Former Vice President Mike Pence filed paperwork to run for president Monday, setting up a clash with former running mate Donald Trump in an increasingly crowded battle for the future of the Republican party.
Pence, 63, will formally announce his candidacy Wednesday in Iowa, according to people familiar with his plans.
Pence has been laying the groundwork for a White House bid for more than a year, visiting early-voting states, giving policy speeches and promoting an autobiography. But he so far hasn’t broken out of the lower tier of 2024 GOP White House aspirants. The RealClearPolitics average of polls has Pence with less than 4% support.
The former vice president is offering himself as the only traditional conservative in the field who can win the Republican nomination and defeat President Joe Biden — while governing with more civility than Trump. He is touting the popular policies of the “Trump-Pence” administration while breaking from his former boss on election denialism and other issues.
Pence is targeting the Hawkeye State with its first-in-the-nation GOP caucuses because of the large number of evangelical voters who participate and his appeal to Iowans as a fellow Midwesterner.
The former vice president joins a growing GOP field that will be getting larger this week. Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is expected to announce his candidacy at a town hall event in New Hampshire on Tuesday and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum has a “major announcement” on Wednesday in Fargo.
Besides Trump, the announced major GOP candidates so far include Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, US Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, Ohio businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, and conservative radio host Larry Elder.