The Latest: Trump says if you don't like him, vote Pence
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The Latest on Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence (all times local):
5:30 p.m.
Republican Donald Trump has a message for reluctant voters:
"If you don't like me. That's OK," he tells a rally crowd in Des Moines, Iowa. "Vote for Pence because it's the same thing."
Trump was referring to his running mate, Mike Pence, the conservative governor of Indiana.
Pence was chosen partially to help calm nervous Republicans still on the fence about Trump and to bring some establishment sensibility to the ticket.
The pair are campaigning together on Friday in Iowa and Wisconsin.
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12:30 p.m.
Donald Trump's running mate Mike Pence briefly returned home from the campaign trail to kick off what he calls "the best state fair in America."
The Indiana governor and Republican vice presidential candidate pet some cows, surveyed the fair grounds and handed out milkshakes Friday at the opening day of the Indiana State Fair.
Pence's wife, Karen, is an artist, and together they led reporters on a tour of an exhibit hall where the first lady had some of her watercolor paintings hanging.
Pence has largely been absent from the state since being tapped by Trump, and his stop home was brief. By afternoon, he was gone again to campaign with Trump in Iowa
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8:30 a.m.
Donald Trump's running mate, Mike Pence, is brushing off Republican concerns of turmoil in their campaign.
In recent weeks, Trump has angered fellow Republicans by criticizing parents of a soldier killed in Iraq and refusing to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan and others for re-election. The feud has overshadowed Trump's criticism of Hillary Clinton.
Pence told NBC's "Today Show" that he is seeing "tremendous enthusiasm" for the Republican ticket. He said "Donald Trump and I are standing shoulder to shoulder to say to the American people, 'We can be strong again.'"
Pence also said Trump values the sacrifices made by military families: "This man has a heart for our soldiers."