If ever there were an empirical demonstration of the wisdom in Yogi Berra's oft-repeated observation, "It ain't over 'til it's over" it was the feeding frenzy Thursday over Donald Trump's selection of Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate.

By 10 a.m. everyone had the story and was running with it, even going to so far as to pair it up with in-depth analyses of what it meant for the Republicans, for the Democrats and for Indiana – where Pence is currently a candidate for re-election.

By day's end, lots of people were wondering if they had been right or if the Trump campaign had pulled off a masterful head fake. The candidate was telling the media he had not made up his mind, and the press conference scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday at which the announcement was to be made was instead postponed, ostensibly because of the terrorist massacre in Nice, France.

As everyone now knows, Trump has made his pick and it is indeed Pence. He announced it over Twitter just before 10 a.m., causing a number of my brethren in the political media to breathe deep sighs of relief that they had not in fact gotten the story wrong.

I am pleased to announce that I have chosen Governor Mike Pence as my Vice Presidential running mate. News conference tomorrow at 11:00 A.M. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 15, 2016

In picking Pence, Trump has chosen a running mate from a strategically important region of the country. Ohio may have given America more presidents than any other state, but it is Indiana that is the mother of vice presidents. Moreover, as the state polls suggest, this election will be won or lost in the country's former industrial heartland – a place where the GOP's message of it being the time to get tough on free trade is likely to have greater appeal than Clinton's pro-Wall Street rhetoric.

Pence is a solid conservative with a strong record, both in Congress and as governor of Indiana where he has been an aggressive proponent of expanding parental choice in education and broke the big labor stranglehold on blue collar workers by signing a right-to-work law.

The response thus far from the disparate wings of the conservative movement who, up to this point have viewed Mr. Trump suspiciously if not from a posture of outright rebellion, has been favorable.

"Mike Pence would be an outstanding Vice-President," said David McIntosh, president of the politically powerful Club for Growth. "Mike was a leader on Capitol Hill against bailouts, Obamacare, and tax hikes. He has been a strong supporter of free trade agreements, and he stood up to his own party's leadership against the expansion of the entitlement state," the former Indiana congressman said in a statement.

"Governor Mike Pence provides the opportunity to give GOP voters still undecided about Donald Trump a reason to unite and to vote for a more principled ticket," said Jenny Beth Martin, the president and co-founder of Tea Party Patriots. "Gov. Pence passed the largest tax cut in Indiana's history and in turn created economic growth and jobs for his constituents. Mike Pence is a man who time after time does what he thinks is best for conservative principles, the country, and his party. Once again he's putting those principles first by walking away from a winning reelection campaign to do what's best for the country to help stop the election of Hillary Clinton and the continuation of Barack Obama's corrupt policies. A Trump-Pence ticket could be just what Trump needs to unite the party and win."

The enthusiasm for Pence extends to those who are most concerned with social issues. "Mr. Trump's selection of Gov. Mike Pence as his Vice President is an affirmation of the pro-life commitments he has made and will rally the pro-life grassroots," said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List.

"Gov. Pence is a proven pro-life champion both during his time in Congress and as Governor of Indiana. It was Mike Pence who led the effort to defund Planned Parenthood in Congress, and it was Gov. Pence who signed into law a historic bill protecting unborn children from lethal discrimination in the womb. Mike Pence is a pro-life trailblazer and Mr. Trump could not have made a better choice," she continued in a statement issued by her organization.