Politics

Mike Pence Drops out of 2024 Presidential Race

OCT 29 2023·Updated OCT 30 2023

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Image credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images News via Getty Images

The Facts

Former vice president Mike Pence withdrew from the 2024 Republican Party presidential nomination race on Saturday, stating "this is not my time," to the Republican Jewish Coalition in Las Vegas.
The Wall Street Journal
Pence said he had intended to run for president because he believed the US "is in a lot of trouble," but after "much prayer and deliberation," he had decided to suspend his campaign.
Daily Mail
In withdrawing from the presidential race, Pence called on Americans to choose a leader that will lead the US "with civility and back to those time-honored principles that have always made America strong and prosperous and free."
ap
Pence's run reportedly failed to take off due to a shortage of support and funds. Pence had received 3.8% support in the Republican primary race and raised less than $5M between July and September.
www.ft.com
Pence's campaign recently reported it owed $621K in debt while holding $1.2M in savings. Pence stated that, while he was pulling out of his campaign, he would "never leave the fight for conservative values."
BBC News
Previously, Pence had criticized former Pres. Donald Trump for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol Hill riots, and alleged attempt to overturn the 2020 election results.
Reuters

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The Spin

Democratic narrative

Mike Pence — a key witness for federal prosecutors against Donald Trump in his trial about the events surrounding Jan. 6, 2021 — has paid the price for not bending the knee to Donald Trump time and again. His decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race underscores how tricky the path is to topple the former president, who is currently dominating the GOP polling. Pence was always a non-starter in the GOP race and now the field of "non-Trumpers" shrinks even more.

nytimes

Pro-Trump narrative

With Trump polling so strongly in the face of weaponized legal action against him, Pence's hopes of rebooting his career were doomed. Despite years of experience in Washington, he struggled to gain traction or raise money to fund his anemic campaign as Republican voters abandoned him. Pence never had a chance against the former president, who has built one of the biggest primary leads in US electoral history.

Breitbart