ANKENY, Iowa — Former Vice President Mike Pence formally launched his 2024 bid for the Republican presidential nomination on Wednesday, clearly stating that the party and the nation should “never” allow his old boss, former President Donald Trump, back in The White House.
Mr. Pence said the pressure Mr. Trump put on him to overstep his constitutional authority and refuse to certify President Biden’s victory in the 2020 election disqualifies him from being president.
“The American people must know that we will keep our oath to support and defend the Constitution even when it is not in our political interests,” Mr. Pence said at his campaign launch here at the Des Moines Area Community College.
“Anyone who puts themselves over the Constitution should never be president of the United States and anyone who asks someone else to put them over the Constitution should never be president of the United States again,” he said.
The Pence plunge brings a Robin vs. Batman storyline to a race that is set to test whether voters have an appetite for someone like Mr. Pence, who says it is time to restore more civility in politics and to return to traditional conservatism.
Mr. Pence is sharing some of the spotlight this week with former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, both of whom made official their bids for the Republican presidential nomination.
On Wednesday, Mr. Pence looked to thread the needle between touting the accomplishments of the Trump-Pence administration, while also putting daylight between himself and Mr. Trump.
Mr. Pence said the end of Roe v. Wade, which provided a constitutional right to abortion, is just the beginning of the fight over the procedure, and accused Mr. Trump of retreating on the issue.
“The sanctity of life has been our party’s calling for half a century – long before Donald Trump was ever a part of it,” he said. “Now he treats it as an inconvenience, even blaming election losses on overturning Roe v Wade.”
Mr. Pence called for “common sense” changes to Social Security and Medicare, saying they are needed to put the programs on firmer financial footing. He said the United States must support Ukraine in the war with Russia.
Mr. Pence also said Republicans must abandon the “siren song of populism,” and move away from the politics of “outrage” and “grievance.”
“Here in Iowa we must resolve that Joe Biden is never reelected as president of the United States,” Mr. Pence said, sparking applause from the crowd. “We must elect a new Republican president, and chart a course for our nation guided by our timeless principles.”
Mr. Pence vowed to bolster the military, cut federal taxes and regulations, and reduce spending that is driving inflation.
He pledged to make the nation “energy independent once again,” to empower parents in schools, and to appoint pro-life judges.
“In all this work,” he cautioned, “we will not seek to divide the American people, but instead appeal to the better angels of their nature.”
For Mr. Pence, Iowa is a pivotal battleground, fraught with challenges from both sides.
The 64-year-old is poised to face off with diehard Trump backers who say he betrayed the former president after the 2020 election.
Mr. Pence also is facing off with anti-Trump Republicans who believe he enabled Mr. Trump, blowing the chance to be more of a check on his actions.
“He knows those hurdles full well,” Bob Vander Plaats told The Washington Times. “I think he is willing to have that debate with those [voters] who question his decision on Jan. 6 and for those who question his loyalty to the president for four years.”
“I think Mike Pence is saying people are very interested in the bold courageous vision and the mission the Trump administration was able to deliver for four years, but they want to do it without all the drama,” said Mr. Vander Plaats, president of the Iowa Christian conservative group the Family Leade,
“I think he is going to be the slow and steady [candidate] in the race, for those who are looking for an alternative to Trump, [but] can’t find what it is they are looking for. Then they might fall to the former vice president because he has been a trusted voice for them,” he said.
Limited polling here in Iowa shows him running in the single digits, battling it out for a third place with former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, businessmen Vivek Ramaswamy, and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina.
Mr. Trump is the clear frontrunner followed by Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, with everyone else trailing in the single digits.
Mr. Pence has the sort of political DNA that has resonated with the self-identified born-again and evangelical Christians who dominate the GOP caucuses here.
The former Indiana governor has made his Christian faith central to his political identity, reminding the crowd here, “I’m a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican — in that order.”
His being chosen as Mr. Trump’s vice presidential nominee in 2016 was seen at the time as reassurance to evangelical Christians about Mr. Trump, who had no previous ties to the movement and was widely known for tabloid affairs.
Marge Delzell, 83, said Mr. Pence walks the walk, and said she plans to caucus for him.
“He is a good man, he is a godly man, he has lots of experience and he has shown he stands strong,” said Ms. Dezell, who made the 3-hour drive here with her son David from Sioux City. “When I saw him standing by Trump so many times, and he liked some of the policies, but not necessarily the attitude and he didn’t show it.”
“He was a faithful vice president,” she said, dismissing the criticism he received over certifying the 2020 results. “I think they are absolutely misguided. What Trump wanted him to do, he couldn’t do. He just constitutionally couldn’t do it.
“Trump is some many good things, but he isn’t right on everything,” she said.
It remains to be seen whether Mr. Pence’s style will resonate with primary voters that have grown accustomed to Mr. Trump’s brazen, no-holds-barred, approach to politics.
Bernie Hayes, chairman of the Linn County GOP, said Mr. Trump still appears to have the upper hand based on the massive crowds that turn out to see him.
“Unless Trump stumbles badly, you know, things could change. It is still a hard road for the others to overcome,” said Mr. Hayes, who is staying neutral in the race because of his role as party leader.
The good news for Mr. Pence is the last three competitive caucuses have been won by candidates that have worn their religious faith on their sleeve: Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas in 2016, former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania in 2012 and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in 2008.
Mr. Santorum and Mr. Huckabee won accolades for traversing all corners of the state, courting voters in churches, backyard BBQs and Pizza Ranch restaurants, which have become must-stops for candidates running under the Republican banner.
The bad news for Mr. Pence is none of those men went on to win the nomination.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.