Mike Pence breaks with Trump, backs John McCain in primary

After sparking controversy Thursday when he declined to endorse Arizona Sen. John McCain and New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte, Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence will endorse McCain and all other incumbent members of Congress on Thursday night.

A senior Pence advisor Marc Short confirmed to reporters in Norfolk that the governor supported the two Senators in their primaries and will issue a statement later Thursday.

The issue first arose when reporters aboard Pence's campaign plane asked the candidate whether he would endorse McCain and Ayotte--which GOP nominee Donald Trump pointedly refused to do in a Washington Post interview earlier this week.

"I look forward to supporting Republican candidates in the days and weeks ahead all over the country, and so does Donald Trump," Pence replied, not saying whether or not he would back the pair.

"The stakes in this election are so high," Pence continued. "To restore our country and home and abroad, we need new leadership, and I'm looking forward to standing should to shoulder with Donald Trump to drive that new leadership forward."

Former McCain and Kasich campaign aide John Weaver reacted almost immediately on Twitter, labeling Pence's decision "shameful":

Also weighing in was McCain's daughter Meghan who tweeted: "A mere 48 hours ago, Mike Pence had nothing but wonderful things to say about my father in Arizona," linking to an interview that Pence gave a local Phoenix TV station. In that interview, the vice presidential candidate complimented McCain after Trump's attacks saying, "Sen. McCain has provided the kind of leadership throughout his career that has stood up for our military stood up for a strong America."

Pence and McCain, former colleagues in Congress, met in Phoenix Tuesday at Pence's behest during a swing through the state.

McCain's primary opponent Kelli Ward tried to construe Pence's non-endorsement and statement that "we need new leadership" as a message referring to McCain, when in fact Pence was referring to himself and Trump:

Pence's forthcoming statement of support for incumbent GOP politicians is the second break between him and Trump over endorsements this week. On Wednesday, Pence announced that he "strongly" supports House Speaker Paul Ryan's reelection after Trump caused a firestorm by declining to endorse the Wisconsin Republican.

Explaining the split over Ryan, Pence said on Thursday: "Paul Ryan is a very close personal friend he did me the honor of introducing me at the convention and I felt--I felt very strongly about endorsing his reelection."