Carlo Allegri/Reuters
Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence refused on Thursday to endorse John McCain and Kelly Ayotte in their Senate re-election bids. “I look forward to supporting Republican candidates in the days and weeks aead all over the country, and so does Donald Trump. But the stakes in this election are so high,” Pence said when asked directly if he would endorse the vulnerable senators. “To restore our country and home and abroad, we need new leadership, and I’m looking forward to standing shoulder to shoulder with Donald Trump to drive that new leadership forward.” The Republican in-fighting comes as both McCain and Ayotte have come out strongly against Trump’s comments about a gold star family. On endorsing McCain or House Speaker Paul Ryan, Trump said earlier this week that he is “just not quite there yet.”