Republican VP nominee Mike Pence and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz campaigned for Donald Trump across the Midwest on Thursday.
Pence and Cruz, Trump’s former 2016 GOP primary rival, made public stops in Iowa and Michigan. Pence, the Indiana governor who endorsed Cruz before the Hoosier State’s primary, played a leading role in bringing the Texas senator on board the Trump train for the general election.
During his remarks, Cruz labeled Pence a friend but noticeably avoided much talk of Trump. Speaking to reporters after the first event, Cruz skirted the idea that he was avoiding talking about Trump and spoke on his decision to vote for Trump and Pence.
At a second event in Michigan, Cruz took direct aim at the Justice Department’s handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails. The senator said any Justice Department officials involved in tipping off the Clinton campaign should be fired.
“[Attorney General] Loretta Lynch should resign and a special prosecutor should be appointed and prosecute Hillary Clinton’s corruption,” Trump told the crowd.
Cruz then talked about the importance of turning out the party’s base on Tuesday before ceding the stage to Pence. Onstage in Michigan, Pence made a passionate case for Trump and indicated Cruz was a representative of the Republicans he wants to “come home” and vote Trump.
The Indiana governor also urged the crowd to pray for the direction of the country.
“Pray for our country. Just pray for America because America matters far beyond our shares,” Pence said before cribbing a line from Ronald Reagan’s “A Time for Choosing” speech. “We’re the last, best hope on earth.”
Pence and Cruz are two of the most prominent surrogates on the trail for Trump that do not share any familial connection. Whether Pence and Cruz’s joint efforts in Big 10 country during the final week make any difference remains to be seen.
