Former Vice President Mike Pence, in Iowa Saturday to ride in Sen. Joni Ernst's annual "Roast and Ride," told Newsmax that he's ready to announce his decision on running for president, but that it won't be officially happening until this coming Wednesday.
"Karen and I spent a lot of time over the last two years reflecting and frankly praying about where we might next serve our country after our years in Congress or years as governor of Indiana and years as vice president, and we've come to a decision," Pence told Newsmax's Tom Basile.
"I thought there'd be no better place to announce our decision than right here in the Hawkeye State."
Pence, who was the governor of Indiana and represented the Hoosier State in the U.S. House of Representatives, said that he's chosen Iowa for his announcement because of the "outsized role" the state has played for years in "shaping our national leadership."
And now, with the "failed policies" of President Joe Biden's administration and from Washington's Democrats "that have weakened America at home and abroad," Pence said, "I know we're going to be able to count on the people of Iowa that play that role to shape the leadership of our party to ensure that we deliver a victory for the American people in 2020."
Basile said pundits are speculating about what Pence's lane is when he's running against former President Donald Trump, who's currently leading in the polls, and Pence joked that the lane he was concerned about on Saturday is the "white line" on the highway he'll be riding on with a Harley Davidson in Ernst's fundraiser.
As for the political lane, Pence pointed out that he's a Christian conservative and a Republican, and that he's proud of the record set by the administration he shared with Trump.
"[Trump] and I have our differences and that difficult day at the end of the administration, but frankly, a different vision for the country going forward," Pence said, adding that on Wednesday he will be "drawing those contrasts and laying out that vision, and I just trust that Republican primary voters are going to sort it out and choose the right standard bearer for our party."
Pence's announcement is coming in a televised event in Iowa that's been billed by CNN as a "Presidential Town Hall," even though Pence hadn't made his declaration for the 2024 race official.
The town hall is being held on the former vice president's 64th birthday. He's also canceled a planned appearance on June 9 at the Georgia GOP convention, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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