Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump ended days of frenetic speculation by confirming his choice of Indiana governor Mike Pence as his vice-presidential running mate.
Mr Trump’s selection of the 57-year-old midwesterner, a cool-headed political insider and a committed conservative, was generally well received by the Republican establishment and should restore some unity to a party split by the billionaire’s blustering campaign and a divisive primary.
The businessman made the announcement through his favoured means of communication, social-media website Twitter, just days before Mr Trump himself is poised to be named the Republican presidential nominee at the party’s national convention in Cleveland.
“Honoured to join @realDonaldTrump and work to make America great again,” Mr Pence replied to the businessman on Twitter, quoting Trump’s campaign slogan.
The announcement beat a deadline on Friday by which Mr Pence had to file papers to run for re-election as Indiana governor and came amid media chatter that Mr Trump had cold feet about his choice ahead of his declaration but was persuaded to proceed by his closest aides.
Concluding a recruitment process that resembled an episode of Mr Trump's reality-TV show The Apprentice, the property and entertainment mogul will formally introduce the Trump-Pence 2016 ticket formally at a You're Hired! type news conference in New York.
"Mike Pence comes from the heart of the conservative movement, and the heart of America. I can think of no better choice for our vice-presidential candidate," said Paul Ryan, speaker of the House of Representatives and the country's highest elected Republican.
Incredibly divisive
Hillary Clinton, Mr Trump's expected opponent in the November 8th election, swiftly directed her campaign forces against Mr Pence. Her camp called him "the most extreme VP pick in a generation" and highlighted his ties to the party's hard-right tea party faction, his economic policies benefiting millionaires over working families, and his opposition to abortion and LGBT issues.
"Donald Trump has doubled down on some of his most disturbing beliefs by choosing an incredibly divisive and unpopular running mate," said her chairman John Podesta.
Born into an Irish-American Catholic family – his grandfather came from Co Sligo and his great-grandmother from Doonbeg, Co Clare – Mr Pence ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 1988 and 1990 before working as a conservative talk-show host for the following decade, describing himself as a "Rush Limbaugh on decaf", a reference to the right-wing radio commentator.
He was elected to the US House of Representatives in 2001 and served until 2012, ascending his party’s ranks on Capitol Hill to become the third highest-ranking House Republican. The governor brings fundraising clout to the Trump campaign and a link with a network of Republican donors that the businessman needs to fund his general election campaign.
"Governor Pence is a stable force, a man of his word. He is conservative in his politics and in his personal values," said Allison Barber, chancellor of the Indiana state-owned Western Governors University who has worked closely with him. "He will bring comfort to the Republican Party and he will secure the base with conservative voters."
