Mike Pence is signaling that he may be planning to go up against his former boss in the GOP’s 2024 presidential primary.
“We’ll go where we’re called” the former Vice President told The New York Times when asked if he would be willing to face off against Trump.
In addition, Pence has been giving speeches in battleground states, another signal that he may be considering a presidential run.
To secure his party’s nomination, Pence will have an uphill battle. He currently trails both former President Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in polling. In nearly every poll where Trump is included, Trump dominates the field, usually by double digits. One exception to that was a Wisconsin GOP convention where DeSantis led Trump 38 to 32%, and Pence came in a distant third, failing to reach 5%.
Outside of that poll, Trump has consistently led the field with DeSantis dominating in polls where Trump is not included. DeSantis has not commented on the possibility of him running in 2024, saying he is focused on governing Florida where he is in a public fight with Disney over the state’s “don’t say gay” law.
Still, there are some encouraging signs for Pence as he considers a run. Pence backed Georgia incumbent governor Brian Kemp over his primary opponent David Perdue who was backed by Trump. Kemp drew the ire of Trump after refusing to overturn Georgia’s election results.
Despite Trump’s endorsement of Perdue, Kemp leads Perdue by double digits in recent polls. If he secures at least 50% of the vote he will be able to avoid a run-off with Perdue and secure the nomination Tuesday. If it does go to a runoff that will give Trump and Pence more time to campaign for their respective candidates and could go a long way to showing how influential each man is with Republican voters.
If Kemp wins, Trump will undoubtedly still be influential in the Republican party but it will show that Pence may have more sway than recent polling indicates. Speaking to Daily Mail, Trump spokesperson Taylor Budowich took the opportunity to tout his boss’s record on endorsements while taking a swipe at the former Vice President.
“Desperate to chase his lost relevance, Pence is parachuting into races, hoping someone is paying attention. The reality is, President Trump is already 82-3 with his endorsements, and there’s nothing stopping him from saving America in 2022 and beyond.”
Trump has indicated that he will make a decision on 2024 after this November’s midterm elections. Pence has not said when he will make a decision on if he will run.