CLEVELAND (AP) – The Latest on the 2016 race for president (all times local):
10:44 a.m.
The Northeast might not be the most fertile ground for Republican candidates for national office, but New York, New Jersey and Connecticut will be front-and-center at next week’s Republican National Convention.
Delegates from those states will have prime seats to watch billionaire businessman Donald Trump accept the GOP’s nomination for president.
The delegates from Wyoming, the District of Columbia and Washington state might want to bring binoculars.
Delegates are traditionally seated based on the political importance of their state, and Trump is from New York.
Battleground states Ohio and Florida also have pretty good seats. Oddly, competitive battleground states Colorado and Virginia are in the back.
Much of the leadership of the Never Trump movement is from Colorado, so those delegates might struggle to be heard.
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3:28 a.m.
His running mate largely unknown to the public, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is introducing Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, a steady conservative with governing experience inside and outside of Washington.
Trump and Pence will appear together Saturday morning at a midtown Manhattan hotel, an unofficial kickoff event to the Republican National Convention two days before it opens in Cleveland.
While Trump showcases his choice, Democrat Hillary Clinton’s team is already painting Pence’s conservative social viewpoints as out of step with the mainstream.
Trump chose Pence in part to ease some Republicans’ concerns about Trump’s temperament and lack of political experience. Pence’s demeanor is as calm as Trump’s is fiery and he brings a sense of discipline that aides and advisers hope can bridge that gap.