WASHINGTON: Former US vice president Mike Pence will formally announce his 2024 White House candidacy in the upcoming week, challenging ex-President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination, local media reported on Wednesday.
NBC News reported that Pence would announce his campaign on 7th June with a speech in Iowa. Pence faces the challenge of redefining himself among Republican voters who recognize him as Trump’s vice president.
Former US VP Mike Pence to Launch White House Bid
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, jumped into the race last week, and another high-profile Republican, Chris Christie, is likely to join the contest next week. Nikki Haley Trump’s first envoy to the UN, is also contesting for the White House, along with Tim Scott, who is contending to become the first Black Republican presidential candidate.
Pence has been at loggerheads with his former boss since declining to go along with his efforts to overturn the 2020 poll results and remain in power. Pence said that history would hold Donald Trump “accountable” for his part in the Capitol riot. Pence said that Trump was wrong. He said, “I had no right to overturn the poll. And Trump’s irresponsible words threatened my family and every person at the Capitol that day.”
In April, Mike Pence also testified in the federal investigation examining Trump’s role in the attack on the Capitol.
