According to several sources, news is breaking that Trump is almost certain to select Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his running mate, contrary to speculation that Newt Gingrich was the clear frontrunner.
The Trump election team boosted the Pence speculation Sunday by suddenly adding a campaign rally in Indianapolis to a fundraiser planned for Tuesday featuring Mr. Trump and Mr. Pence.
Several Republicans close to the campaign and to the governor have told The Times over the last 24 hours that they are now convinced it’ll be Mr. Pence.
Mr. Bopp, also a member of the convention’s rules committee, told The Times that the “rally made it a 95 percent probability it’s Pence.”
The selection of Pence would be a pretty sensible pick as far as Trump goes. He’s not a well-known national figure, but he does have a more conventional political profile that contrasts with Trump’s “outsider” image and could help quell some of the doubts that Republican insiders have about the ticket.
Pence IS however, an extremely conservative individual who started his career as a talk radio host (hope there is some audio out there!) and most recently took a huge amount of heat (and imperiled his own reelection) by being an early champion of “Religious Freedom Restoration” laws in his state.
One wrinkle- IF Pence is chosen, he is barred from running for reelection as Governor this year. He must be replaced on the ballot by the Republican Party by July 15th or there will be no Republican candidate for Governor on the ballot. That means that Trump’s decision, if it is indeed Pence, is coming in the next few days, hence the focus by insiders on the suddenly planned rally in Indianapolis tomorrow.
Trump is likely going for the double whammy of announcing his pick and stepping on coverage of the Clinton/Sanders joint appearance in New Hampshire.
Pence is a more sensible pick than others Trump was considering, but he still has major weaknesses that Clinton and her running mate can exploit. If Trump feels like he needs to shore of Indiana, that is another good sign for us, as is the addition of a radically anti-choice, anti-gay, white milquetoast midwestern dude to Trump’s ticket.
Trump’s selection at this time gives Hillary a few weeks in which to finalize her decision with full knowledge of who her pick will be debating in the fall.