Former US VP Pence drops out of Republican presidential campaign
Send a link to a friend
[October 30, 2023]
By Alexandra Ulmer and Tim Reid
LAS VEGAS (Reuters) -Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence ended his
cash-strapped presidential campaign on Saturday, after struggling for
months to convince Republican voters he was the best alternative to the
man he once served with unswerving loyalty, Donald Trump.
Pence's surprise announcement at the Republican Jewish Coalition donor
conference in Las Vegas made him the first big-name candidate to drop
out. Trump is the runaway frontrunner in the race.
"Traveling over the country over the past six months, I came here to say
it's become clear to me: This is not my time. So after much prayer and
deliberation, I have decided to suspend my campaign for president
effective today," Pence told the audience to gasps and, later, prolonged
claps and cheers of support.
Pence stopped short of endorsing anyone in his speech but seemed to
swipe at his former boss.
"I urge all my fellow Republicans here, give our country a Republican
standard bearer that will, as Lincoln said, appeal to the better angels
of our nature," Pence said, adding it should also be someone who leads
the country with "civility."
A source close to Pence laughed when asked whether he would endorse
Trump.
At a rally later on Saturday, Trump said Pence should endorse him
because he had a "great, successful presidency... I chose him, made him
vice president." But, Trump added, "people in politics can be very
disloyal."
A spokesperson for Pence did not immediately respond to a request for
comment on his endorsement plans.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Trump did not mention Pence in their
speeches at the donor conference. Former South Carolina Governor Nikki
Haley, who was Trump's ambassador to the U.N., praised Pence as a
fighter for America and Israel.
DeSantis later posted on social media platform X that Pence was a
"principled man of faith."
More candidates might soon follow Pence in dropping out, consolidating
the wide field of contenders. With more than a half dozen candidates,
donors seeking alternatives to Trump have been reticent to open their
pocketbooks.
Trump's lead is so large it may not matter, however, and contenders also
might decide to stay in for longer. No clear-cut alternative has emerged
since the DeSantis campaign has languished after a disappointing start.
PENCE'S DOOMED CAMPAIGN
Pence, 64, publicly broke with Trump, lambasting the former president
for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. Pence
gambled that Republican primary voters would reward him for following
the U.S. Constitution rather than Trump's instructions to overturn the
2020 election results when as vice president, he held the ceremonial
role of president of the Senate.
[to top of second column]
|
Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence waves with his wife Karen as
he leaves the stage after announcing he is withdrawing from the
presidential campaign, during the Republican Jewish Coalition Annual
Leadership Summit in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. October 28, 2023.
REUTERS/Steve Marcus
But Trump's base of supporters never forgave Pence for overseeing
the certification of Democrat Joe Biden's election.
Trump has built one of the biggest primary leads in U.S. electoral
history, according to opinion polls. They show most Republican
voters have embraced, or do not care about, Trump's lie that the
2020 election was stolen from him and his efforts to overturn the
result.
Pence announced his White House bid in June but has failed to
attract enough primary voters and donors to sustain a candidacy that
has languished in the low single digits in polls.
A stolid campaigner short on charisma, Pence was low on cash by
October. He failed to catch fire in the first Republican nominating
state of Iowa despite spending time and resources there.
Pence's third-quarter fundraising totals on Oct. 15 showed his
campaign was $620,000 in debt, with only $1.2 million cash on hand.
That was far less than several better-performing Republican rivals
and insufficient for a White House race.
In several past elections, former vice presidents have succeeded in
becoming a major party's White House nominee, including Republican
George H.W. Bush in 1988 and Democrat Al Gore in 2000. Biden himself
was vice president to Barack Obama.
But Pence could not overcome the political juggernaut of Trump,
along with rivals who appealed more to primary voters and donors,
including Haley and DeSantis.
Pence ran as a traditional social and fiscal conservative, and a
foreign policy hawk, calling for increased military aid to Ukraine
and cuts in welfare spending. His brand of Republicanism has been
eclipsed in the Trump era by full-throated populism and "America
First" isolationism.
(Additional reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Ross Colvin,
David Gregorio and William Mallard)
[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]This material
may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|