Staff Writer
The former vice president, who is competing against his ex-boss Donald Trump for the Republican nomination, declared his candidacy for president of the United States in the 2024 presidential election on Wednesday.
The evangelical Christian will join a crowded field that includes Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Trump’s main rival, at a campaign kickoff event the same day in the early voting state of Iowa.
In a campaign video posted online, he declared, “Today, before God and my family, I’m announcing I’m running for president of the United States.”
Pence made his declaration two days after documents submitted to the US Federal Election Commission indicated that he had officially declared for the campaign.
The 64-year-old stated in a tweet that was posted along with the video, “I trust in the American people, and I have faith God is not finished with America yet.
“Together, we can restore this nation, and the greatest days for the United States of America are still to come!”
Pence cultivated his reputation as a fiercely devoted vice president by sticking by Trump during his four scandal-riddled years in office and by bringing the religious right into the fold.
But after refusing the Republican leader’s requests that he annul the 2020 election in his capacity as Senate president, he became an outcast in Trumpworld.
Pence was continually chastised by Trump following Joe Biden’s victory in the election and even heckled at a conservative convention with cries of “traitor!” yet he persisted in praising the businessman in public.
That changed when a mob at the US Capitol began calling for Pence to be hanged in response to Trump’s barrage of baseless accusations of election fraud.
A day after former New Jersey governor Chris Christie entered the race, Pence declared his candidacy.
In addition to Doug Burgum, the chief executive of North Dakota, Nikki Haley, and Asa Hutchinson are also running for governor.
According to polls, Trump is clearly the early front-runner with frequent advantages over DeSantis of over 30 points. None of the other contenders are breaking double digits.
However, a number of criminal investigations into the former president’s personal and professional behavior are ongoing and have already led to numerous felony charges in New York.
