Archived: Jerry Brown makes True claim: Mike Pence 'denies evolution'

Says Indiana Gov. Mike Pence "denies that there's such a thing as evolution."

— Jerry Brown on Wednesday, July 27th, 2016 in a speech at the Democratic National Convention.

True

California Gov. Jerry Brown came out swinging against Republicans Donald Trump and Mike Pence in his speech at the Democratic National Convention.

"Trump says global warming is a hoax. I say Trump is a fraud," Brown, who has made climate change a top priority, said of the GOP presidential nominee.

Last month, PolitiFact rated Mostly True a similar statement by Hillary Clinton about Trump’s ‘hoax’ claim.

For our fact check, we focused on Brown’s attack on Pence, the Indiana governor and GOP Vice Presidential candidate.

Brown said of Pence: "... it’s not surprising that Trump chose as his running mate a man who denies that there's such a thing as evolution."

Our research

Asked about Brown’s claim, his spokeswoman pointed to Pence’s 2009 interview on MSNBC’s Hardball. The interview has been widely discussed in recent weeks with Trump’s selection of Pence.

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence is asked about evolution at the 8:00 minute mark in this video.

Chris Matthews, the show’s host, asked Pence in the interview: "Do you believe in evolution, sir?"

Pence responded: "I embrace the view that God created the heavens and the earth and the seas and all that’s in them."

Matthews continued: "But do you believe in evolution as the way he did it?"

Pence replied: "The means, Chris, that he used to do that, I can’t say."

Several minutes later, Pence responded similarly to the same question: "Chris, I believe with all my heart that God created the heavens and the earth, the seas and all that is in them. … How he did that, I’ll ask him about some day."

Pence’s response lines up with Creationism, a belief that all life was created by the actions of God rather than by natural processes such as evolution. A Gallup poll in 2014 found "more than four in 10 Americans continue to believe that God created humans in their present form 10,000 years ago, a view that has changed little over the past three decades."

Evolution is not the only science-based process Pence has questioned. He’s also been skeptical of efforts to combat climate change.

Our research found no evidence Pence has changed his position on evolution. Asked about Pence’s view on the topic, his spokesman pointed to the same 2009 interview.

Our ruling

California Gov. Jerry Brown said GOP Vice Presidential candidate Mike Pence "denies that there's such a thing as evolution."

Pence, in a 2009 interview on MSNBC, said: "I embrace the view that God created the heavens and the earth and the seas and all that’s in them."

When asked again and again about evolution in the interview, he repeated a similar responses.

Our research found no evidence that Pence has publicly changed his view on evolution. In more recent years, the Indiana governor has criticized other science-based initiatives, including efforts to slow climate change.

We rated Brown’s claim True.

https://www.sharethefacts.co/share/f7a57eac-2dd4-4dc7-8d81-da6addbe29f8

---

TRUE – The statement is accurate and there's nothing significant missing. 

Click here for more on the six PolitiFact ratings and how we select facts to check.