Mike Pence has a resume most White House hopefuls would dream of.
FILE - Republican presidential candidate and former Vice President Mike Pence, right, speaks, next to AP National Politics Reporter Meg Kinnard, left, moderating, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023, during an Associated Press 2024 GOP Presidential Candidates Conversations on National Security and Foreign Policy event, held in partnership with Georgetown University's Institute of Politics and Public Service, at Georgetown University in Washington. has a resume most White House hopefuls would dream of.
The Wi-Fi password for the media at the event — “KeptHisOath!” — underscored his message, as did the first ad run by aThough it was never part of his stump speech, Pence's approach to Jan. 6 reflected his advisers’ belief that, if he addressed the Capitol attack directly and spent time explaining his position, voters would come to respect his adherence to the Constitution and see it as a point of strength.
Supporters and those close to Pence, some of whom were granted anonymity to describe the final weeks of his campaign, said they realized the campaign was effectively over around the time of the second debate in September.tangling, in particular, with tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. But Pence saw no appreciable bump in the polls or fundraising. By the second debate, he was relegated to the far side of the stage.
Aides insisted he would qualify for the third debate if he tried, but his calendar became suspiciously empty. This past week, Pence began dialing top supporters to let them know that he decided to end the campaign. Post blamed Pence for his predicament. “He’s kind of stiff,” Post said. “So I don’t think he had a lot of charisma." But Post also said Jan. 6 may have played a role in Pence’s struggle to gain momentum as a candidate, “when he decided, you know, to pick a fight with Trump over what was right and what was wrong and what he should do.”
Pence was only polling in the single digits, so his departure is unlikely to give a major boost to any of his rivals. But former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who has been running as the most vocal Trump critic in the race, said it was a sign the field was finally winnowing — something anti-Trump Republicans have long argued must happen for anyone to have a shot at taking on Trump directly.
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