WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump has chosen Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate, adding political experience and conservative bona fides to his Republican presidential ticket. Trump announced his decision on Twitter Friday morning, capping a frenzied 24 hours of speculation about his choice.
A news conference was set for Saturday for the two men who will take on Hillary Clinton and her Democratic running mate in November.
Trump offered the vice presidential spot to Pence Thursday, and the governor boarded a plane for New York in anticipation of a Friday announcement, according to a Republican with knowledge of the process. But shortly after Pence arrived, Trump abruptly said he was postponing an announcement because of the deadly attack in Nice, France, that left more than 80 people dead.
The delay sparked speculation that the notoriously unpredictable Trump might make a last minute change. But the businessman put those questions to rest Friday when he tweeted that he was “pleased” to announce Pence as his No. 2.
Pence, a staunchly conservative 57-year-old, served six terms in Congress before being elected governor and could help Trump navigate Capitol Hill. He is well-regarded by evangelical Christians, particularly after signing a law that critics said would allow businesses to deny service to gay people for religious reasons.
Clinton’s campaign moved quickly to paint Pence as the “most extreme pick in a generation.”
“By picking Mike Pence as his running mate, Donald Trump has doubled down on some of his most disturbing beliefs by choosing an incredibly divisive and unpopular running mate,” said John Podesta, Clinton’s campaign chairman.
Pence rose to the top of Trump’s list in recent days as the two men spent more time together. Pence was the favored choice of many Republican leaders, as well as some top advisers in Trump’s campaign, reflecting a desire to see the real estate mogul add a more traditional politician to the ticket.
Pence’s re-election prospects in Indiana added to the drama surrounding Trump’s decision.
State law prohibits candidates from being on ballots in two contests, and Pence faced a noon Friday deadline for withdrawing from the governor’s race. Trump’s announcement came about an hour before that deadline.
Minutes after Trump tweeted, one of the governor’s aides filed the paperwork with the Indiana Secretary of State’s office.
Since taking office in 2013, Pence has presided over Indiana’s improving economy and falling unemployment rate, which Republicans credit to the state’s low taxes, limited regulation and pro-business climate. Yet his popularity at home has tumbled and re-election was not guaranteed.
During his years in Congress, Pence was known for a calm demeanor and conservative record. He deepened his ties to evangelical Christians and other conservatives last year when he signed the law affecting gays.
But his support for the measure led to a revolt from the business community, which joined gay rights advocates in successfully pushing for changes to the law. It also turned off some moderate Republicans, helping derail Pence’s own presidential ambitions.
Trump’s hectic decision-making process was made more complicated by the fact that the businessman was in California Thursday for a series of fundraisers, isolated from nearly all of his closest advisers, including his three adult children and his campaign chairman, Paul Manafort.
Frustration among Trump and his advisers mounted because of news reports that Pence was the pick, sending top aides scrambling to insist no final decision had been made.
The billionaire said in a series of television interviews Thursday night that he’d not yet settled on a “final, final” choice, leaving open the possibility the unpredictable presumptive nominee could change his mind.
But Manafort dismissed suggestions in an interview on Fox News Channel that Trump was having second thoughts about his choice. He said Trump was planning on making an announcement this weekend.
Trump also seriously considered offering the running mate post to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, according to people familiar with the process.
Trump was up against a clock in unveiling his pick. In addition to Pence’s deadline in Indiana, the Republican convention kicks off in Cleveland Monday.
Top party officials are already in Cleveland, where a committee voted late Thursday to rebuff a push to let delegates vote for any presidential candidate they’d like. It was a major blow to Republican foes of Trump who have been working to try to thwart his nomination.
Written by JULIE PACE and JILL COLVIN, Associated Press
Associated Press writers Julie Bykowicz in Washington, Brian Slodysko in Indianapolis and Alan Fram in Cleveland.
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
“Clinton’s campaign moved quickly to paint Pence as the “most extreme pick in a generation.” As the saying goes, that’s a case of the pot calling the kettle black.
Hillary Clinton is extreme? Her policies are more in line with the mainstream GOP platform than Trump’s are…come on Henry. I always suggest informing yourself before spouting off some half formed opinion based on emotional reactions.
True, Hitlery is basically the corrupt, wallstreet friendly, corporate big business, war mongering, Israel supporting candidate that the GOP is always pushing for. So why are GOP voters so whiny about it? Maybe it’s her gun grabbing? everything else about her lines up perfectly with neo-con ideology
Hillary is not extreme she just likes extreme radical Islamic terrorist.
