A night designed to celebrate and introduce Donald Trump’s running mate to the nation was instead colored by bitter divisions among Republicans, which played out for a national audience during a speech by a formal rival, Sen. Ted Cruz.
Trump selected Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate in part to promote unity among Republicans. Pence, formerly the fourth-ranking House GOP leader with credibility among conservatives, is well respected by a broad swath of party loyalists in Washington, D.C., and nationwide, who last week greeted his selection with praise.
If Pence’s selection has soothed some Republicans’ concerns about Trump’s candidacy, however, the GOP convention program Wednesday demonstrated that the party’s wounds have not fully healed.
Cruz, the runner-up to Trump in the primaries, agreed to speak at the convention after having publicly criticized him and without having endorsed his former rival. Until he took the stage, it was unclear whether Cruz would maintain this stance as pressure mounted for him to back the nominee.
One close Trump ally, Roger Stone, said the campaign expected Cruz would affirm support for Trump short of an endorsement, committing to vote for him over Hillary Clinton in November. Trump tweeted late Wednesday that he had seen the speech two hours in advance.
Whatever Trump and his campaign thought Cruz might say, the Texas senator sent Trump a clear message from the lectern.
“We deserve leaders who stand for principle. Unite us all behind shared values. Cast aside anger for love,” Cruz said. “That is the standard we should expect from everybody.”
“To those listening,” he continued, “please, don’t stay home in November. Stand, and speak, and vote your conscience. Vote for candidates up and down the ticket who you trust to defend our freedom and to be faithful to the Constitution.”
As Cruz wrapped his speech on this contentious note, a thinly veiled dig at Trump, the convention crowd erupted into deafening boos — as loud as any directed at the Democratic nominee over the course of the week.
Eric Laykin, a California delegate, sat in the same row as Heidi Cruz during Cruz’s address, but began booing as Cruz delivered his “conscience” line. “Go home!” Laykin yelled toward the dais.
“We needed him desperately to pull the party together and to unite us,” Laykin explained afterward.
The convention floor quickly spiraled into disarray. Former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, a delegate who supported Cruz in the primary, said he helped whisk Heidi Cruz and Rafael Cruz, Ted Cruz’s father, off of the convention floor as some delegates berated them.
“That was very disappointing,” Cuccinelli said. “I don’t care what you think of the speech, families are out of bounds for everyone else in America. Not here.»
For some of Cruz’s ardent supporters, his protest was electrifying. Jennifer Kellar, a Washington state delegate who does not plan to vote for Trump, called it “amazing” and “phenomenal.” But Cruz’s remarks left many delegates stunned, others enraged, and still others weeping openly.
“He looks like a sore loser,” said Lamar Lewis, a Texas delegate who supported Cruz. “How disappointing that he couldn’t put his own ego below that of what our country needs.»
Texas Rep. Pete Sessions, another ally, appeared visibly distraught.
“I think it was goodwill that they had him on stage, and evidently the goodwill was not returned,” Sessions said. “I thought it was very magnanimous of Mr. Trump to have him on here during the prime-time hour, and I’m sorry someone didn’t return the favor.”
Trump afterward publicly shrugged off Cruz’s diss, tweeting, “No big deal!” But Trump’s allies meanwhile signaled harsh disapproval. “He’s a treacherous prick,” Stone said of Cruz after the evening’s program had concluded.
Cruz’s gamble might have been a first step toward positioning himself for another bid for president in 2020. But Stone predicted the speech could prove “an enormous, enormous mistake” for Cruz, on par with Nelson Rockefeller’s decision to protest Barry Goldwater’s nomination at the 1964 Republican convention, while Richard Nixon saw an opening and campaigned for Goldwater. Goldwater lost; but when Nixon later ran for president, he did so with support from Goldwater’s coalition.
“Ted Cruz could have set himself up tonight,” Stone said. “Instead he decided to be Nelson Rockefeller.”
Cruz’s remarks blotted out more convivial speeches from two other former primary rivals, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and, by video, Sen. Marco Rubio, both of whom have endorsed Trump.
Following the tumult on the convention floor, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich sought to clean up the mess during his remarks, veering off script to counter Cruz.
“In this election, there is only one candidate who will uphold the Constitution,” Gingrich said. “So, to paraphrase Ted Cruz, if you want to protect the Constitution of the United States, the only possible candidate this fall is the Trump-Pence Republican ticket.”
That ticket was intended to be in the spotlight Wednesday, with Pence introducing himself to “those of you who don’t know me, which is most of you.” Indeed, a recent CBS News poll found that 85 percent of Republicans are unfamiliar with the Indiana governor.
It was a positive first impression, with the crowd energized throughout as Pence detailed his own biography and presented a case for Trump and against Clinton.
“The choice couldn’t be more clear,” Pence said. “Americans can elect someone who literally personifies the failed establishment in Washington, D.C., or we can choose a leader who will fight every day to make America great again.”
“It’s change versus status quo,” he continued. “And my fellow Republicans, when Donald Trump becomes president of the United States of America, the change will be huge.”
The nominee, at least publicly, acted pleased about his choice: As he joined Pence on stage at the conclusion of his speech, Trump blew his running mate an air kiss.
