Mississippi GOP delegates applaud Trump pick of Pence for VP
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi delegates to the Republican National Convention are praising Donald Trump's choice of Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate.
Among those issuing statements of support Friday were Gov. Phil Bryant, Sen. Roger Wicker and state Republican chairman Joe Nosef.
"He is an optimistic, cheerful, and pragmatic leader from America's heartland," said Wicker, who served seven years in the U.S. House with Pence. "It's hard not to like Mike Pence. He could absolutely step into the presidency if needed."
Henry Barbour of Yazoo City, a political consultant and Mississippi's Republican National Committeeman, is serving on the rules committee for the national convention. In a phone interview from Cleveland Friday, he said Pence is a fiscal and social conservative and "a steady hand" who will make Republicans comfortable.
"He's a serious player," Barbour said. "This is not some guy from the B team."
State Rep. Becky Currie of Brookhaven, who announced her support for Trump in February, said Pence will appeal to all Republicans, particularly socially conservative evangelical Christians.
"There's nobody in the party that doesn't like Pence," Currie said Friday as she prepared to travel to the convention. "I think it was a great choice for Trump to reunite the party."
She said Pence will know his way around Congress. "That is a huge issue," Currie said. "Trump needed somebody to be able to do that."
Bryant said Pence has been "one of the nation's leading Republican governors."
Barbour endorsed Florida Sen. Marco Rubio in the primary and has not been an outspoken supporter of Trump.
"He was not my pick in the primary, but I do believe in the will of the voters, and Republican voters picked Donald Trump. ... I hope and expect we will be nominating the next president of the United States in Cleveland," Barbour said Friday. "I think it's very important that the country get off the Barack Obama track. ... Donald Trump is a heck of a lot better pick than Hillary Clinton."
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