There was a collective sigh of relief coming from Republicans on Capitol Hill Tuesday. Finally, they got to chat with Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence, a man who seemed to understand politics as they did.
After months of awkward meetings with Trump and surrogates, and being asked repeatedly by the Washington press corps about Trump’s controversy de jour, Republican lawmakers welcomed the opportunity to talk to someone they finally were optimistic about, one of their own, Pence.
“I doubt you could have a better spokesman for someone than Mike Pence. He’s very humble, very aspirational and …everyone had to be more than impressed with the way he conducted himself. He is truly someone to respect,” said Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN), who has been clear about his concerns regarding the Trump campaign in the past.
During the Senate meeting, according to those in attendance, Pence offered lawmakers a more personal view of Trump, a man who came to Capitol Hill in July and insulted several Republican senators who had been critical of him, a man whose first response to criticism is to hit back hard.
“He’s opening the door. He speaks highly of Trump. He says that his personal interactions have always been very positive,” said Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA). “I think it’s safe to say that the temperaments of the two balance each other. And so, that’s good.”
Senators coming out of the meeting made it clear that Pence’s discussion with lawmakers had been very different than what they experienced in July.
“Most of the points that people made were just suggestions of helpfulness,” Corker said. “There were a couple of areas where people expressed that maybe..an issue might be expressed in a little bit different of a way.”
While meeting with the senators, Pence gave members his personal cell phone number and encouraged any of the Republicans – including those up for re-election– to reach out if they needed any help.
“If I need him, I will,” Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) told TPM about whether he planned to use the number, adding that he hoped he wouldn’t need to. Burr’s race to hold on to his seat has gotten more competitive as November has approached.
Unlike Trump, who has never held elected office, Pence speaks the language of Capitol Hill. He served in the House for 12 years and was elected to a leadership post there as the Republican Conference Chairman.
“We all know him and all like him quite a bit,” said Shelley Moore-Capito (R-WV) “We talked about topics to stay on, economy, jobs, energy, broadening the base kinds of topics.”
Lawmakers said that over the course of their meeting with Pence, he took a lot of questions and had a clear sense of just what lawmakers were up against back home as they faced re-election.
“Mike Pence is a really bright guy. He understands a lot about politics, the challenges of every election are very apparent to him,” Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID) said.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) met privately with Pence ahead of the conference-wide meeting. And, after standing on the convention stage in Cleveland in July and refusing to endorse the Trump/Pence ticket, Cruz still wouldn’t formally endorse Trump as the nominee. But he did offer compliments for Pence.
“He is a friend,” Cruz said. “He is a strong conservative.”
While feelings about Trump remain mixed on Capitol Hill, for Pence there seems to be only admiration and hope that he can turn Trump around. Earlier in the day, at the Republican National Committee Headquarters a few blocks from the House of Representatives, Pence stood alongside House Leaders and held a press conference. After months of Paul Ryan having to contend with questions about Trump’s latest controversy, the Speaker of the House seemed at ease as every question was directed toward Pence at the microphones.
“It’s kind of nice for a change,” Ryan said smiling as yet another question was lobbed at Pence. “
Then, a reporter turned the conversation to an awkward question. He asked Pence what it has been like for Pence to watch Ryan forcefully criticize Trump’s policies at times. While Trump has sometimes been openly hostile toward Ryan, Pence’s style was another example of just how he different his temperament is from Trump’s. While Trump’s first reaction is to take a swing at critics, Pence’s is to be diplomatic.
“My and Donald Trump’s respect and appreciation for Speaker Paul Ryan is boundless,” Pence said, noting that every party has its internal disagreements.
Annie Rees contributed to this report
