Donald Trump Reportedly Poised To Announce Gov. Mike Pence As His Vice Presidential Running Mate

Multiple Media Outlets Are Reporting That Trump Is Likely To Name Pence As His Running Mate. Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is likely to name Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his vice presidential running mate, according to reports from multiple media outlets. Trump will reportedly publicly announce the pick on Friday morning in New York City. [Roll Call, 7/14/16; The New York Times, 7/14/16; CBS News, 7/14/16, The Indianapolis Star, 7/14/16]

Pence Was Formerly An Indiana Congressman And Self-Described “Rush Limbaugh On Decaf” Conservative Radio Host. Before his election as governor of Indiana, Pence served in the House of Representatives and worked as a conservative radio host. The Legislative Effectiveness Project, an academic research project, examined the legislative record of the six-term congressman and found that in all but one of those terms Pence performed “below expectations” in terms of “bills the lawmaker introduced, how substantive they were and how far they made it through the legislative process.” In a 2014 speech to “a gathering of the Radio Advertising Bureau and the National Association of Broadcasters,” Pence reportedly described his record:

You see, I’ve served in public office for 14 years: A year and a half as Governor and 12 years in Congress . . . I hosted a talk radio show in the early days of that format. I liked to say, “I’m a conservative, but I’m not [in] a bad mood about it.” I was kind of like Rush Limbaugh on decaf. [The Washington Post, 9/11/14; The Indianapolis Star, 7/7/16, 10/16/14]

Right-Wing Media Criticize Choice: Decision Is “A Whiff” And Pence Is A “Not-Smart Coward”

DailyWire’s Ben Shapiro: “Mike Pence Blew All His Conservative Credibility Over Religious Freedom Restoration Act In Indiana. What A Nothingburger.”

[Twitter, 7/14/16]

National Review’s Charles C. W. Cooke: “‘I Thought I Was Going To Lose My Home State, So I Joined A Ticket That’s Losing Nationally.’”

[Twitter, 7/14/16]

Conservative Commentator Ann Coulter: “Withholding Comment Until It’s Official, But If Claims About Pence As VP Are Correct, Boy Was I Right About This Being Trump’s First Mistake.”

[Twitter, 7/14/16]

Weekly Standard’s Mark Hemingway: “What Pence Did With Religious Liberty In Indiana Was Malevolence Born Of Cowardice.”

[Twitter, 7/14/16]

Conservative Review’s Amanda Carpenter: “Mike Pence Is A VP Non-Conservatives Think Conservatives Want. It’s A Whiff.”

[Twitter, 7/14/16]

The Federalist’s Mollie Hemingway: “Pence Is One Of The Few Possibilities That Would Make Me Less Likely To Vote For Trump. He’s A Not-Smart Coward."

[Twitter, 7/14/16]

Conservative Columnist Andrew Stiles: “Mike Pence Is Boring And Low Energy AF.”

[Twitter, 7/14/16]

Wash. Post’s Jennifer Rubin: “If It Is Pence It’ll Be The First Time A Hoosier Showed Rotten Character Since Bobby Knight.”

[Twitter, 7/14/16]

NY Times’ Ross Douthat: “If It’s Pence It’s The First Time Trump Has Bored Us.”

[Twitter, 7/14/16]

Wash. Free Beacon’s Stephen Gutowski: “I’m Extremely Skeptical That Anybody Out There Will Come Around To Vote For Trump Because Of Pence.”

[Twitter, 7/14/16]

Conservative Radio Host Steve Deace: “Another Beta Choice For Trump, Who Likes to Surround Himself With Betas.” 

[Twitter, 7/14/16]