Ohio’s delegates to the event remain strongly behind Gov. John Kasich

July 19, 2016 at 12:00a.m.

CLEVELAND

Area delegates are pleased with presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump’s selection of Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate.

“I think it’s a home run – no I think it’s a grand slam,” said Mark Munroe, chairman of the Mahoning County Republican Party and an alternate representing Ohio’s 13th District, which includes parts of Portage, Stark, Mahoning, Trumbull and Summit counties. “Pence in many ways reminds me of Newt Gingrich, but maybe without some of the controversies. ... Pence loves to talk about how he got into politics because of Ronald Reagan. ... I think the conservatives among us will really appreciate his candidacy.”

News of Trump’s vice-president choice leaked late last week, and Trump made it official over the weekend with joint appearances with Pence. The latter is scheduled to address the convention Wednesday.

Ohio’s delegates to the event remain strongly behind Gov. John Kasich. But several said Monday that Pence could help tip the scales in Trump’s favor heading into November.

“This whole talk about vice presidential candidates, do they help, do they hurt, I think the folks that are going to support Trump are going to support Trump, including myself by the way,” Munroe said. “Those folks who may have been nervous about Trump, I think this might help ease some of their concerns – Pence is such a solid guy.”

David Johnson, chairman of the Columbiana County Republican Party and a delegate representing the 6th District, which includes his home county, Guernsey and Noble counties and all of southeast Ohio’s border areas, agreed.

“Pence is a steady hand, has a proven track record, conservative and being from the Midwest is very important,” Johnson said, adding, “I haven’t heard one negative comment about Pence from the people that I know who are involved in this process. We would have rather seen Kasich as a running mate, but Pence is not bad.”

State Rep. Kirk Schuring pf Canton, representing the 16th District, which includes Wayne County and parts of Stark, Portage and Summit counties, called Pence a “voice of stability.”

“He has great experience, both in the U.S. Congress and as governor of Indiana,” he said. “I think we need that kind of experience. One of Donald Trump’s hallmarks is that he’s an outsider. I think that people want that, but they also want somebody who has been around and understands how to navigate through Washington, how to get things done.”

State Rep. Ron Amstutz of Wooster, serving as an alternate for the 16th District, said Pence would “validate the conservative direction that many people were looking for. He will also, I think, be valuable in policy advice and how to proceed on the administrative side as well. You need checks and balances, and with his experience, he brings that to the table.”

Holmes County Recorder Anita Hall, representing the 7th District, including her home county, plus Ashland, Tuscarawas and other counties, agreed.

“I think Pence is a good man, he’s got good values, good morals,” she said.