Trump nears VP decision, candidates on standby for decision

While a final decision is not yet official, Pence, who had been running for re-election in IN, has to decide by Friday whether he’s withdrawing his bid.

He also met with a fourth potential No. 2, U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions, 69, of Alabama, who has been one of Trump’s closest advisers.

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. The 57-year-old IN governor is an avowed Christian and former congressman who assumed the governor’s office IN 2013. It ended up being a mixed bag – some people think Pence has a good head on his shoulders and could help even out Trump’s boisterous personality.

Viewed as a safe pair of hands, Pence, 57, has diverging views with Trump on his proposed Muslim ban and trade, and is more socially conservative, but he could help unify a divided party behind Trump’s bid to win the White House in the November 8 election.

Gingrich was the most visible of the contenders.

“Mike Pence spent 12 years in Congress leading the charge on conservative issues, including defunding Planned Parenthood”.

She also said that Hoosiers should see a potential Vice Presidential hopeful coming from IN as a positive. He flew into Indianapolis Wednesday to meet with Trump at the Conrad Hotel. When he took office, the state’s jobless rate was at 20 percent, per CNBC; it has now fallen to 5 percent.

“I have very mixed views about (him)”, another voter said.

He became a born-again Christian in college and has talked about how his faith drives his politics, saying he is “a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order”. In 2015 he signed Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which was mostly repealed after protests by gay rights groups.

Pence was the one who launched the Republican “war” against the Planned Parenthood women’s health agency when as a member of congress, he sponsored the first bill to defund Planned Parenthood in 2007, according to a report by Vox, and he did so repeatedly through 2011, when it finally passed the House of Representatives. “It’s kind of like the odd couple, Pence will be quiet and reserved and Trump will still be voracious and it’s okay, either way we all support Donald Trump”. He endorsed Trump shortly after he won his state – a win that effectively ended the GOP primary after Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich dropped out.

Donald Trump was expected to formally announce Pence as his running mate in a news conference Friday. He followed up on that appearance with tweets supportive of Trump.

The two appeared to get along well, and Trump teased the crowd in Westfield, Ind., “I don’t know if he’s going to be your governor or your vice president, who the hell knows!”

“It was a pick that clearly shows he is pivoting to the general election”, said Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, who was in the midst of an interview with The Associated Press when Trump announced his decision.

Republicans can replace him on the ballot. Todd Rokita and Susan Brooks all have signaled interest in the gubernatorial nomination.