Indiana Gov. Mike Pence would help shore up much-needed conservative support for presidential candidate Donald Trump, House and Senate Republicans agreed Thursday.
“He’s what I was looking for,” Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kansas, one of the most conservative members of the House, told the Washington Examiner. “Someone who has a conservative voting record and principles. And he clearly loves America and is going to come through.”
Trump has not officially announced his pick, but reports that Pence will be asked to run alongside Trump had lawmakers buzzing in the halls of Congress, where Pence served six terms.
Pence is especially familiar with the inner workings of Congress, having served as chairman of the GOP conference, the No. 4 House leadership position.
But his credentials as a conservative are what many GOP lawmakers find most appealing.
“He reinforces and reassures our evangelical wing as a well-known social conservative,” Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., told the Washington Examiner.
Many Republicans have said openly they are worried about Trump’s lack of conservative beliefs. Trump is a former Democrat who has wavered on socially conservative issues such as abortion and gay marriage.
Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa., said Pence would provide a strong conservative foundation to a Trump presidential ticket. King and Pence would often sit in King’s office back when Pence served in the House and the two would discuss important conservative issues.
“He understands American exceptionalism and what it takes to restore that,” King said.
Pence would also provide a critical bridge between Trump, a complete political outsider, and Capitol Hill, where Trump has failed to gain much traction among lawmakers for a variety of reasons and has clashed with them repeatedly.
“Pence obviously knows a lot of people up here, is well liked, well respected and would be a good link,” Cole said.
Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., a Trump advisor who was involved in the talks with those on Trump’s shortlist for vice president, said in an interview that he did not know who would be chosen. But he praised Pence and hinted he would be the better choice compared to former Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., and Chris Christie, the governor of New Jersey.
“If it is Gov. Pence, I think he wold be a great vice presidential choice,” Sessions said. “He’ll be good politically, he’s capable of being president, he served in Congress and served as governor.”
Sessions added, “he has great integrity and his ego is under control and I just think he would be a good choice.”
Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., who worked closely with Pence in Congress, signaled Thursday he would like to see Pence on the ticket.
“It’s no secret I’m a big fan of Mike Pence’s,” Ryan said. “We’re very good friends. I have very high regard for him. I hope that he picks a good movement conservative. Clearly, Mike is one of those.”
Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Pa., one of the most moderate Republicans in the House, suggested he would prefer Christie, but acknowledged the advantages of picking Pence.
“If the objective of a presumptive nominee is to solidify the base, then I understand the selection,” he said. “If the nominee’s intention is to expand the coalition beyond the base, I’m not sure how this would help.”
“I’m always for expanding the base. That’s where I am,” Dent added. “I’m always for expanding the base because I know general elections… we always have to persuade those folks … We not only have to embrace the right, but embrace the center, and I think in this case I would have personally gone towards somebody who can bring swing voters.”
“I guess we’ll find out soon enough,” Dent said when asked if will help bring conservatives on board.
Democrats had a cooler reaction to the reported pick.
“I’m not from Indiana,” Gutierrez said with a big grin and laugh. “I don’t know much about Mike Pence. I don’t know much about him. I understand he’s the governor. I’ll Google him as soon as I get home.”
Al Weaver contributed