Before you say she doesn’t….let me point out that she is not angry at the terrorist nor is Obama. Remember, he blamed Orlando on us America and that includes the American citizens. ?
5 stars ! ☆☆☆☆☆
LMBO!
You’ve obviously been spending way too much time in front of Faux “News.”
GiveReasonAchance – do some research and apply some critical thinking; it will help offset your predisposed and baseless bias. Here are a few of Hillary’s out-of-mainstream positions:
– We are going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business.” 3 May 2016.
– “Don’t let anyone tell you that it’s corporations and businesses that create jobs.” 24 Oct 2014.
– The term “illegal immigrants” is a “poor choice of words”; they should be called “undocumented” – NBC News, 24 Nov 2015.
– ‘Australian-style’ gun control is “worth considering on the national level.” – The Hill, 16 Oct 2015. In 1996, Australia confiscated all privately held guns nationwide through a mandatory buy-back program.
– A Washington Examiner editorial called out Clinton and the Democratic Party for shifting toward “abortion extremism”. The Democratic Party platform supports “legalized abortion on demand for any reason up until birth” and the latest draft calls for “taxpayer funding of abortion”, which a Marist poll shows as opposed by two-thirds of All Americans. – 8 July 2016
– Hillary’s tax plan “would raise taxes $1.1 trillion over 10 years”, but would “cut incentives to work, save, and invest” – non-partisan Brookings/Urban Tax Policy Center, 4 March 2016.
– “Free” college tuition, costing $350 billion over 10 years, to be “paid for by closing tax loopholes and expenditures for the most fortunate.” – Chicago Tribune, 15 Feb 2016.
– “I’m going to be talking to white people” and police departments need to address “systemic racism, which is a reality” – CNN interview with Wolf Blitzer, after the massacre of 5 Dallas cops, 8 July 2016
Don’t worry folks Elder DumBob will be in two explain two all of you how it was an LDS conspiracy that lead the Mormons to making this possible !
“Australia confiscated all privately held guns nationwide through a mandatory buy-back program. ” You are the one who needs to do some research, and you have obviously never been to Australia. Guns, most certainly, do continue to be in the possession of citizens there, but certain common sense restrictions have been implemented with considerable success, contrary to b.s. propaganda spread by various American gun groups.
Chris – Good catch on my error. Rather than “all … guns”, I should’ve stated “many … guns”.
I am familiar with the regulations governing weapons in Australia. Judging by your simplistic statement, you yourself are either unintentionally or purposely ignorant of them.
You utilize President Obama’s standard code words of “common sense restrictions” as justification to impose U.S. gun control measures that will have little to no effectiveness.
The Council of Foreign Relations (certainly no part of your “American gun groups”) gives a good summary: “The National Agreement on Firearms all but prohibited automatic and semiautomatic assault rifles, stiffened licensing and ownership rules, and instituted a temporary gun buyback program that took some 650,000 assault weapons (about one-sixth of the national stock) out of public circulation. Among other things, the law also required licensees to demonstrate a “genuine need” for a particular type of gun and take a firearm safety course.”
University of Melbourne, Australia researchers Wang-Sheng Lee and Sandy Suardi concluded in their 2008 report, “There is little evidence to suggest that [the Australian mandatory gun-buyback program] had any significant effects on firearm homicides.”
“Gun Laws and Sudden Death: Did the Australian Firearms Legislation of 1996 Make a Difference?”, a 2007 report by Jeanine Baker and Samara McPhedran, similarly concluded that the buyback program did not have a significant long-term effect on the Australian homicide rate.
Australia is an island nation, much more demographically homogeneous, and 7% the population of the United States. John Howard, Australian Prime Minister in 1996, also noted that “Australia, correctly in my view, does not have a Bill of Rights, so our legislatures have more say than America’s over many issues of individual rights, and our courts have less control. Also, we have no constitutional right to bear arms.” Trying to apply Australia’s gun control solution (even if it worked) to the U.S. is a very dubious proposition.
Next time, provide facts to support your argument, don’t just repeat progressive political spin.
Even as a gun owner I was probably as anti-gun as a leftist like Chris not long ago. Then i realized what sinister and evil things our gov’t is capable of, and things they get away with since the media is fully corrupted, and i don’t think the public should be disarmed and have the gov’t be the only ones with arms. Our gov’t at this time does not want gun controls to protect the public from harm–their motives at this time are for their own agendas.
Poor Chris, he got pulverized by Henry.