CLEVELAND — Democrats have answered Americans' call for something new with a stale agenda and the most predictable of names, Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence told an enthusiastic Republican National Convention hall Wednesday night.
"Hillary Clinton wants a better title and I would, too, if I was already America's Secretary of the Status Quo," Pence said. "It’s change versus the status quo."
And when Trump is elected, the change will be huge, Pence said, drawing out the word in Trump-like fashion.
Pence had the crowd cheering after an unprecedented convention uproar caused an hour earlier by Texas. Sen. Ted Cruz threatened to overshadow the Indiana governor.
Cruz’s speech was at first well received. But the hall tried to drown him out with boos after he told people to vote their conscience in November, instead of explicitly endorsing Trump.
“We want Trump,” some in the crowd chanted. “Say his name!”
Presidential historian Michael Beschloss said he had never seen anything quite like it.
Pence had endorsed Cruz, although tepidly, before Indiana’s May primary. Trump’s decisive primary victory ended the Republican nominating process.
In a call for unity, Pence said the choice ultimately comes down to two names on the ballot.
"So let's resolve here and now that Hillary Clinton will never become president," Pence said.
The theme for this night of the convention was “Make America First Again” and Pence bragged that Indiana is leading the way by growing the economy while balancing its budget.
“Indiana is a state that works because conservative principles work every time you put them into practice,” Pence said as the crowd chanted, “We like Mike!”
Pence was the final speaker on the third night of the GOP convention, the day after he officially become the vice presidential nominee, rode in his first motorcade and got Secret Service protection.
It was a long way to come for a man who calls himself “a small town boy from southern Indiana.”
"if you know anything about Hoosiers you know we love to suit up and compete," he told the crowd. "We play to win — that's why I joined this campaign in a heartbeat."
Pence flirted with running for president in 2012, in part because some conservative activists urged him to do so.
But he ran for governor instead, and was facing a tough re-election race this year after several stumbles, including his handling of “religious freedom” legislation he signed into law, and later supported amending. He also got national attention for backing one of the nation’s most restrictive anti-abortion laws.
“Mike Pence is known across the country for his anti-LGBT law and his outrageous intrusions into women’s health,” said Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for Clinton’s campaign. “But in his home state, folks know that’s just the beginning of his terrible record.”
Pence’s speech was his biggest turn in the spotlight since becoming Trump’s running mate, and will be matched only by the vice presidential debate against Clinton’s unnamed running mate.
He was introduced by House Speaker Paul Ryan, the 2012 vice presidential candidate.
"This man is a Reagan conservative through and through. Pro-growth. Pro-life and pro-strong defense," Ryan said. "There is no doubt in my mind he will bring real change to Washington."
Pence’s speech was preceded by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, one of the finalists for the job Pence got.
Trump has a great running mate in Mike Pence, Gingrich said, eliciting a cheer.
"They will put our safety first, and they will defend America first," he said.
Pence addressed the huge differences in his style and Trump’s.
The real estate mogul and reality TV star is known for his large personality, Pence noted.
“I guess he was just looking for some balance on the ticket,” Pence said. "For those of you who don’t know me, which is most of you, I grew up on the front row of the American dream."
Ari Fleischer, former spokesman for President George W. Bush, said Pence can’t worry about trying to compete with the oversized personalities of Trump and also New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, the other finalist for the vice presidential nomination who fired up the convention hall Tuesday.
“He has to be true to who he is, his own persona,” Fleischer said of Pence. “Trump will be Trump and Pence needs to be Pence.”
Many delegates said they are still finding out who that is.
Kim Gurtler, who is attending the convention with her husband, an alternative delegate from Georgia, said she didn’t know much about Pence when he was announced. But everything she’s learned since has been positive.
“He’s very conservative. Very presidential,” Gurtler said after watching the duo at what was billed as a "friends and family welcome arrival."
“He’s a Christian,” said her husband, Paul.
In addition to introducing himself, and attacking the policies and leadership of the other side, the other main goal of the vice presidential acceptance speech is to make a case for the top of the ticket, said Joel Goldstein, a vice presidential scholar at St. Louis University School of Law.
Pence called Trump the genuine article.
“He's a doer in a game usually reserved for talkers,” Pence said. “.And when Donald Trump does his talking, he doesn't tiptoe around the thousand new rules of political correctness.”
Democrats and the media can’t figure him out, Pence added.
“They keep thinking they've done him in, only to wake up the next morning and find that Donald Trump is still standing and running stronger than ever before,” Pence said, “The man just doesn't quit.”
Pence’s speech was a bit of a do-over after he was overshadowed by Donald Trump at Saturday’s unveiling of the ticket in New York.
At that event, Pence spoke for 15 minutes, about half as long as Trump’s rambling introduction. And Trump spoke more about himself than Pence, whom he reiterated was his first choice for a running mate despite reports to the contrary.
“The last time, I got accused of speaking a little long, so this time I’m going to speak a lot shorter,” Trump said when he spoke briefly to the television cameras after embarking from his helicopter Wednesday afternoon.
Trump said Pence had become a friend of his and would make an “unbelievable vice president.”
Many in the hall were equally effusive about Pence's speech.
“Until today, he belonged to Indiana,” said Indiana delegate Mike Murphy, a public relations executive. “Now he belongs to the nation. And he’s never going back. He’s a national figure now.”
