5 Things to Watch on the Third Day of the Republican National Convention

CLEVELAND, Ohio— -- We’re halfway through the Republican National Convention and heading into the last two nights with some of the biggest names.

The convention activity doesn’t start until 7:00 p.m., and the convention organizers have packed some big political names into their prime time programming.

Here are five storylines to be aware of today:

Pence’s Time to Shine

When Donald Trump announced Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate on the Saturday before the convention, he arguably stole the spotlight with a long introduction before leaving the stage for Pence’s speech.

This evening Pence will be the one in the spotlight, with the most coveted speaking slot on the second-to-last night of the convention.

It will be a chance for Pence to show how he will connect with Trump and how they will bridge some of the policy gaps between them.

The Ones With Nasty Nicknames Return

During the primaries, Trump regularly dissed “Lil’” Marco Rubio and “Lyin’” Ted Cruz, but tonight they’ll both be onstage, where they will presumably praise their former foe.

Neither Rubio nor Cruz has endorsed Trump yet, but that clearly hasn’t stopped either of them from accepting a speaking slot.

They aren’t the only former candidates from this year’s race who will be at the convention. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who made an appearance on Tuesday during the state roll call, will also be taking the stage.

Playing Favorites on the VP Shortlist

Trump made a big public display during his vice presidential search of how he was essentially auditioning his top three picks, and while he ended up going with Pence, he’s clearly keeping Newt Gingrich close to his heart.

While the other final contender, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, spoke yesterday, convention organizers gave the former speaker of the House and his wife, Callista Gingrich, the slot before Pence tonight.

Seeing How Protests Progress

The at times violent protests during the primaries as well as the recent targeted shootings of police officers ramped up the concerns about safety at the RNC.

There have been regular protests throughout the first two days of the convention, but they have been largely peaceful, and there were fewer than a half dozen arrests from Sunday through Tuesday evening.

Thousands of law enforcement officers from different jurisdictions were sent to Cleveland, and they have been seen en masse throughout. There have been minimal altercations, but the crowds have grown as the days passed.

Never-Trump Is No More. What Now?

It’s over for the never-Trump movement: Trump has won the nomination, and there’s nothing else to do, except maybe try to be disruptive.

While there was a bit of action during the rules vote on Monday, the roll call vote went relatively smoothly on Tuesday, and Trump has clinched the party’s nomination.

There was speculation before the announcement of Pence as Trump’s running mate that those involved in the stop-Trump movement would try to force a change over the vice presidential nominee, but that too passed when Pence was nominated by acclamation.

That faction has not signaled whether its members are resigned to Trump’s nomination or if there’s a new avenue of action they will pursue.