Former Vice President Mike Pence announced his final intention to contest the upcoming presidential election on Wednesday, nearly two days after filing paperwork for a presidential campaign. The latest announcement posed a challenge to his former boss, Donald Trump, just two years after his time in the White House saw a mutiny at the US Capitol and Pence flee for his life.
Trump still leading the race
While Trump is currently leading the early battle for the nomination, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis polling a consistent second place, Pence supporters see a lane for a reliable conservative who supports many of the previous administration’s policies. But without the constant commotion. While he often lauds the achievements of the “Trump-Pence administration”, in many ways a Pence nomination would be a return to positions long associated with the Republican establishment but with Trump reshaping the party in his own image. Pence has warned against a rising populist tide in the party, and advisers see him as the only traditional, Reagan-style conservative in the race.
A staunch opponent of abortion rights, Pence supports a national ban on the procedure and has campaigned against transgender-affirmation policies in schools. He has argued that changes to Social Security and Medicare, such as raising the age for eligibility, should be on the table to keep the programs solvent – which both Trump and DeSantis have opposed – and DeSantis to account for his escalating feud with Disney. criticized. He has also said that the US should provide more support to Ukraine against Russian aggression, rebuking “Putin apologists” in the party who are reluctant to stand up against Russia’s leader.
Who is Mike Pence?
Pence, who describes himself as “a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order,” has spent months laying the groundwork for an expected run, winning early-voting states such as Iowa, South Carolina and New Hampshire. Have visited churches in the States. , delivering policy speeches and saluting donors. Pence’s team sees Iowa and its evangelical Christian voters as key to their potential path to victory. Advisers say he plans to campaign aggressively in the state, hitting every one of its 99 counties ahead of the first caucuses in the country next year.
The campaign is expected to go heavy on town halls and retail stops, with the aim of reintroducing Pence to voters who only know him as Trump’s second-in-command. Pence served in Congress and as Indiana’s governor for more than a decade before being tapped as Trump’s running mate in 2016. As vice president, Pence had been a fiercely loyal guard of Trump until January 6, 2021. Trump tried to falsely convince Pence and his supporters that Pence had the power to unilaterally overturn the results of the 2020 election.
(with inputs from agencies)
ALSO READ: Ron DeSantis announces White House bid against Trump amid Twitter glitch