Chelsea Schneider, and James Briggs

IndyStar

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump will come to Central Indiana on Tuesday for a rally and private fundraiser as speculation grows that he could choose Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate.

The rally is expected to begin at 7:30 p.m., following the fundraising event Pence is hosting at the Columbia Club in Downtown Indianapolis.

A location for the rally had not been confirmed as of Friday evening, said Rex Early, chairman of Trump's Indiana campaign. Early said he didn’t know if Pence planned on attending the rally — though the Republican governor is anticipated to be there.

Pence is regarded in the top tier of potential vice presidential picks — but Trump also has tried out other candidates at similar events. Newt Gingrich, a former House speaker and another potential running mate, joined Trump for a rally Wednesday in Ohio. U.S. Sen. Bob Corker also had rallied with Trump in North Carolina, before withdrawing his name from consideration.

Tickets for the fundraiser begin at $2,700 per person, then ranging from $15,000 to $250,000 for a couple, according to a copy of the invitation obtained by IndyStar.

Pence is the better vice presidential candidate “by miles,” because of his ability to sway supporters of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, a fellow social conservative, to vote for Trump, said Early, a former state GOP chairman. Cruz dropped out of the race after Trump dominated the Indiana Republican primary in May.

“If they are a little dubious about Trump being conservative, they can rest. Because I think Mike will bring a lot of the church people because he’s a very religious guy,” Early said.

Gingrich, who also is considered a front-runner, could bring a lot of experience, Early said. But he expects Trump will “stick him someplace else.”

“I think really that Gingrich would be pretty hard to handle,” he said. “Gingrich, he is smart and he knows the ins and outs, but I don’t see him as vice president.”

Pence declined to confirm if he’d attend the Tuesday rally on Friday, saying the question was too political following the shootings in Dallas that left five police officers dead and seven officers injured.

“This is not the time for politics,” Pence said at a memorial for fallen Indiana State Police officers Friday. “We’ll share our schedule next week. This is really the time for all of us to pause, be reflective, to remember those who came before us.”

If Pence is chosen to join Trump, Hoosiers might not know who’s running for governor in Indiana until more than a month from now.

The Indiana Republican Party could take up to 30 days to select a replacement gubernatorial candidate to face Democrat John Gregg. Here's how the process would work:

Indiana state law requires Pence to withdraw from the gubernatorial race by July 15 to give the Republican Party enough time to select a new candidate. If Pence were to withdraw, the 22-member Republican State Committee would, for the first time in state history, choose the party's candidate.

The state GOP would have 30 days from the date of Pence's withdrawal to replace him. Although it's in the party's best interest to name a new candidate as soon as possible, the process would take a minimum of 10 days, said David Buskill, executive director of the Indiana Republican Party. That's because the committee must provide a 10-day public notice before voting.

Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma and U.S. Rep. Todd Rokita have said they would be interested in the Republican nomination. Lt. Gov. Eric Holcomb, who has not yet publicly said he will seek the office, is thought to be a front-runner. U.S. Rep. Susan Brooks of Carmel also could be a candidate.

Pete Seat, a Republican political strategist in Indiana, said he doesn't think the party would take anywhere near the full 30 days to make its choice.

"There's no secret that this might happen," Seat said. "It's not like it will come out of the blue and everyone's shell-shocked by it. I would be surprised if a letter isn't prepared where they just need to insert a date and send it in the event all this happens to get the process moving quickly."

Under the best-case scenario, the Republican candidate for governor wouldn't be named until at least late July if Pence abandons his re-election bid. That would provide the new candidate with a little less than three months to campaign before the Nov. 8 election.

While Seat acknowledged a candidate could be at a disadvantage if the process dragged out for a month, he said that candidate would be in good shape if the Republican Party moved efficiently.

"If you're looking at 10, 12, 15 days, I don't think that's an issue at all really," Seat said. "Whomever it is, is going to get a lot of earned media coverage and attention as people look at resumes and qualifications."

Andy Downs, director of the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics, agreed.

"They're put at a disadvantage in terms of defining him or herself, raising money and explaining to people where they stand on issues," Downs said. "Having said that, if you think about what we see these days in terms of television commercials and direct mail and direct interaction with voters ... we can target so much better than we used to."

When asked about Republicans announcing plans to run for governor if he is Trump’s choice, Pence told IndyStar this week he has remained focused on his re-election efforts in Indiana.

“I’m going to be very respectful of the appropriate deadlines that are in Indiana law for ballot access,” Pence said. “But again, nothing’s happened. We’re honored to be mentioned, but candidly, my focus is Indiana, and I love my job.”

Pence, who is in the final year of his first term as governor, faces a tough re-election campaign against Gregg. When asked this week whether he would stay on as governor if Trump picks him to join the ticket, Pence said he had “come to no conclusion.”

IndyStar reporter Kaitlin Lange contributed to this story.

Call IndyStar reporter Chelsea Schneider at (317) 444-6077. Follow her on Twitter: @IndyStarChelsea.

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