Former Vice President Mike Pence announces his aspiration for the US Presidency.

(Trends Wide) — Former US Vice President Mike Pence announced Wednesday that he will run for president, setting up a battle for the Republican nomination with his former boss, Donald Trump.

In an introductory video released ahead of his campaign start later in Iowa, Pence cast himself as a Reagan Republican seeking to return America to conservative principles.

“It would be easy to be left out. But I didn’t grow up like that,” he says in the video. “That is why today, before God and my family, I announce that I am running for President of the United States.”

Pence’s presidential run puts him in a unique position, as he becomes the first vice president in modern history to challenge his former boss, the current favorite for the 2024 Republican Party nomination. Although he was a loyal second-in-command to Trump, Pence broke with him by refusing to overturn the 2020 election results and presiding over Congressional certification of Joe Biden’s victory on January 6, 2021.

Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks to guests at the Republican Jewish Coalition Annual Leadership Meeting on November 18, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Pence argues in the video — which does not mention Trump or images of the former president — that “different times call for different leadership” and that the nation needs a leader “who appeals, as Lincoln said, to the better angels of our nature”.

“We can take this country back. We can defend our nation and secure our border. We can jump-start our economy, put our nation back on the path to a balanced budget, defend our freedoms, and give America a fresh start for life.” says Pence.

After presenting his presidential aspiration to the Federal Election Commission on Monday, Pence will officially launch his campaign in the state of Iowa, which his team considers vital to ensure the nomination. This Wednesday night she will participate in a Trends Wide forum in that state.

Pence — who has polled in the low singles — joins a growing field of Republican candidates, which until now has been dominated by Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, a former UN ambassador, is the other former member of the Trump administration running against him. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a longtime Trump ally who helped him prepare for the 2020 debates, announced his candidacy Tuesday with a sharp anti-Trump message.

An evangelical Christian, Pence was chosen as Trump’s running mate in the 2016 election in hopes of bolstering his position among Christian conservatives. Although vice president is his best-known title, Pence is trying to reintroduce himself to voters as a conservative who served as Indiana governor and congressman before pinning his race to Trump.

In his speeches, Pence has advocated for fiscal responsibility, including calling for welfare reforms, a revamp of American power, support for Ukraine against Russia’s unprovoked invasion, abortion restrictions, and a return to conservative social principles.

Pence plans to campaign heavily in Iowa, across all 99 counties, as his team sees a way to clinch the nomination by winning over the state’s conservative evangelical voters who have distanced themselves from Trump. At the end of the week, Pence will head to New Hampshire, where the first Republican Party primaries in the country are being held.

“Evangelicals are very open in Iowa, and beyond Iowa, in finding the candidate they want to support,” Bob Vander Plaats, the influential chairman of the conservative Iowa group The Family Leader, told Trends Wide in a recent interview. .

Vander Plaats, who has yet to endorse the primary but has known Pence personally for years, said Iowans have received Pence “exceptionally well” during his visits to the state before his formal announcement.

However, by breaking with Trump, Pence may have alienated some of Trump’s most loyal supporters. The former vice president has publicly criticized Trump for his claim that Pence had the authority to overturn the results of the 2020 election, but has not targeted Trump’s character and has repeatedly said that he is proud of the administration’s record. of the.

And while some Trump supporters have scorned Pence, other Republicans have applauded Pence for his actions on January 6.

“I think every candidate is going to have their hill to climb or their hurdle to cross. And that’s probably going to be Mike Pence’s,” Vander Plaats said, when asked if Pence’s position among angry GOP voters for his actions on January 6 would complicate his path to the nomination.

— Trends Wide’s Kyung Lah contributed to this report.

(Trends Wide) — Former US Vice President Mike Pence announced Wednesday that he will run for president, setting up a battle for the Republican nomination with his former boss, Donald Trump.

In an introductory video released ahead of his campaign start later in Iowa, Pence cast himself as a Reagan Republican seeking to return America to conservative principles.

“It would be easy to be left out. But I didn’t grow up like that,” he says in the video. “That is why today, before God and my family, I announce that I am running for President of the United States.”

Pence’s presidential run puts him in a unique position, as he becomes the first vice president in modern history to challenge his former boss, the current favorite for the 2024 Republican Party nomination. Although he was a loyal second-in-command to Trump, Pence broke with him by refusing to overturn the 2020 election results and presiding over Congressional certification of Joe Biden’s victory on January 6, 2021.

Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks to guests at the Republican Jewish Coalition Annual Leadership Meeting on November 18, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Pence argues in the video — which does not mention Trump or images of the former president — that “different times call for different leadership” and that the nation needs a leader “who appeals, as Lincoln said, to the better angels of our nature”.

“We can take this country back. We can defend our nation and secure our border. We can jump-start our economy, put our nation back on the path to a balanced budget, defend our freedoms, and give America a fresh start for life.” says Pence.

After presenting his presidential aspiration to the Federal Election Commission on Monday, Pence will officially launch his campaign in the state of Iowa, which his team considers vital to ensure the nomination. This Wednesday night she will participate in a Trends Wide forum in that state.

Pence — who has polled in the low singles — joins a growing field of Republican candidates, which until now has been dominated by Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, a former UN ambassador, is the other former member of the Trump administration running against him. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a longtime Trump ally who helped him prepare for the 2020 debates, announced his candidacy Tuesday with a sharp anti-Trump message.

An evangelical Christian, Pence was chosen as Trump’s running mate in the 2016 election in hopes of bolstering his position among Christian conservatives. Although vice president is his best-known title, Pence is trying to reintroduce himself to voters as a conservative who served as Indiana governor and congressman before pinning his race to Trump.

In his speeches, Pence has advocated for fiscal responsibility, including calling for welfare reforms, a revamp of American power, support for Ukraine against Russia’s unprovoked invasion, abortion restrictions, and a return to conservative social principles.

Pence plans to campaign heavily in Iowa, across all 99 counties, as his team sees a way to clinch the nomination by winning over the state’s conservative evangelical voters who have distanced themselves from Trump. At the end of the week, Pence will head to New Hampshire, where the first Republican Party primaries in the country are being held.

“Evangelicals are very open in Iowa, and beyond Iowa, in finding the candidate they want to support,” Bob Vander Plaats, the influential chairman of the conservative Iowa group The Family Leader, told Trends Wide in a recent interview. .

Vander Plaats, who has yet to endorse the primary but has known Pence personally for years, said Iowans have received Pence “exceptionally well” during his visits to the state before his formal announcement.

However, by breaking with Trump, Pence may have alienated some of Trump’s most loyal supporters. The former vice president has publicly criticized Trump for his claim that Pence had the authority to overturn the results of the 2020 election, but has not targeted Trump’s character and has repeatedly said that he is proud of the administration’s record. of the.

And while some Trump supporters have scorned Pence, other Republicans have applauded Pence for his actions on January 6.

“I think every candidate is going to have their hill to climb or their hurdle to cross. And that’s probably going to be Mike Pence’s,” Vander Plaats said, when asked if Pence’s position among angry GOP voters for his actions on January 6 would complicate his path to the nomination.

— Trends Wide’s Kyung Lah contributed to this report.