Never posing any real threat to front-runner Donald Trump, and inconsequential Mike Pence has dropped out of the 2024 presidential race, never achieving more than a dismal one or two percent in the polls.
“I came here to say it’s become clear to me this is not my time,” Pence said in his surprise announcement at the annual Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) convention this past Saturday.
“So, after much prayer and deliberation, I have decided to suspend my campaign for president effective today.”
The former vice president did not endorse any of the other candidates for the 2024 GOP nomination. However, his former boss, Donald Trump, asked for his former VP’s endorsement.
The former vice president launched his 2024 campaign in early June. While he spent plenty of time over the summer and into the autumn on the campaign trail in the crucial early-voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, his White House bid never took off.
Pence stood in the mid to low single digits in the latest surveys, and his fundraising was meager. The former vice president struggled — but ultimately succeeded to reach the polling and donor thresholds to qualify for the first two Republican presidential nomination debates. But as of Saturday, he still remained short of hitting the criteria to make the stage at next month’s third debate, which no doubt influenced his decision to throw in the towel.
Given his resume and ties to the popular President Trump, the fact that Pence’s campaign tanked so miserably just shows how powerful Trump’s influence on the MAGA base remains. Trump basically excised Pence like a tumor from any relationship to Trump’s successful presidency for his VP’s action in certifying the 2020 election.
After spending four years as Trump’s loyal defender, Pence was suddenly cast as a traitor, targeted by rioters who stormed the Capitol, some chanting “Hang Mike Pence!” Angry Trump supporters crossed his name off their “Trump-Pence” yard signs or shoved them deep into the ground to literally bury his name in the dirt.
After announcing his withdrawal, Pence told the crowd, to applause and cheers, that “I say this is not my time, but it’s still your time. I urge you to hold fast to what matters: faith, family, and the Constitution of the United States of America. I’m proud that our campaign stood firm on America’s role as leader of the free world.”
Trump – who spoke about 25 minutes after Pence at the same conference – made no reference to the news of his former running mate’s departure from the 2024 race.
Hours later, however, at a campaign event in Las Vegas, Trump said Pence “should endorse me. You know why? Because I had a great, successful presidency, and he was the vice president.”
But he added that “people in politics can be very disloyal.”