Pence and Trump: From running mates to rivals for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination

DES MOINES, IOWA – Addressing a assemblage of astir 1,000 Republican activists successful the authorities that leads disconnected the GOP statesmanlike nominating calendar, former Vice President Mike Pence this past play teased a large announcement.

"Come this Wednesday, I’m announcing successful Iowa, Pence said to cheers and applause arsenic helium spoke astatine Sen. Joni Ernst’s Roast and Ride, her yearly motorcycle thrust and barbeque that benefits veterans.

This twelvemonth Ernst’s gathering attracted each of the declared Republican statesmanlike candidates but former President Donald Trump. Pence’s moving mate successful the 2016 and 2020 statesmanlike elections is the commanding front-runner successful the GOP information polls arsenic helium makes his 3rd consecutive White House run.

The erstwhile vice president, who joined Ernst connected her motorcycle ride, was the lone 1 of the 2024 speakers astatine the senator’s lawsuit who’s yet to motorboat a White House campaign, but that volition alteration connected Wednesday erstwhile Pence is expected to state his candidacy astatine an lawsuit conscionable extracurricular of Des Moines, Iowa’s superior city.

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Former Vice President Mike Pence, sporting a motorcycle vest, prepares to thrust successful Sen. Joni Ernst's yearly Roast and Ride, connected June 3, 2023, successful Des Moines, Iowa (Fox News )

Pence volition participate the 2024 contention polling the mid-single digits, acold down Trump and besides importantly trailing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who trails Trump by double-digits but is firmly successful 2nd place, up of the erstwhile vice president and the remainder of the tract of existent and apt candidates.

"Should we participate the contention aboriginal this week I’m precise assured that we’ll person the enactment to beryllium capable to transportation our message, archer our story, which is not conscionable my years arsenic vice president but besides years arsenic politician of a blimpish authorities starring a blimpish agenda, grounds employment, arsenic besides being a blimpish person successful the Congress of the United States, warring against the large spenders successful my ain party," Pence emphasized successful a Fox News interrogation this past weekend.

PENCE EXPECTED TO LAUNCH 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN ON WEDNESDAY

And helium pledged that "we’ll person the resources to archer our communicative and my anticipation is should we participate the contention that by the clip radical are making decision, we won’t conscionable beryllium good known, we’ll beryllium known well. They’ll cognize who the Pences are. They’ll cognize what our values are. Our consciousness of calling and I’m assured we tin bash that."

Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks during U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst's Roast and Ride, Saturday, June 3, 2023, successful Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) ((AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall))

Pence was Indiana politician erstwhile Trump named him his moving mate successful 2016. And for 4 years, Pence served arsenic the loyal vice president to Trump.

But everything changed connected Jan. 6, 2021, arsenic right-wing extremists — including immoderate chanting "hang Mike Pence" — stormed the U.S. Capitol aiming to upend legislature certification of President Biden’s Electoral College triumph that was overseen by Pence.

In the much than 2 years since the extremity of the Trump administration, the erstwhile president and vice president person further drifted apart. And Pence has rebuked his erstwhile boss, calling him retired by sanction portion discussing Trump's assertion that Pence could person overturned the results of the 2020 statesmanlike election.

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Pence has described the deadly onslaught connected the Capitol arsenic "tragic" and that "it dishonored the millions of radical who had supported our origin astir the country." And he’s emphasized that helium did "the close thing" and performed his "duty nether the Constitution." He’s besides noted a fig of times that helium and Trump whitethorn never "see oculus to oculus connected that day."

Hardcore Trump loyalists volition apt ne'er forgive Pence, whom they presumption arsenic a traitor for refusing to cull the 2020 predetermination results.

Former President Donald Trump arrives to conscionable with section Republican leaders astatine the Machine Shed edifice successful Urbandale, Iowa, US, connected Thursday, June 1, 2023. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

And erstwhile asked successful caller months astir Trump’s 3rd White House run, Pence has reiterated that "I deliberation that we’ll person amended choices successful 2024."

And present Pence volition go the archetypal moving mate successful 8 decades to tally against his erstwhile boss, since Vice President John Nance Garner unsuccessfully challenged President Franklin Roosevelt successful the 1940 election.

Pence, successful his stump speeches, touts the Trump-Pence administration’s argumentation successes but contrasts himself with the arguable erstwhile president successful presumption of code and tenor.

"People astir the state privation america to spot america reconstruct a threshold of civility successful our governmental debate," Pence emphasized. "You tin disagree without being disagreeable. People that cognize maine cognize I instrumentality precise beardown stands. I’m blimpish but I’m not successful a atrocious temper astir it."

And helium stressed that "should we participate the fray successful this run successful the days ahead, we’re going to bring those principles but we’re going to bring a committedness to civility that I deliberation the American agelong to see."

Pence isn’t the lone seasoned of the Trump White House who’s challenging the erstwhile president. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who served arsenic ambassador to the United Nations during the Trump administration’s archetypal 2 years, declared her candidacy successful February. But Pence apt faces the trickiest way forward, owed successful portion to his relation successful the onslaught connected the U.S. Capitol.

"There are immoderate unsocial challenges to being Mike Pence having to bash with Jan. 6, having to bash with the information that he’s moving against his aged boss. If you privation different Trump-Pence administration, you’ve got different prime and it’s not Mike Pence," longtime Republican advisor Dave Kochel told Fox News.

Pundits had agelong viewed Pence arsenic a apt 2024 contender, arsenic helium spent the past 2 years crisscrossing the state to run and assistance rise wealth for Republicans moving successful the 2022 elections. Those travels took Pence aggregate times to Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada — the archetypal 4 states to ballot successful the Republican statesmanlike nominating calendar — arsenic helium strengthened relationships successful the aboriginal voting statesmanlike superior and caucus states that usually precede the motorboat of a White House campaign.

Former Vice President Mike Pence signs copies of his autobiography "So Help Me God," astatine a publication signing connected Dec. 12, 2022, successful Bedford, New Hampshire.  (Fox News)

The erstwhile vice president besides spent a mates of months precocious past twelvemonth and aboriginal this twelvemonth making stops nationwide arsenic portion of a publication circuit for his memoir "So Help Me God." The autobiography gives an relationship of his career, including his 4 years serving nether Trump. And down the scenes helium was engaged adding to his halfway squad of long-standing advisers and gathering a squad successful the cardinal aboriginal voting states. And successful caller days a pro-Pence ace PAC launched.

Pence, who’s agelong been a champion for societal conservatives, has been placing overmuch of accent connected Iowa, wherever evangelical voters play an outsized relation successful Republican statesmanlike politics.

He reiterated to Fox News that he’s agelong stood "without apology for the sanctity of beingness and accepted values."

Pence has made astir a dozen trips to Iowa the past 2 years, and his advisers spot a way to the information that relies connected a beardown decorativeness successful the archetypal caucus state. So, it’s nary astonishment that the erstwhile vice president volition motorboat his run successful Iowa, and his advisers accidental he’s prepared to sojourn each 99 of the state’s counties.

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"He’s got a precise acquainted connection to astir Iowa Republicans. It’s a connection that would merchantability beauteous well," Kochel, a seasoned of galore GOP statesmanlike campaigns successful Iowa and nationally, said "On insubstantial helium fits precise good with the benignant of campaigner who has won Iowa successful the past."

But Kochel, pointing to the imaginable hurdles up for Pence, added "it’s not the past. It’s a antithetic clip now."