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‘This team is ready,’ Pence accepts Republican VP nomination

Posted at 12:43 AM, Jul 21, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-21 00:43:46-04

Look for continuing LIVE coverage from Cleveland all week long from FOX 17 political reporter Josh Sidorowicz and Erica Francis


CLEVELAND (AP) — Indiana's governor, Mike Pence, accepted the Republican nomination to be vice president Wednesday night.

Pence said he never thought he'd be standing on the stage at his party's national convention, joking that running mate Donald Trump is charismatic and must have been looking for balance in choosing him.

Pence used the speech to tell his life story by paying tribute to his mother in the audience and telling the crowd his dad would be surprised at the nomination if he were still alive.

Delegates at the Republican National Convention thunderously booed Ted Cruz for refusing to endorse Donald Trump Wednesday — clouding an evening intended to highlight vice presidential candidate Mike Pence as a unifying force for the party. The disorder provided fresh reminders of the fissures that remain.

Cruz walked onto the Cleveland stage to a standing ovation and held the audience's rapt attention until he told delegates to "vote your conscience" with no mention of nominee Trump, who had called him "Lyin' Ted" on the campaign trail. The crowd then turned on him with loud boos.

Soon after, Pence, in accepting the party's nomination, sought to bring the party together: "What unites us far exceeds anything that sets us apart in America," he said.

Pence lauded Trump is his own man, an independent spirit, and said change in the country will be "huge" under his presidency.

Delegates cheered: "We like Mike! We like Mike!"

Pence framed the November presidential race as crucial to defining the makeup of the Supreme Court for the next 40 years. He said voters must ensure it's Trump picking the justices.

He called presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton the "secretary of the status quo," referring to her former job as secretary of state.

Pence said he never thought he'd be standing on the stage at his party's national convention. He joked that Trump is charismatic and must have been looking for balance in choosing him.