Mike Pence, in some ways, is out to shed vice president from his political resume in the hopes of getting a “fresh look” from GOP voters as the best conservative candidate in the field for the 2024 presidential election.
It’s a theme that Pence hit on earlier this month, when he told Newsmax that he’s “well known but not known well.”
He’s out to show GOP voters that he’s the most consistent conservative in the race, not just former Vice President Mike Pence.
"But they don’t know that I was a leading House conservative for 12 years; that I’ve battled the big spenders in our own party; that, when I led the Republican Study Committee I actually led the fight against the Wall Street bailout back in 2008," Pence told Fox News in a story published Sunday. "They don’t know that I was a conservative governor that battled leaders in my own party to pass the largest tax cut in Indiana history and expand the nation’s largest school choice program and achieved record employment before being elected vice president."
Pence said he viewed the GOP’s first debate last week as the first step toward getting a “fresh look at our candidacy.”
"I’m proud of the record of the Trump-Pence administration — I was proud to defend our record [during the debate] on the stage, but I really welcome the opportunity for people to see me in a fresh light and to hear my own passion and my leadership,” Pence told Fox.
Pence is languishing in the national polls. As of Friday, he was polling fourth at 4.1%, per the FiveThirtyEight’s aggregate, looking up at biotech entrepreneur and neo-political Vivek Ramaswamy, who's at 9.9%.
"I was grateful for the chance to talk about the issues, but I was just grateful for people to get a sense of, of my leadership style, and my willingness to fight for what I believe in. And what I believe in is the conservative agenda," Pence said.
The GOPs next debate is Sept. 27 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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