Pence Selection is an Uninspiring yet Savvy Move for Trump

Numerous media outlets reported today that Governor Mike Pence of Indiana is slated to become Donald Trump's running mate. The official announcement was scheduled for tomorrow morning in New York, however the Trump campaign has delayed the event due to today's attack in France. The campaign has also refused to confirm that Mr. Pence is indeed the selection. If the governor is indeed the pick, he represents the best option for Mr. Trump among the shortlist of candidates the real estate mogul had developed over the summer (Gingrich, Christie, Sessions).

Trump's VP selection represents a central part of his campaign and is likely the most important strategic decision he will make. The best political options for the campaign (Haley, Rubio, Martinez) all indicated early on they did not want to enter themselves into consideration for the job. Therefore, Trump was stuck with Chris Christie and Newt Gingrich, both highly unpopular figures among the general electorate; Jeff Sessions, an ultra-conservative unknown senator from a reliably red state; and Mike Pence, an unpopular red state governor.

Mike Pence on March 25, 2015. From abc7chicago.com

Pence does have more favorable qualities as a running mate than the others and probably helps Trump as Cleveland draws near. A spokeswoman from the Trump campaign discussed the governor in an interview today with Bloomberg in which she flouted his status as a proven social conservative. She also talked about how he presents himself as a clear member of the establishment with strong Washington credentials, yet is unafraid to lean far to the right when the occasion merits it. His personality and disposition also distinctly contrasts with Trump's. Pence is sober and measured where Trump is bombastic and crude.

However, significant drawbacks to his appointment exist for the campaign. FiveThirtyEight expressed in a piece that Trump gains essentially a "generic Republican" and described the governor as a "57-year-old white man; the governor of a midsize, red-leaning state; someone with very conservative but otherwise conventionally Republican policy positions." That is the essence of the issue with the selection of Pence. He is an unexciting, relatively unpopular governor of a red state. But Trump could have done a lot worse. If Pence is indeed the pick, he is certainly the best of a shallow bench of candidates.

Interview:http://www.cleveland.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/07/trump_delays_announcing_vp_pic.html#incart_m-rpt-1
Article: http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-mike-pence-would-be-trumps-least-worst-choice/