Former Vice President Mike Pence will deliver his first post-office speech in South Carolina on April 29, potentially angling for a 2024 presidential run.
Pence will speak at a ticketed and sponsored dinner hosted by the Palmetto Family Council, a heavy-hitting conservative lobbying group centered on social conservatism, the Associated Press reported Monday. The organization lobbies against abortion and seeks to maintain being biologically female as a requirement to play in women’s sports, among other issues. While Pence has not announced any ambitions to run for public office, traveling to South Carolina and speaking to a Republican king-maker group may hint at 2024 ambitions.
Pence spoke with the Daily Caller about a potential 2024 run in September 2020. He dodged the question, however, and said his attention was focused solely on the then-upcoming November election.
President Donald J. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence greet delegates on the first day of the Republican National Convention at the Charlotte Convention Center on Aug. 24, 2020 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (David T. Foster III-Pool/Getty Images)
Pence’s relationship with former President Donald Trump appeared to severely deteriorate in the final weeks of their administration, as Trump continued to push false claims of election fraud that Pence was not willing to participate in. The issue came to a head when Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol as Pence was confirming President Joe Biden’s win — just minutes after Trump told them he would be “very disappointed” if Pence did so. (RELATED: Trump Lashes Out At Pence As His Supporters Storm The Capitol)
“Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify,” Trump tweeted as rioters attacked the Capitol.
Polling within the Republican Party shows Trump still maintains an overwhelming lead headed into 2024, with roughly 53% of Republicans saying they would nominate him. Pence came in second with 12%.