GOP vice-presidential candidate Mike Pence made a campaign stop in Winston-Salem Tuesday, hoping to court some swing-state voters.
For the most part, Pence was calm and measured when speaking about his political experience in Indiana and his fiery running-mate, Donald Trump.
He saved his strongest emotions for bashing Trump's opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton. He attacked her repeatedly over long-running controversies including the attack on the Benghazi compound and her use of a private email server while Secretary of State. It was enough to whip the crowd of supporters into the now-familiar rally refrain of “Lock her up.”
"You know the American people are tired - we're tired of the pay-to-play politics in Washington D.C., and that's exactly the kind of politics that will come to a crashing halt the day Donald Trump becomes the 45th President of the United States," he said.
Pence spoke before a less-than-capacity crowd at the Millennium Center downtown. Ted Budd, Republican candidate for the 13th District, introduced him.
Pence referred to Trump as the “Dealmaker-in-Chief,” echoing a theme of strong trade negotiations that Trump raised during a speech here last month.
North Carolina is considered a vital swing state in the November election.