TheChat: Has Mike Pence blown his political future by running with Donald Trump?

Good morning.

▪ “An hour.” — the amount of time before running mate Mike Pence gave his big speech at the Republican National Convention last month that aides to Donald Trump read over his address.

The aides made no changes. Meantime, Republicans are fretting about Pence’s political future now that he’s attached himself to Trump, who’s tanked in the polls in recent days.

▪ “After a resounding victory in what, by every measure, was a bruising four-way primary, Eric Greitens is in very strong position heading into the general election campaign.” — Austin Chambers, Greitens campaign manager, in a state-of-the-race memo last weekend.

Chambers is basing his assessment on a new Republican poll that showed a close race for Missouri governor. But Democratic nominee Chris Koster had a strong week, picking up the endorsement of the Missouri Farm Bureau. That marked the first time the Farm Bureau had endorsed a statewide Democrat. What’s more, Koster left the primary with around $11 million in the bank. Presumably, Greitens cleaned out his coffers to win that primary. But Chambers noted in his memo: “No one has laid a glove on Koster yet.”

▪ “We have an opportunity with our nominee, who embodies that outsider movement, against a truly establishment politician.” — Republican Catherine Hanaway, who lost in last week’s GOP primary for Missouri governor, assessing Greitens’ prospects against Koster.

The outsider movement appeared to be a huge factor in Greitens win. The question now is whether it will carry him to the governor’s mansion in November. Trump, another outsider, doesn’t appear to be aiding Greitens’ prospects right now.

▪ “We’re going to be real transparent, absolutely.” — Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Kaine on how a Clinton administration would operate.

Kaine insisted that Clinton has learned from her mistakes in the email caper and would respond with an open government.