Mike Pence officially enters the race for the Republican nomination in the US presidential elections
Former US Vice President Mike Pence submitted his candidacy to the White House on Monday, according to documents released by the Federal Election Commission, and then he will have to challenge his former partner Donald Trump in the 2024 Republican primary.
Pence, a conservative and staunch opponent of abortion, will formalize his entry into the contest Wednesday, the day of his 64th birthday, at a meet in Iowa.
Pence joins a list of ten Republican candidates, all of whom are currently far from the former president in opinion polls.
After years of unwavering loyalty, he changed sides after the attack on the Capitol, which shook American democracy on January 6, 2021.
On that day, Pence, in his capacity as Vice President, presided over the congressional session during which the deputies had to certify Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential elections.
Although his role was purely protocol, Donald Trump asked him to refuse to certify Biden’s election.
The former Indiana governor refused this request, and Trump supporters turned him back on him.
That is why, when storming the Capitol, some called for the “hanging” of Mike Pence, who was hastily forced into hiding.
From that point on, it was considered that the president’s statements “were not responsible” and “endangered his life
The estrangement between the two men undermines the chances of Mike Pence, whom many pro-Donald Trump activists still consider a “traitor”.
Pence received 3.8 percent of the vote’s intentions, away from the former president (53.2 percent), according to the average of recent polls conducted by RealClearPolitics.
He is also ahead of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (22.4%), who is also betting on a very conservative speech but with a more offensive tone, as well as former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley (4.4%)
