Since leaving the office alongside Donald Trump once Biden and Harris made their way in, Mike Pence has essentially fallen off the grid. Most of the GOP assumed he had no desire in American politics anymore.
Pence has made very few appearances. He’s endorsed even fewer candidates for upcoming elections.
As a former Vice President, Pence has insider information that can help him to become a successful president. Just look at how many presidents we’ve had across history who started as VP.
Now, it seems that Mike Pence may be realizing that he’s a valuable member of the GOP – and he’s ready to make a comeback.
Mike Pence was the faithful sidekick to Donald Trump for four years. Then, just last year, he was boo-ed at a Faith and Freedom Coalition conference in Florida, being identified as a “traitor.” And all of this was because he refused to overturn the election results.
Pence is, now, being extremely careful and calculated with his return. He’s using a number of split screens to show how he and Trump have similar and different opinions on a number of key issues.
Especially with the Supreme Court’s draft opinion on Roe v. Wade and the possibility of it being overturned, Pence is using this time as a way to develop his GOP base once more. He’s choosing what ways he wants to contrast with Trump.
Pence has always been so much more than a sidekick to Trump – and his new campaigns are showing this off. He has been an anti-abortion advocate for over 10 years – and he’s also called for a more muscular response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine than Biden has managed to do.
Pence is also taking Georgia Governor Brian Kemp’s side – a direct opposite to Trump. In the last gubernatorial race, Trump backed Kemp’s competition, David Perdue.
The former VP also has chosen not to be quiet on some of the issues having to do with culture, including Disney – who he’s been attacking since 1999 when he released an op-ed that criticized Mulan when it hit theaters.
The president and CEO of The Family Leader, a conservative Christian parent organization, Bob Vander Plaats, explained, “As we get into the sanctity of life issue and the potential of having Roe v. Wade overturned, he has been a champion of life. It’s definitely in his comfort zone.”
Vander Plaats went as far as saying that if the issue continues to be divisive, it could be one of the defining issues of the 2024 presidential election – and one that Pence may very well be able to campaign on.
It’s not surprising that Mike Pence would want to run in the GOP presidential primaries considering that it would be his first opportunity since becoming VP. It’s also not at all surprising that he’s choosing to build his audience now.
Republican strategist Alex Conant pointed out that, “Pence is doing everything he can to position himself if there’s an opening in 2024.”
If he were to stay silent too long, people would forget about him. They’d forget where he stood on major issues – and they’d hear from too many others who could end up in the 2024 primaries alongside Pence.
We’re not sure what Trump is going to do about the 2024 elections yet – and many Americans aren’t sure if they want to invite that kind of drama into their lives again.
Pence offers the alternative while still being able to say that they’re focused on MAGA. It could be an interesting turn of events if Pence can make the full comeback that he has planned.
