CLEVELAND — Indiana Gov. Mike Pence makes his debut as vice presidential nominee Wednesday, with a mission to reassure conservatives about Donald Trump, and get the GOP convention back on track after a day of focus on plagiarism in Melania Trump’s Monday speech.
Pence will likely tack away from the bombast that has defined his running mate, and speak in more measured tones that underscore his conservative principles.
Pence, 57, is Wednesday’s keynote speaker and he’ll follow former Speaker Newt Gingrich and three of Trump’s vanquished primary opponents, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida (who is addressing the convention by video), and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who has not endorsed Trump yet.
While Cruz and other conservatives are wary of backing Trump, whose politics have zigzagged for years, Pence is a sure thing for the Republican right and its evangelical base.
Walker, in an interview on the convention floor, used one word to describe Trump’s decision to put Pence on the ticket: “Awesome.”
Trump, Walker said, was smart to pick Pence, who he said, “is an incredible person not just as governor but obviously well respected in Congress by both parties.”
Pence’s conservative credentials will likely bring unifying cheers to Cleveland’s Quicken Loan Arena, where delegates this week have fought on the floor over the convention rules that highlighted the divide between pro- and anti-Trump forces.
Pence, a former conservative radio talk show host, served six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. He rose to prominence in 2005 when he led a large faction of House conservatives known as the Republican Study Committee. Pence then maneuvered himself into a coveted GOP leadership position in 2010, winning the role of Republican Conference Chair, the number-four spot.
“I will be loyal to the cause of returning our party to the ideals of Lincoln and Reagan, the ideals that most Republican voters embrace — defending our nation, our treasury and our values with everything we’ve got,” Pence said at the time.
Pence left Congress to launch his successful 2012 run for governor, and boosted his conservative credentials during his first term. He cut state taxes and signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act aimed at protecting businesses from lawsuits, although he later tweaked the law after a backlash from those who said it would legalize discrimination.
Pence also signed a law adding restrictions to abortion access in Indiana, banning the procedure “solely because of the fetus’ race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, or diagnosis or potential diagnosis of the fetus having Down syndrome or any other disability.”
Pence’s conservative stance has hurt him with some Hoosier State voters. His approval ratings in Indiana have dropped into the 40’s which political observers blame his socially conservative positions.
But Pence’s conservative cred is just what is needed on the GOP presidential ticket, delegates said.
“He reinforces our evangelical wing,” Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., told the Washington Examiner. “Trump probably looks at Pence as somebody who can reassure a lot of the delegates at the convention. He’s got executive experience, he’s done a great job as governor of Indiana so there are some obvious advantages.”
