Here is an additional candidate for the Republican primary against Donald Trump. And not just anyone: former Vice President Mike Pence filed his candidacy for the White House on Monday, June 5, according to documents published by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and will therefore challenge his ex-partner for the November 2024 election.
On Wednesday June 7, the day of his 64th birthday, the curator will publish a video to formalize his entry into the running. He will also participate in a meeting in the city of Des Moines in Iowa and will end the day on a set of the CNN channel.
Evangelical Christian, fierce opponent of abortion, Mike Pence had helped Donald Trump to conquer the religious right by being his running mate during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Rupture after the assault on the Capitol
After years of unwavering loyalty, his tone changed with the assault on the Capitol that rocked American democracy on January 6, 2021. On that day, Mike Pence led, as vice president, the session in Congress, during which elected officials were to certify Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election. Although he only had a ceremonial role, Donald Trump had insisted that he refuse to validate the election of the democrat.
The former governor of Indiana did not comply, which earned him strong enmity among the billionaire’s supporters. Forced into the Capitol, some called for the “hanging” of Mike Pence, who had to hastily go into hiding. He has since ruled that the president’s words were “irresponsible” and “endangered” him. He also believed that history would hold Donald Trump “responsible” for this attack.
The split between the two men jeopardizes the chances of Mike Pence, whom many activists loyal to Donald Trump continue to consider a “traitor”.
The man with the wise white wick peaks around 3.8% of voting intentions, far behind the former president (53.2%), according to the average of the latest polls carried out by the RealClearPolitics site.
Plethora of Republican candidates
He is also outdistanced by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (22.4%), who is also betting on a very conservative speech but in a more offensive tone, as well as a hair by the former UN ambassador Nikki Haley (4.4%).
Mike Pence has been preparing his candidacy for months. After releasing a book titled So help me God (“May God help me”, untranslated), the former radio host crisscrossed the country, multiplying the speeches in states likely to make a difference during the Republican primaries. Two weeks ago, his allies launched a “Committed to America” ??campaign exploratory committee to support him and raise funds.
Another Republican figure, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, 60, is also expected to race for the Republican nomination. He too was close to Donald Trump before cutting ties after the attack on the Capitol. North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, 66, also plans to launch his campaign on June 7.
They join a growing field of candidates that also includes the only African-American Republican senator Tim Scott, ex-Governor of Arkansas Asa Hutchinson and business leader Vivek Ramaswamy which could help disperse votes and, ultimately, Donald Trump. The winner of the Republican primary will likely face President Biden, 80, on November 5, 2024, who plans to run for a second term.
