Pence looks like Trump’s ideal veep

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence is not just a good choice as Donald Trump’s running mate. He’s about the best choice Trump fans could hope for – at least based on what we know about the Indiana governor so far.

The GOP remains divided, with many party actors, including high-profile politicians, rejecting the reality-star nominee. So divided, in fact, that it seemed possible that Trump might be stuck with a scandal-ridden, unpopular retread (such as Newt Gingrich or Chris Christie) or some obscure figure without any obvious presidential credentials.

But Pence brings to the ticket both conventional qualifications for office (he served six terms in the House of Representatives, and was elected governor in 2012) and a record as a solid mainstream conservative. Very few Republicans would likely have any significant problems with him on any major policy question. If the main electoral imperative in running-mate selections is to “do no harm,” Pence appears to fit the bill.

Yes, Pence has opposed several of Trump’s signature positions, including on trade. That’s to be expected for any mainstream conservative Trump might have picked. There’s no evidence voters care about such things.

Moreover, for Republicans who are skeptical of Trump but open to being reassured that he’d be a normal Republican president, Pence is about as good a signal as Trump could possibly send. And for the media and anyone else looking for evidence that Trump could act responsibly in office, Pence would fill that role.

Also, Pence endorsed Ted Cruz for the GOP nomination. In choosing him, Trump pays lip service at least to uniting the party.

The necessary caution with Pence is that the national media have not closely scrutinized him, so we won’t know yet what they and the Hillary Clinton campaign might turn up on him. And, no, Trump’s campaign can’t be trusted to have done a thorough job of vetting, even after hiring experienced Republican operatives for that purpose.

And we don’t know how Pence would actually perform on the campaign trail. Fellow Hoosier Dan Quayle looked OK on paper before he was selected, but he quickly turned out to be a dud.

Some pundits thought Gingrich would be a stronger veep choice, because Gingrich – glib and shameless – would be unbridled at defending Trump. But that gets it all wrong.

The question isn’t about how the running mate does at defending the nominee. It’s whether the nominee has to defend the running mate. Based on what we know so far, Pence would need less defending than Trump’s other top options.

This story was originally published July 16, 2016 at 12:07 AM with the headline "Pence looks like Trump’s ideal veep."