Mike Pence, Donald Trump’s former vice president, has filed for the White House

Here is an additional candidate for the Republican primary against Donald Trump. And not just anyone: former Vice President Mike Pence filed his candidacy for the White House on Monday, June 5, according to documents published by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and will therefore challenge his ex-partner for the November 2024 election.

On Wednesday June 7, the day of his 64th birthday, the curator will publish a video to formalize his entry into the running. He will also participate in a meeting in the city of Des Moines in Iowa and will end the day on a set of the CNN channel.

Evangelical Christian, fierce opponent of abortion, Mike Pence had helped Donald Trump conquer the religious right by being his running mate during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Rupture after the storming of the Capitol

After years of unwavering loyalty, he changed his tune because of the assault on the Capitol, which rocked American democracy on January 6, 2021. On that day, Mike Pence led, as vice president, the session in Congress, during which elected officials were to certify Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election. Although he only had a ceremonial role, Donald Trump had insisted that he refuse to validate the election of the democrat.

The former governor of Indiana did not comply, which earned him strong enmity among the billionaire’s supporters. Having entered the Capitol by force, some had called for “hang” Mike Pence, who had to hide in a hurry. He has since ruled that the president’s words were “irresponsible” and had it ” put in danger “. He also felt that history would hold Donald Trump for ” responsible “ of this attack.

The split between the two men jeopardizes the chances of Mike Pence, whom many activists loyal to Donald Trump continue to consider a “traitor”.

The man with the wise white wick peaks around 3.8% of voting intentions, far behind the former president (53.2%), according to the average of the latest polls carried out by the RealClearPolitics site.

Read also: Assault on the Capitol: Donald Trump’s pressure on his Vice President Mike Pence revealed by the investigation

Plethora of Republican candidates

He is also outdistanced by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (22.4%), who is also betting on a very conservative speech but in a more offensive tone, as well as a hair by the former UN ambassador Nikki Haley (4.4%).

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Mike Pence has been preparing his candidacy for months. After releasing a book titled So help me God (“May God help me”, not translated), the former radio host has traveled the country, multiplying the speeches in states likely to make a difference in the Republican primaries. Two weeks ago, his allies launched an exploratory campaign committee “Committed to America” to support and raise funds.

Another Republican figure, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, 60, is also expected to enter the race for the Republican nomination. He too was close to Donald Trump before cutting ties after the attack on the Capitol. Doug Burgum, 66, the governor of North Dakota also plans to launch his campaign on June 7.

They join a growing field of candidates that also includes the only African-American Republican senator Tim Scott, ex-Governor of Arkansas Asa Hutchinson and business leader Vivek Ramaswamy which could help disperse votes and, ultimately, Donald Trump. The winner of the Republican primary will probably face, on November 5, 2024, President Biden, 80, who intends to run for a second term.

Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers Ron DeSantis makes a confused Twitter campaign entrance for the 2024 US presidential election

Le Monde with AP and AFP

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