Donald Trump indicated to Mike Pence late Wednesday night on the phone that he is moving toward choosing the IN governor as his vice presidential nominee, a source familiar with the process tells CNN.
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A separate Trump adviser told CNN on Wednesday that Trump’s “gut” was pushing him to pick Christie, the outspoken New Jersey governor.
Trump’s campaign has announced it will officially make an announcement on who his pick is at 11 a.m. ET Friday in NY.
Brooks spokesman Kristen Johnson said the two-term congresswoman has received encouragement to enter the governor’s race, but wouldn’t discuss her pursuit of the nomination. Then there’s the backlash from Pence signing into law religious-freedom legislation that critics said allowed businesses to discriminate against gays and lesbians for religious reasons.
Pence quickly exited a speaking event in Indianapolis Thursday morning without taking questions from reporters.
“Despite the heavy focus on Pence and the eventual Democratic running mate, it’s good to remember that the vice presidential choice usually makes very little difference in the end”, said Larry Sabato of the Centre for Politics at the University of Virginia.
Mr Pence, 57, a former congressman, is seen as a safe choice, not too flashy but popular among conservatives, with Midwestern appeal and the ability to rally more party faithful behind Mr Trump.
Despite the reports that Pence is his guy, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee says in an interview on Fox News Channel, “I haven’t made a final, final decision”.
The convention and vice presidential announcement give Trump back-to-back opportunities to reassure Americans – as well as leaders within his own party – that he’s prepared for the presidency.
Pence ran for governor in 2012 after serving in the U.S. Congress. From 2009-2011, Pence served as the House Republican Conference Chairman. Trump won IN anyway, prompting Cruz to drop out of the party race to be the nominee for the election.
The circus surrounding Trump’s vice presidential selection process was a study of just how much leverage those closest to him exert.
Trump’s spokesman said via Twitter that the final pick had not been made. It included Newt Gingrich and Chris Christie, two reported finalists for the job, but excluded Pence. He added, “I think he’ll consistently make good decisions”.
Trump still faces the herculean task of uniting the Republican Party at the convention.
Trump took notice of Pence during the IN primary, noting that the governor had high praise for him despite endorsing one of his rivals.
Less than a week later, Cruz had dropped out of the race and Pence said he was “fully supportive” of Trump.
No matter who succeeds Pence in Indiana, Smith said, “it’s going to be hard for any candidate for governor to be as reassuring to the faith community as Pence was”.
Other sources suggested that while the family inner circle might at one point have been also favoring Gingrich, the children warmed toward Pence after spending time with him in the Hoosier state.
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“Should there be a sudden need to name a new nominee for governor, I will not present myself as a candidate, nor would I accept the nomination if offered”, Daniels told the Lafayette Journal and Courier.
