Pence To Be Trump’s Running Mate, According To Roll Call

Washington publication Roll Call was among the first to report that Pence would be Trump’s vice pick for VP. And on Thursday, despite sources indicating to CNN that Trump was strongly leaning toward Pence, others in his inner circle – including Trump’s son, Donald Jr. – repeatedly urged caution.

Trump said on twitter Wednesday that he will make announce his vice president choice Friday. Trump held a series of meetings downtown Wednesday that included Pence, Gingrich flying in to town, a phone meeting with Christie and others.

Pence’s team had gotten word to start preparing to get the official nod Thursday, and the Trump campaign is now planning for a scenario with Pence as the running mate, according to two sources familiar with the process.

And Pence is abandoning his gubernatorial bid, all but assuring he’s in line to be Trump’s running mate. He faces a Friday deadline to withdraw from the governor’s race. The 73-year-old would be the oldest candidate ever to become vice president.

“Governor Pence has been a vocal opponent of the administration’s Clean Power Plan”, said Laura Sheehan, spokeswoman for the Washington-based lobby group American Council on Clean Coal Electricity.

Pence has strict conservative views on abortion and gay rights, both issues about which the billionaire businessman has expressed more liberal views, contributing to his lukewarm reception by some Republicans.

Pence had backed a Trump rival, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, in April before the in primary, but he praised Trump and said he would work on behalf of the eventual Republican nominee.

Rumors heated up Thursday morning when Pence was not on the Republican National Convention’s list of speakers, Newsweek noted. Trump’s reasoning was that because he has made derogatory comments about Mexico and vowed to supporters that he’ll build a wall between the US and Mexico and make Mexico pay for it, the judge was biased against him.

Already, former Gov. Mitch Daniels, now president of Purdue University, has announced he won’t ask voters to send him back to the Statehouse, despite his claim to majority support among members of the GOP panel that could nominate him.

“I’ve met David Koch on several occasions”, Pence said.

Last year, at a time when Syrian refugees were fleeing from their home country for their lives, Pence banned state agencies from bringing Syrian refugees into Indiana. From 2009-2011, Pence served as the House Republican Conference Chairman.

Pence had considered running for president himself in 2016 before deciding to run for re-election as governor. He’s a staunch conservative, and with six terms in Congress his selection would likely ease GOP leaders’ concerns about Trump’s political inexperience and volatile temperament. As governor, he faced major political backlash over his decision to sign into law a “religious freedom” measure that infuriated major businesses that saw it as anti-LGBT.

Speculation heightened Thursday as Pence’s deputy campaign manager, Marc Lotter, was spotted on a flight from Indy to NYC.