Mike Pence is officially running for president: The former vice president has officially filed papers to run for president, becoming the latest in a crowded field seeking the Republican nomination
Here Comes Mike Pence
Following reports last week, former Vice President Mike Pence made it official this week: He’s running for president.
According to The Hill, Pence filed the official papers Monday, and will officially launch his campaign with an event in Iowa Wednesday. Pence will also be backed by a Super PAC, called Committed to America. The Iowa event will include a CNN town hall.
Pence will have his work cut out for him.
According to the Morning Consult Tracking Poll, the former Vice President is in a distant third place in the Republican primary contest with 5 percent. That’s far behind Donald Trump (56 percent) and Ron DeSantis (22 percent).
The former vice president, who also served as a member of Congress and governor of Indiana prior to his four years in the White House, will be running in the social conservative lane, while also aiming to finish well in Iowa, where such candidates as Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee have done well in the past.
But running in the election also means that he will be facing off against Trump, the man he served as president, as well as the man who he testified about in the federal probe into January 6, and the man who left him for dead during the January 6 Capitol riot.
After Pence, as vice president, refused to set aside the electoral votes from states Trump falsely believed he had won, the mob at the Capitol chanted “hang Mike Pence.”
Mike Pence vs. Donald Trump
The presidential race, therefore, may feature the two men with that unique history on a debate stage together. But that is likely to discourage those who have backed Trump in the past from switching to Pence.
The report added that Trump and Pence have not spoken in about two years.
Per The Hill, Pence is seeking to differentiate himself from the Republican field in a few key ways. He plans to talk more about abortion than most of the other candidates appear willing to do, he favors reform of Social Security and Medicare, and he is strongly in favor of continuing U.S. support for Ukraine.
At the same time, Trump and DeSantis have made noises about wanting to end the war, possibly on terms closer to what Russia wants. Another Republican candidate, Vivek Ramaswamy, called in an interview this weekend for Ukraine to make “major concessions” to Russia.
The Democratic Party reacted to the announcement that Pence is running.
“Pence pushed an extreme agenda in Congress and the Indiana statehouse before becoming Donald Trump’s MAGA wingman for four years and then campaigning for election deniers last year,” Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison said in a statement to the Hill. “Now he’s promising to take the Trump-Pence agenda even further, leading the charge for a national abortion ban, cutting Medicare, and ending Social Security as we know it.”
The few days before his announcement were newsworthy for Pence. Last week, it was made official that Pence will not face any criminal charges related to the classified documents that were found in his possession. Pence had come forward months ago and admitted that a search of his Indiana home had found some such materials. Both Trump and President Biden are facing similar investigations involving their handling of classified documents.
“The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department’s National Security Division have conducted an investigation into the potential mishandling of classified information,” the Justice Department wrote to Pence’s attorney according to CNN. “Based on the results of that investigation, no criminal charges will be sought.”
The former vice president also waded into the debate over Pride Night at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, which included the participation of a group called the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, which Pence denounced as “a hateful group that blatantly mocks Catholicism.”
Expertise and Experience
Stephen Silver is a Senior Editor for 19FortyFive. He is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver.
