Former Vice President Mike Pence will launch his campaign for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination on June 7 in Des Moines, Iowa, a source familiar with his plans confirmed to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Pence will announce with a speech and a campaign video, the source confirmed. His kickoff speech will be followed by a campaign tour across all of Iowa’s 99 counties, according to NBC News, who first reported the announcement. (RELATED: CNN To Host Town Hall With Mike Pence)
Pence, 63, would be the eighth candidate to enter the race, which already includes former President Donald Trump, his former running mate in 2016 and 2020, and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, among others. Pence has been widely expected to announce his candidacy for the Republican nomination.
Mike Pence responds to Trump calling Jan. 6 a beautiful day:
“Jan. 6 was not a beautiful day. It was a tragic day.” pic.twitter.com/bEZafCk92O
— Republican Accountability (@AccountableGOP) May 31, 2023
The date, June 7, is also when Pence will participate in a CNN Town Hall in Des Moines, similar to one the network hosted for Trump in New Hampshire on May 10.
Pence served as Trump’s vice president for four years but entered a major disagreement with him about the 2020 presidential election, which they lost but which Trump claimed was stolen. Pence later refused to use his role as President of the Senate to influence Congress’s certification of the vote on Jan. 6, 2021, when pro-Trump protesters stormed the U.S. Capitol to disrupt the certification, with some chanting “Hang Mike Pence!” with a gallows being erected on the Capitol grounds that day.
Trump later said that Pence committed “political suicide” for refusing his request and has said that he would not choose Pence to be his running mate, again, should he win the nomination.
Since leaving the White House, Pence has formed a lobby group, Advancing American Freedom, to promote conservative causes and written a memoir, So Help Me God. Allies of Pence formed a Super PAC, Committed to America, on May 15 to support Pence’s campaign.
Pence currently polls at 3.8% support for the nomination, on average, according to RealClearPolitics. He is outperformed by Trump, DeSantis and former Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina, his former cabinet colleague, who announced her candidacy in February.
Mary Lou Masters contributed to this report.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.