Donald Trump has chosen Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate, a sign that the volatile New York business mogul hopes to stabilize his campaign as he prepares to accept the Republican nomination for president next week at the party's convention in Cleveland.
A longtime champion of conservative and evangelical causes, Pence, 57, was a favorite of GOP leaders who have resisted embracing Trump as their party's standard-bearer.
Trump tweeted Friday that he had settled on Pence after a day of frenzied speculation as the governor, closely tracked by the news media, flew from Indianapolis to New York. Trump was to have named his pick Friday but said Thursday night that he was postponing his planned announcement in New York because of the terrorist attack in Nice, France. Trump and Pence now plan to make their first joint appearance as the GOP ticket Saturday morning in Manhattan.
Pence, who backed Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas in the presidential primaries, is well-placed to firm up Trump's support among conservative Republicans, particularly evangelical Christians who favored Cruz over the celebrity businessman from New York.
But Pence differs with Trump on key issues. In December, he called Trump's proposed ban on Muslims entering the U.S. "offensive and unconstitutional," a stand that will draw attention in the aftermath of the attack in France.
Pence is also a longtime champion of the free-trade agreements that Trump denounces as a threat to American jobs.
The mild-mannered governor is a relatively low-risk choice for Trump, whose free-wheeling bombast often backfires. Another top contender for the GOP ticket was former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who stirred up fresh controversy Thursday night by saying all Muslims in the U.S. should be tested and then deported if they believe in sharia law.
Another high-drama finalist, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, drew a fresh burst of negative publicity Thursday when one of his closest associates, David Samson, pleaded guilty to bribery.
Clinton lost no time criticizing Pence. Her campaign chairman, John Podesta, highlighted Pence's tea party leanings and accused him of backing "failed economic policies that favor millionaires and corporations over working families."
Clinton's campaign also spotlighted Pence's anti-abortion record and his signing of a law that allowed Indiana businesses to ignore anti-discrimination rules that conflict with their religious beliefs, a measure widely denounced as anti-gay after the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage.
"As governor, Pence personally spearheaded an anti-LGBT law that legalized discrimination against the LGBT community, alienated businesses, caused boycotts, lost investments and embarrassed Hoosiers _ a law he was later forced to revise," Podesta said in a statement signaling that Democrats see in Pence an opening to amplify their charges that Trump is a bigot.
But the selection of Pence was welcomed by Republican establishment leaders who have winced over and over at Trump's raw brand of racial politics and his rejection of party orthodoxy on free trade.
"Mike Pence comes from the heart of the conservative movement _ and the heart of America," said House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin. "I can think of no better choice for our vice presidential candidate. We need someone who is steady and secure in his principles, someone who can cut through the noise and make a compelling case for conservatism."
