Former Vice President Mike Pence is still not ruling out a run for the presidency in the upcoming 2024 election, despite his public break with Donald Trump over whether certify Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.
Mr Pence, who was serving as Indiana’s governor when Mr Trump chose him as his running-mate six years ago, has sought to distance himself from the twice-impeached ex-president with a series of public appearances in which he has called Mr Trump’s push to overturn the 2020 election “wrong” and slammed those who would blame “both sides” for the 2017 racist riot in Charlottesville, Virginia.
In an interview with The New York Times last month, Mr Pence said he and his wife, Karen, would “go where we’re called” when asked whether he’d decline to mount a White House run if Mr Trump declares himself a candidate, and instead told the Times he and Ms Pence “have always approached these things” by acting on prayer.
While Mr Trump remains the de facto leader of the GOP, in part because he continues to endorse candidates who parrot his lies about having been the victim of a stolen election two years ago, Mr Pence said he has been “very moved” by how many people have “made a point” to thank him for resisting Mr Trump’s demand that he unilaterally reject swing state electoral votes in an attempt to keep himself and the ex-president in office against the wishes of American voters.
He said the expressions of gratitude have been “very humbling” to him.
Mr Pence has also not toed Mr Trump’s line when it comes to making endorsements.
On Monday, he is set to campaign for Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, another Republican who drew Mr Trump ire for not attempting to unlawfully block certification of his loss to Mr Biden.
Even after a year and a half of relentless attacks from Mr Trump, who has called him “the worst governor” on the matter of “election integrity” — the Trumpworld code-word for being willing to help the ex-president cheat — Mr Kemp currently has a commanding lead against his Trump-endorsed challenge, former senator David Purdue.
