Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz is planning a "major announcement" Wednesday afternoon amid speculation that he is zeroing in on a running mate.
Campaigning Wednesday morning in Indianapolis, Cruz told reporters he would make the announcement at a rally in the city at 4 p.m. Eastern time. Earlier this week, Cruz's campaign announced that it had come up with a short list of potential candidates for vice president and that it is vetting rival-turned-supporter Carly Fiorina. Cruz has been courting Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, but Pence's office said later Wednesday morning that the governor is not scheduled to attend Wednesday afternoon's rally.
Cruz declined to say whether he planned to name a running mate at the rally, but he reiterated his criteria for such a selection.
"As I have said from the beginning, the most important attribute for any running mate is that he or she should be able to step in and fulfill the role as president, be the commander in chief, keep this country safe, and champion jobs, freedom and security," Cruz said.
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The announcement comes a day afterCruz suffered a series of crushing defeats to frontrunner Donald Trump in five northeastern primaries. Declaring himself the presumptive nominee Tuesday night, Trump said Cruz would be "wasting his time" by naming a running mate.
Cruz, who has not ruled out naming a VP pick before Tuesday's Indiana primary, vowed to soldier on Wednesday morning. And he's staking his hopes largely on Indiana.
"Last night was Donald Trump's night," Cruz told reporters, "and today is Indiana's day."
