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Audrey Pence Is Finishing Her Senior Year

by Elizabeth Strassner

Many millennials know what it's like to disagree with their parents about politics, but vice presidential candidate Mike Pence's daughter Audrey may have it harder than most. Audrey will attend Tuesday's vice presidential debate to support her father, though in the past she has indicated that her politics lie to the left of his. That's not surprising, considering that Audrey Pence attends Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, a city once ranked the fifth most liberal in America. Audrey is in her senior year at Northeastern, where she is majoring in international affairs.

Audrey Pence also worked in a co-op project as a reporter in Istanbul, Turkey. She reported on a variety of regional issues, including the centennial anniversary of the Armenian genocide and a profile of another reporter who writes an underground newsletter for people living in Syria. In an interview with Northeastern's website, News@Northeastern, Pence described her experience:

I've talked to a lot of people who are for­eign offi­cers and seen the work they do and many have said they are all very much gen­er­al­ists rather than spe­cial­ists, which is some­thing I really iden­tify with; being able to take dif­ferent lessons from all around the world and applying them.

These and other experiences may have contributed to her political perspective, which she told WTHR, Indianapolis' NBC affiliate, that she identifies as "politically independent" and "socially liberal." She also told the network that she voted split-ticket in 2012, though she noted that she did vote for her father.

Despite their political differences, Audrey also told WHTR that her relationship with her father is very respectful: "He tells me so many times, 'I am proud of you for having your own opinions and looking into things.'" The respect appears to be mutual: Audrey attended the Republican National Convention in July in order to support her father, though she has been largely absent from the campaign trail in recent months, likely because she is attending classes at Northeastern.

Being Mike Pence's daughter on Northeastern's campus must be an interesting experience itself. The university's independent newspaper, The Huntington News, recently ran an editorial by columnist Alex Frandsen, urging voters to select Hillary Clinton instead of Trump or even a third-party candidate, though the paper's editorial staff does not appear to have issued an official endorsement.

Audrey's presence at Tuesday's debate will be her first in a while on her father's behalf. By attending the debate, she's made it clear she is willing to support her father. But will she vote for him — and, by extension, for Donald Trump? Mike Pence may have the opportunity to convince his daughter in person at Tuesday's debate.