Pence, the nation’s 48th vice president, will formally launch his bid for the Republican nomination with a video and launch event in Des Moines, Iowa, on Wednesday, which is his 64th birthday,
Former US Vice President Mike Pence filed documents Monday declaring his campaign for president in 2024 in defiance of his former boss, Donald Trump, just two years after his time in the White House ended with an insurrection on Capitol Hill and the flight of Pence for his life
Pence, the nation’s 48th vice president, will formally launch his bid for the Republican nomination with a video and launch event in Des Moines, Iowa, on Wednesday, which is his 64th birthday, according to people familiar with his plans. He made his candidacy official Monday with the Federal Election Commission.
While Trump is currently leading the initial fight for the nomination, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis running second in the polls, Pence supporters see a path for a credible conservative who champions many of the previous administration’s policies but without the constant tumult.
While he frequently lauds the accomplishments of the “Trump-Pence administration,” a Pence nomination would in many ways be a return to positions associated with the Republican establishment but abandoned when Trump reshaped the party in his image. Pence has warned against the rising populist wave in the party, and aides see him as the only Reagan-style traditional conservative in the race.
A staunch opponent of abortion rights, Pence supports a national ban on the procedure and has campaigned against policies that affirm transgender people in schools. He has argued that changes to Social Security and Medicare, such as raising the qualifying age, should be on the table to keep the programs solvency, which both Trump and DeSantis have opposed, and criticized DeSantis for his increasing dispute with Disney. He has also said the United States should offer Ukraine more support against Russian aggression, while admonishing “Putin apologists” in the party who are unwilling to take on the Russian leader.
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