Mike Pence through the years

In the most important speech of his political life, Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence introduced himself to voters late Wednesday as a man holding to impeccable conservative credentials, risen from modest all-American roots, married three decades to the love of his life, and possessing a sense of humor about himself. In other words, Donald Trump's most important advocate cast himself as the anti-Trump.

After days of Republican calls to toss Hillary Clinton in prison, or maybe shoot her dead, of entertainers who addressed delegates from the podium in the Quicken Loans Arena and declared minutes later, with absurd certainty, that President Obama is secretly a Muslim, Pence's speech was perhaps most remarkable for how fundamentally conventional it was. Its down-to-earth qualities were thrown into relief after the night's most theatrical moment ? a surprise entrance by Trump during the speech by Sen. Ted Cruz, upon which the entire crowd literally turned its back on the Texas lawmaker, moments after furiously jeering at his refusal to endorse the nominee.

"I'm a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order," Pence said, using a refrain he has repeated throughout decades of life in politics.

The Indiana governor, officially picked as Trump's running mate on Friday, jokingly but deliberately cast himself as the brash entrepreneur's boring policy sidekick.

"He's a man known for a larger personality, a colorful style and lots of charisma," Pence said. "And so, I guess he was just looking for some balance on the ticket."

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