US Politics: Mike Pence could run against Donald Trump in Republican primaries
In an interview former Vice President Mike Pence signaled that he may make a run for the White House in 2024, even if Donald Trump seeks his old post again.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, who has been trying to distance himself from his former boss while still touting the Trump administration’s record, put himself into direct confrontation with the former president on Monday as he lays the foundation to be the GOP presidential candidate in 2024. In an interview with the New York Times last month, he made clear that he would throw his hat in the ring regardless if Number 45 seeks to get back into the White House too saying, “We’ll go where we’re called.”
The face-off between Pence and Trump is taking place in the Georgia Republican party primary race for governor, with the former VP backing incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp and public enemy No. 1 for Trump for not going along with the former president’s and his lackeys’ election lies. Trump for his part is backing former Senator David Perdue who lost re-election the day before the former president riled up a mob that marched over to the Capitol building which they proceeded to break into and threatened to hang Pence.
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War between Pence and Trump heats up
The events of 6 January 2021 unsurprisingly put a damper on the relationship between the two running mates in 2016. Since then, the former vice president has been trying to put distance between himself and the man perceived to be the Republican frontrunner for the White House should he formally announce his intention to reclaim the presidency.
Pence has contradicted the former president’s assertion that as vice president he had the power to throw out electoral votes from states that President Biden won on account of election fraud accusations calling it “wrong.” He also criticized Trump for his accolades of Vladimir Putin after Russia illegally invaded Ukraine saying there is no room for “apologists for Putin” in the GOP party.
But by stumping with Gov. Kemp he making his most provocative move against the former president. The New York Times reports Trump was quick to attack his old Number Two. “Mike Pence was set to lose a governor’s race in 2016 before he was plucked up and his political career was salvaged,” said a Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich. “Now, desperate to chase his lost relevance, Pence is parachuting into races, hoping someone is paying attention.”
Kemp is a safe horse for Pence to back
Trump’s spokesman also played up the former president’s track record so far this primary season saying he “is already 82-3 with his endorsements.” However, his backing of Perdue may not be enough in this race. Kemp’s led over his closest GOP challenger has nearly tripled to 32 percent since March according to a recent Fox News poll.
With such a margin, the incumbent doesn’t need the backing of Pence but it makes for a good photo-op for the former VP at the same time could boost his presidential aspirations. Although Trump’s horse is a long-shot, it’s expected that there won’t be any need for a runoff race between Kemp and Perdue, Pence’s move may put him directly in the crosshairs of the former president’s notorious verbal abuse and degradation.
Pence told the New York Times that he and his wife would pray on the matter of his running for president, “That’s the way Karen and I have always approached these things.” He’s come out fairly unscathed in his previous rebukes of Trump. He’ll be praying that his luck will hold.