Indiana governor Mike Pence said Friday that he will vote for Ted Cruz in the upcoming Hoosier primary, qualifying his support with compliments of John Kasich and especially Donald Trump.
Pence, a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives and broadcaster, has long been a devout conservative on economic and social policy, and said Cruz’s similar, broad commitment guided him to support the Texas senator.
“I see Ted Cruz as a principled conservative who’s dedicated his career to advocating the Reagan agenda, and I’m pleased to support him,” Pence said on WIBC radio host Greg Garrison’s show.
Before announcing his voting intentions, Pence took time to say he “likes and respects” all three GOP contenders in the race, saving particular praise for the front-runner.
“I particularly want to commend Donald Trump, who has given voice to the frustration of millions of working Americans with a lack of progress in Washington, D.C.,” he said.
Pence added that he intends to publicly back whoever winds up with the Republican nomination.
The move comes the same week that Cruz named Carly Fiorina to be his running mate should his campaign advance to the general election, setting off a final blitz to stop Trump from winning Indiana and inching ever closer to the 1,237 delegates needed to secure the GOP nomination.
Three polls conducted last week showed Trump with a lead in the state ranging from 5 to 8 percentage points. Notably, those were taken before John Kasich announced he would wind down his activity in the state to clear the airwaves and news coverage for Cruz. Kasich pulled at least 16 percent of the vote in those polls.
This post has been updated.
