Pence announces his candidacy for US President, Republican Party | Betrayer | United States

"Trump's capable generals," "principled conservatives," and "Republican traitors," these are all labels on former Vice President Pence of the United States.

On June 7th local time, on his 64th birthday, Pence added another label to himself - a Republican candidate for the 2024 US presidential election.

On that day, he announced in a video that he would officially participate in the 2024 US presidential election and said, "Different eras require different leaders... We can put this country back on track. We can revive the economy, put the country back on the path of balanced budgeting, defend freedom, and give everyone's lives a new start."

As a former "second in command" of the White House, what does it mean for Pence to launch a campaign challenge against former boss Trump? Can he break free from the positioning of a "second line candidate"? How will he stir up the situation in the next US presidential election if he joins the election?

The mystery behind the official announcement location

In 1959, Pence was born in Indiana. His conservative political career began as a political talk show host. Afterwards, Pence gradually entered politics and served in the House of Representatives for over a decade.

In 2013, Pence became the governor of Indiana and served in this position for four years. During his tenure, he passed the largest tax reduction bill in the history of the state and signed bills restricting abortion and protecting religious freedom. Pence claimed to be a "principled conservative" and was also praised by the media as "one of the most conservative vice presidents of the past 40 years.".

However, this time, this "conservative" did not choose to run in his hometown or constituency, but officially announced his candidacy in Iowa, starting the prelude.

This seemingly abnormal choice has actually been carefully considered.

According to foreign media analysis, firstly, although Iowa is a small state in terms of area and population, it has long been the first state in the United States to hold a grassroots party meeting in an election year, and its role is crucial. NBC claims that Pence sees his Midwest partners in Iowa as political supporters, which will put him in a favorable position.

Secondly, Pence is considered to be good at mobilizing popularity face-to-face but not good at online interaction, while Iowa voters are generally conservative and prefer "real person interaction" and are not accustomed to online vote solicitation.

Thirdly, Iowa has a large number of conservative evangelical voters, and Pence himself is an evangelical Christian, naturally hoping to take the lead in the presidential nomination vote within the Republican Party.

"There's a feeling of home here," Pence said in a recent interview.

"I think it resonates with everyone. People will want to know how he solves problems and his political philosophy. This is not superficial politics," said Todd Houston, Speaker of the Republican House of Representatives in Indiana.

From a "good partner" to a "betrayer"

In 2016, as Trump's running mate, Pence was considered to have made significant contributions in mobilizing key voters, and thus became well-known among the public both domestically and internationally in the United States.

Afterwards, during his four years as Vice President, he consistently displayed a low-key, cautious, and loyal public image of assisting Trump.

But later, he refused to support Trump's overthrow of the 2020 presidential election results, which caused Trump's dissatisfaction, and their relationship gradually became distant.

According to The Washington Post, on January 6, 2021, supporters of Trump violently broke into the Capitol building, trapping Pence inside for 14 minutes. When the rioters began to flood into the Capitol building, Pence, his wife, and daughter were evacuated from the Senate Hall, only about 30 meters away from the rioters at one point.

"Donald Trump was wrong." In mid March 2023, Pence said in a speech, "I have no right to overturn the election results. His reckless remarks endanger my family and everyone in the Capitol that day. I know that history will hold him accountable."

On April 27th, Pence appeared directly in front of a federal grand jury and testified behind closed doors for over 5 hours in a criminal investigation into the Capitol Hill riots against Trump and his supporters.

Pence was labeled as a "Republican traitor" and became the target of Trump supporters. Especially in recent months, when weighing whether to run, Pence has shown a willingness to separate from Trump in terms of policy. He clearly supports the United States' support for Ukraine and believes that the White House and Congress should consider reducing healthcare and social security, which is inconsistent with Trump's position.

However, like Trump, he was embroiled in political turmoil due to the "secret door".

In February 2023, a batch of confidential documents was discovered at Pence's home. He replied that bringing the confidential documents home was a mistake he unintentionally made and was willing to "take full responsibility.". But many American people do not buy it, and public opinion continues to heat up, questioning whether the US government has the ability to manage confidential documents well.

For over a year, Pence has been preparing to take office in the White House. He visited the states where early election voting took place, gave speeches and promoted his autobiography, but unfortunately, he seems to have not yet shaken off his position as a "second line candidate".

According to a June 1st poll by the "Real Clear Politics" website, currently Pence's average approval rating within the Republican Party is less than 4%, while Trump's average approval rating is 53%.

Is it "good news" for Trump?

With Pence's joining, the 2024 US presidential campaign has become increasingly intense.

As of now, the Republican Party in the United States has multiple candidates competing for party nominations, including former US President Trump, Florida Governor De Santis, US Senator Tim Scott, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Governor Hutchinson, former New Jersey Governor Christie, and others.

Trump, who has always led the party in poll approval ratings, is still unbeatable.

The Trump team has carefully crafted an election plan for him, such as constantly emphasizing his political beliefs and deeply binding core voters; Make full use of the scattered state of other candidates to prevent them from forming a joint force to confront Trump.

A person close to the Trump campaign team bluntly stated, "Pence and his team's participation is good news for Trump because they will divert De Santis' votes, not Trump's."

Pence, with a single digit approval rating, faces a difficult campaign path in the Republican Party. Reuters said that his success in running for president will depend on whether he can attract a group of voters who "dislike Trump's words and actions". He will also test the interest of voters in the Republican Party's pro establishment camp, as Republican voters are increasingly inclined to choose outsiders.

Redefining himself to Republican voters is a challenge for Pence, as their impression of him primarily remains that of Trump's vice president.

"People know Pence, but they don't know him very well. This election will reintroduce himself to this country," The New York Times wrote.