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Donald Trump to pick Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as VP running mate
| New York Daily News | - |
Donald
Trump has reportedly picked Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his vice
presidential running mate, a move to shore up the presumptive GOP
nominee's standing with skeptical conservatives.
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Donald Trump to pick Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his vice presidential running mate
Donald Trump picks Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as running mate: report
NY Daily News
Donald Trump has reportedly picked Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his vice presidential running mate, a move to shore up the presumptive GOP nominee's standing with skeptical conservatives.
The decision was first reported by Roll Call. It was later confirmed by CBS News and the Indianapolis Star.
Pence, who often touts himself as "A Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order," has deep ties with both social and fiscal conservatives. The former congressman chaired the conservative Republican Study Committee, once challenged John Boehner for House minority leader, and routinely voted against his party from the right while in the House, battling No Child Left Behind and the George W. Bush-backed Medicare prescription drug expansion. He also has close connections to the Koch brothers — the libertarian-leaning billionaires (and fierce Trump critics) have employed a number of his closest advisers in top positions.
The move is considered a safe choice for Trump aimed at uniting the party rather than a game-changing move. Pence is well-liked by many in the base of his party, but isn't a general with military experience or an attack dog adept at ginning up coverage, like others Trump considered.
Trump has said he will make a formal announcement Friday morning in Manhattan, and his campaign continues to insist no final decisions have been made. Top Pence strategists, while not denying their boss was joining the ticket, referred the Daily News to Trump's campaign.
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence joined Trump at a rally in Westfield, Ind., Tuesday night as the mogul was zeroing in on his pick.
(Michael Conroy/AP)"A decision has not been made by Mr. Trump. He will be making a decision in the future," spokesman Jason Miller tweeted.
"Re: @realDonaldTrump VP selection, a decision will be made in the near future and the announcement will be tomorrow at 11am in New York," campaign chairman Paul Manafort tweeted.
The decision allows Pence to escape a tough reelection fight in just the nick of time. Polls show he's unpopular in his home state of Indiana after a rough first term. Pence had to officially make a decision on whether he would run for reelection by a noon Friday state deadline.
Pence has had a rocky time in office as governor. His embrace of a "religious freedom" law drew strong national backlash from gay rights advocates and threats of a boycott from the NCAA and other major organizations. He then sought to backtrack by signing changes to the law, leading to howls from social conservatives that he was abandoning them out of political convenience.
He also drew severe rebukes for attempting to create a state-run, taxpayer-funded news outlet mocked by critics as "Pravda on the Plains," plans he abandoned in embarrassment.
It's unclear how Pence's carefully scripted style — the former radio host has called himself "Rush Limbaugh on decaf" — will mesh with Trump's freewheeling approach. Critics view Pence as wooden and slow on his feet, and his missteps on the religious freedom bill did him no favors in dispelling that image. It will be interesting to see how he'll handle questions when Trump makes his next controversial comments. Trump told the Wall Street Journal earlier this week he wanted as a running mate a "fighter who is skilled in hand-to-hand combat," not Pence's calling card.
The two haven't always seen eye-to-eye on policy, either. Pence derided Trump's proposed Muslim ban as "offensive and unconstitutional" back in December. And he authored a 2006 immigration bill framed as a compromise between bipartisan legislation and anti-immigration hawks, which stalled after hard-liners derided it as "amnesty."
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump met with Pence at the governor’s mansion in Indianapolis Wednesday, fueling speculation that he would be the pick.
(Michael Conroy/AP)Trump's decision comes after weeks of very public tryouts for potential running mates. Pence drew praise for his performance alongside Trump on Tuesday night. Trump then got stuck in Indiana because of problems with his plane, giving them extra time together in the final days before Trump's decision.
Pence was picked over former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), who shares Trump's media adeptness and bombastic style, as well as Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Both would have been more capable attack dogs — but had higher risks for controversies themselves.
Other potential candidates who had been under consideration for Trump's running mate took themselves out of the running, including Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Bob Corker (R-Tenn.).
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