $673,000 of Mike Pence’s net worth, according to Pence’s 2006 tax filings that he has publicly released.

Who is Greg Pence?

• Eldest of six siblings

• He's married and lives in Columbus with his wife, Denise. The Pence family grew up in Columbus after Pence's father relocated from Chicago and built a gas station empire.

• Owns antique malls in Edinburgh and Bloomington

• His son works for Trump's re-election campaign

What's his experience?

•  His first political step came earlier this year when he became Messer's finance chairman. Messer succeeded Pence in the 6th Congressional District seat in 2013 when he became governor.

• He has been a close confidant to the vice president and often travels with him.

Who are the other Republicans running in the state?

•  State Sen. Mike Crider, R-Greenfield;

•  Muncie businessman Jonathan Lamb

•  Fortville businessman Stephen MacKenzie

Messer is planning to run for the Senate, currently held by Democrat Joe Donnelly, according to the IndyStar.

Politico reports the Pence family’s history in the 6th Congressional District, along with Greg Pence’s ties to a national political and fundraising network through his brother, would make Pence a formidable candidate, Indiana operatives say.

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