Report: Trump picks Pence as running mate

UPDATE (7/15, 11:01 a.m.): Donald Trump tweeted he has selected Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate. A formal news conference is planned for 11 a.m. EDT Saturday.

UPDATE (8:20 p.m.): Donald Trump announced Thursday night he is postponing the announcement of his running mate because of the situation in Nice, France.

OUR EARLIER REPORT: Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is on the verge of selecting Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his vice presidential running mate, The Indianapolis Star reported Thursday afternoon.

The news sparked mixed reactions, even though the Trump campaign has not made an official announcement or confirmed the report. Campaign spokesman Jason Miller, via Twitter, said Trump has not made a decision but will unveil his choice Friday morning.

Pence, Indiana’s governor since 2013, would provide Trump with both executive experience and ties to Capitol Hill. From 2001 to 2013, Pence served six terms in the U.S. House, including stints as chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee and the GOP Conference (the party’s No. 4 leadership position).

Describing himself as “a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican—in that order,” Pence has a track record on issues as long as Trump’s is short. As a member of Congress, Pence supported a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution, opposed same-sex marriage, opposed the No Child Left Behind Act, and led the effort to defund Planned Parenthood. In March, as governor, he signed a bill that prohibits abortion in Indiana based solely on genetic abnormalities such as Down syndrome.

“Mr. Trump’s selection of Gov. Mike Pence is an affirmation of the pro-life commitments he’s made and will rally the pro-life grassroots,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List. “Gov. Pence has proven to be a pro-life champion.”

On immigration, Pence is considerably less extreme than Trump: In 2006 he pushed a dual approach to solving illegal immigration that would have combined a guest worker program with border security measures. Immigration hard-liners condemned the plan as “amnesty.”

In December, Pence publicly opposed Trump’s proposal to ban Muslim immigration temporarily: “Calls to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. are offensive and unconstitutional,” he tweeted.

Another point of disagreement: trade. Pence supports free trade, while Trump has made opposition to such policies a cornerstone of his candidacy.

As a congressman, Pence was almost universally supported in conservative circles, but he has made several controversial decisions as governor. Among them: Pence negotiated with the Obama administration to expand Medicaid in Indiana as part of the Affordable Care Act. Pence secured the ability to make reforms as part of the expansion, but some in his own party said he gave up too much for too little in return.

Last year, Pence angered many when, after signing the state’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) into law, he approved a “fix” that tried to find a middle ground with the LGBT community and corporate opponents. Conservative critics said the amended bill could expose religious persons to fines or even jail time for living out their beliefs on marriage.

Many conservatives say they can’t forgive Pence for the RFRA concessions.

“Mike Pence blew all his conservative credibility over Religious Freedom Restoration Act in Indiana,” tweeted conservative pundit Ben Shapiro.

Prior to the 2015 RFRA controversy, many observers considered Pence a potential presidential candidate. Although he emerged politically damaged, he remains considerably less so than the other two men reportedly on Trump’s short list: former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

Just days before the Indiana Republican presidential primary, Pence issued a tepid endorsement of Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, but he also praised Trump.

“I’m not against anybody, but I will be voting for Ted Cruz in the Indiana primary,” Pence said at the time. Cruz suspended his campaign after Trump won Indiana’s 57 delegates.

Pence, who identifies as evangelical, has been married since 1985 and has three adult children.