COLUMBIA, S.C. - Governor Nikki Haley today issued the following statement regarding the selection of Gov. Mike Pence as the Republican nominee for Vice President of the United States:

\"Mike Pence is a friend, but more than that, he is a strong conservative reformer who has delivered results for the people of Indiana. Washington is broken, but we don\'t have to look any further than leaders like Mike Pence for the solutions to fix it.\"

Donald Trump has chosen Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate, he said Friday on Twitter, a sign that the volatile Republican business mogul hopes to stabilize his campaign for president as he and Democratic rival Hillary Clinton prepare to claim their party nominations over the next two weeks, according to Washington Post.

A longtime champion of conservative and evangelical causes, Pence, 57, was a favorite of GOP leaders who have resisted embracing Trump as their partyâ€™s standard-bearer.

Trump tweeted Friday that he had settled on Pence after a day of frenzied speculation centering on the governor. Trump was to have named his pick Friday but postponed his announcement after the terrorist attack in Nice, France.

The former congressman, who backed Ted Cruz in the presidential primaries, is well placed to firm up Trumpâ€™s support among Christian conservatives, many of whom also favored the Texas senator over the celebrity businessman from New York.

But Pence differs with Trump on key issues. In December, he called Trumpâ€™s proposed ban on Muslims entering the U.S. â€œoffensive and unconstitutional,â€ a stand that will draw attention in the aftermath of the terrorist truck attack Thursday night in southern France.

Pence is also a longtime champion of the free trade agreements that Trump denounces as a threat to American jobs.

The low-key Indiana governor is a relatively low-risk choice for Trump, whose free-wheeling bombast often creates political trouble for the celebrity businessman. Another top contender for the GOP ticket was former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who stirred up fresh controversy Thursday night by saying all Muslims in the United States should be tested and then deported if they support Sharia law- according to the Post.

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley welcomes vice presidential candidate Mike Pence