Indiana Governor Mike Pence yesterday said he would vote for Republican White House hopeful Ted Cruz, handing the latter a much-needed endorsement before the state’s crucial primary next week.
Yet in announcing his choice during a radio interview just after noon, Pence took tremendous care to praise Donald Trump — a signal of the unenviable dilemma for Republican leaders in the age of Trump.
“I like and respect all three of the candidates in the field. I particularly want to commend Trump,” Pence said on WIBC, lauding Trump’s “strong stand for Hoosier jobs.”
The governor added, “I’m grateful for his voice in the national debate.”
Moments later, Pence ended the semi-suspense. “I’m not against anybody, he said, but I will be voting for Ted Cruz.”
All three remaining Republican presidential candidates had sought Pence’s support, but the governor, a former congressman, had been tight-lipped about his plans. His considerations included an assessment about how he would be affected by the presidential race: Pence is also on the ballot this fall and could face a competitive race if his party is being routed on top of the ticket.
Pence had faced considerable pressure from conservatives opposed to Trump’s candidacy to break his silence and get behind Cruz well before now.
The endorsement supplies a needed boost for Cruz at a moment of peril for his campaign. He has trailed Trump in recent Indiana polls, and the state is increasingly viewed as a must-win for Cruz in Tuesday’s state primary and the wider effort among Republicans to stop Trump.
 Pence said he was “very impressed with Cruz’s devotion and knowledge of the Constitution” but made clear that he would support “whoever wins the Republican nomination.”
While Cruz’s campaign has strained to replicate its success in states like Iowa and Wisconsin, bringing in out-of-state volunteers and barnstorming Indiana on a bus, he had thus far failed to attract significant support from the state’s leading Republicans.
Speaking to reporters before an event in Indianapolis, Cruz deflected questions about Pence’s plans, but took pains to praise him effusively.
And, by contrast, the endorsement of Governor Scott Walker in Wisconsin, a vocal Trump critic, was far less equivocal. “He has been an incredible leader for the state of Indiana,” Cruz said.