Republican Donald Trump has selected Indiana governor
Mike Pence to be his vice-presidential running mate,
according to US media reports.

Mr Trump's campaign planned to announce his selection
on Friday, but cancelled the event because of the attack
in Nice, France.
Sources close to campaign told ABC News that Mr Pence
accepted the offer.


However, Mr Trump told Fox News on Thursday evening:
"I haven't made my final, final decision."
Mr Trump hopes Mr Pence can help him appeal to the
party's conservatives.
Other candidates reportedly in the running were former
House Speaker Newt Gingrich and New Jersey Governor
Chris Christie.


Analysis: Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, North America
Reporter

If there's anything resembling a "safe" vice-presidential
pick for Donald Trump, Mike Pence is it. He has executive
experience as Indiana's governor and a strong legislative
resume from his 12 years as a member of the US House
of Representatives.


While in Washington, he chaired the Republican Study
Group, a coalition of hard-core conservatives, which gives
him solid bona fides among the grass-roots Tea Party
wing of the party that has occasional doubts about Mr
Trump's ideological purity.
Mr Pence also hails from the mid-west, which Mr Trump's
team has identified as perhaps the key battleground in
his quest for the White House.


In Republican circles Mr Pence's record isn't entirely
clean, however. Some on the right have criticised the
governor for backing down when the state's "religious
liberty" law was challenged by LGBT activists and local
businesses last year.


Mr Pence's decision to expand government health-care
coverage for Indiana's poor is also considered ideological
heresy by some.


The real question, however, is whether Mr Pence has the
rhetorical dexterity to both fulfil the traditional running-
mate role of political attack dog on the stump and the
nominee's most ardent defender.


Before his current job, Mr Pence, 57, spent 12 years in
Washington as a congressman.
His legislative experience and position of governor of a
Midwestern state could give Mr Trump advantages in the
general election.

The Indiana governor is strongly anti-abortion and
signed a religious freedom bill, which some saw as anti-
gay, into law.The campaign hopes that Mr Pence will help boost Mr Trump's image with social conservatives who have been
unsettled by Mr Trump's brash persona.
Mr Trump - a New York real estate tycoon who has never
held elected office - has said he wants a running mate
who could help him work with Congress.

However, Mr Trump and the Indiana governor differ on
some key issues including the billionaire businessman's
call to ban Muslim from entering the US.


Last year, Mr Pence tweeted that Mr Trump's plan was
"offensive and unconstitutional".
He has also expressed support for free trade agreements
and was in favour of the war in Iraq, which Mr Trump
says he was not.


Mr Pence also criticised Mr Trump for his attacks on
Hispanic judge Gonzalo Curiel, who was born in Indiana.
Mr Trump had said Mr Curiel could not possibly rule fairly
in a case against him became of his Hispanic heritage.

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