US media reported that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has chosen the Indiana governor as his running mate.
The choice suggests Trump might be trying to mend bridges with the more moderate wing of his party.
The businessman and former reality TV star was slated to officially announce his choice on Friday morning, but said he would postpone the announcement in the wake of a truck attack in Nice, France, that killed over 70 people, DW reported.
“In light of the horrible attack in Nice, France, I have postponed tomorrow’s news conference concerning my vice presidential announcement,” he tweeted.
Generally viewed as a conventional choice for Trump, who was also reportedly considering such controversial figures as former House of Representatives speaker, Newt Gingrinch, and former New Jersey governor, Chris Christie, Pence is likely to appeal to evangelical Christians, who have doubts about the notoriously divisive New Yorker.
A former Ted Cruz supporter, Pence had expressed opposition to some of Trump’s more infamous proposals in the past.
Nonetheless, Pence has been known as a solidly rightwing conservative, with extensive experience in Washington. He was a member of the House of Representatives but left to take up his governorship and a strong Midwestern appeal.
Trump’s vice presidential pick is seen as critical to his success in the November, as the Republican primary left the party largely divided, with more moderate conservatives coming out in opposition to his incendiary, populist brand of politics.
