CNN
—
Former Vice President Mike Pence will launch his 2024 presidential campaign on June 7 with a video announcement and speech in Iowa, two sources familiar with the plans tell CNN.
The announcement, first reported by NBC News, will be made before a CNN town hall with Pence later that evening at Grand View University in Des Moines.
Pence’s presidential bid will pit him against his former boss and running mate, former President Donald Trump, who is seeking a second term and is currently the front-runner.
His announcement in Iowa, rather than his home state of Indiana, indicates the level of importance he is giving the still-first-caucus state in the GOP nominating process.
Pence allies said earlier this month that the super PAC launched in support of his candidacy, Committed to America, would organize in all 99 Iowa counties. Sources said at the time that they expected Pence to spend more time in the Hawk’s Eye state in the coming months.
Before being tapped to be Trump’s vice president in the 2016 election, Pence was the governor of Indiana and a former U.S. congressman, including as chairman of the House Republican Conference.
Pence, in recent months, has been on the road promoting his memoir, “So Help Me God,” while trying for a presidential bid. In his speeches and events, he has focused on the need for fiscal responsibility and reforms to entitlement programs, supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia, as well as pushing his anti-abortion stance and fighting against the “radical gender ideology”.
Last week, he told local Iowa TV station KCCI that he had “a clear sense of our calling” on a possible presidential run.
Pence faces a difficult path to the GOP nomination, but his politics align with evangelical Christians, a vital voting bloc for Republicans. He has been polling in the single digits, with Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who jumped into the race last week, leading the field.
Pence and Trump fell out after Trump pressured Pence to block the certification of the 2020 election results, and an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 put Pence and his family in danger.
Pence would join a growing field of Republicans seeking to challenge President Joe Biden, who is running for a second term. Along with Trump and DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, former Gov. Asa Hutchinson and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy are also vying for the GOP nomination.
CNN reported that former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie plans to announce his 2024 bid on Tuesday. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum will also make an announcement next Wednesday in Fargo, in a sign pointing toward a possible Republican presidential bid, a source familiar with the plans told CNN.
This story has been updated with additional reporting.
