Donald Trump appears at rally with Mike Pence as VP speculation swirls

Donald Trump's appearance Tuesday night with Mike Pence, a week ahead of the Republican convention, has heightened speculation that the conservative Indiana governor is on the short list to fill out the Trump ticket as vice-presidential nominee.

Pence hit the stage shortly after 8:30 p.m. ET, predicting his Hoosier state would be the first on the board for Trump during the Nov. 8 presidential election. He praised Trump's "no-nonsense" leadership style and said he was just the candidate the U.S. needed after the "failed policies" of President Barack Obama.

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Trump gave no indication from the stage that Pence was the likely pick, offering brief praise before launching into a campaign speech that covered the Hillary Clinton email scandal and the need to support the police in the wake of the killings of five Dallas officers last week.

Pence originally endorsed Ted Cruz for the Republican nomination, but seemed more than ready to accept if asked by Trump to serve as vice-president when talking to reporters earlier Tuesday.

"I think [Trump] is someone who has connected with everyday Americans like no one since Ronald Reagan," said Pence.

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House Speaker Paul Ryan, appearing on CNN Tuesday night in a "town hall" appearance, said Trump should pick a conservative as his vice-presidential nominee "to assure conservatives that conservative principles are adhered to and maintained." Ryan didn't offer a specific suggestion during his appearance.

Pence has made national headlines on a few occasions.

He was rebuked by the courts earlier this year when he tried to stop aid from the federal government for the resettlement of Syrian refugees. Pence said he was opposed to the refugees landing in Indiana due to security concerns.

Last year, Indiana became the 20th state to pass a so-called religious freedoms law that protects the exercise of one's religion from unfair burdens, but which critics arguedcould be used by businesses to deny service to same-sex couples.

Also in 2015, he approved of needle exchange programsto confront skyrocketing HIV rates in some Indiana counties linked to intravenous drug use, although the counties must foot the bill.

Pence first held public office in 2000 when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Prior to that, he was an attorney in private practice. Hewas alsoinvolved with Republican policy think-tanks and hosted a radio show, branding himself "Rush Limbaugh on decaf."

He returned to Indiana to run for governor, defeating John Greggin an October 2012 election.

Pence was raised Catholic and servedas an altar boy, but became an evangelical Christian as an adult.

He has been married since 1985 to his wife, Karen. The couple has three children.

The Republican convention will take place in Cleveland July 18 to21.

Previous Republican vice-presidentialpicks Paul Ryan and Sarah Palin were officially announced on a Friday, likely to gain media exposure heading into the weekend and its influential Sunday morning political shows in the U.S.

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Meanwhile, the Clinton campaign is vetting retired navy admiral James Stavridis as a potential vice-presidential running mate, a source with knowledge of the process confirmed to Reuters on Tuesday.

Clinton's campaign declined to comment on the vetting of Stavridis.

Stavridis and Clinton worked closely together when he was at NATO and she led the U.S. Department of State during Obama's first term.