Newt Gingrich seemed to make a last-minute pitch to be Donald Trump’s running mate Thursday, saying he thinks he has a wider appeal than Indiana Gov. Mike Pence.
{mosads}”I think my appeal is probably more national. I have some appeal in virtually every state,” Gingrich said in a Facebook live video.
“I think Mike Pence would have a huge Midwest appeal. So, if you’re trying to compete for western Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Missouri, Illinois, there’s a certain value to an Indiana candidate, I think.”
The Trump campaign has expanded operations in a majority of those states, which traditionally favor Democrats, in hopes of making them competitive come November.
Several reports Thursday claimed Trump would pick Pence as his running mate, but campaign manager Paul Manafort insisted that a decision has yet to be made, saying the campaign will announce Trump’s running mate Friday.
Gingrich also said he told Trump that the businessman’s decision is between “two pirates on the ticket or having a pirate and a relatively stable, more normal person,” insinuating that he would be of the former.
He told Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, that he would also have to consider which contender would be best at reaching out to those of the party who are still unhappy with Trump.
“Whether I could do that better or Mike Pence could do that better, that’s something Trump has to personally sort through as he sees it from his perspective,” Gingrich said.