After months of speculation, former Vice President Mike Pence will launch his presidential campaign next week in Iowa, multiple sources tell Fwrd Axis News.
Pence is expected to launch his bid for the White House in the form of a video announcement before holding a rally in Iowa later in the day. NBC News was the first to report details of Pence’s plans.
The Hawkeye state is one of major importance to the upcoming Pence campaign. The former vice president is planning to visit the state weekly until the Iowa caucuses to make a major pitch to evangelical voters, a crucial voting bloc in the state and among the GOP.
“We view this race as absolutely wide open, and Iowa is really going to solidify itself as the pivotal player,” the person familiar with Pence’s plans told NBC News. “It’s a place that values Mike Pence’s principles — traditional conservative principles — deep-rooted faith and uncommon character.”
The news comes just hours after it was reported former New Jersey governor Chris Christie will announce his 2024 campaign next week as well. The two men will join former President Trump — who is considered the frontrunner for the GOP nomination — along with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott, and many others.
Despite serving with Trump, the two men have been at odds ever since Pence did his constitutional duty and certified the 2020 election results, angering the former president. That prompted a pro-Trump mob to ascend on the U.S. Capitol and call for Pence to be hung.
Trump has always denied any wrongdoing in the matter.
“What better place to do your announcement than a place that’s going to be so pivotal in the future of the nation,” the person familiar with his plans said. “It certainly conveys the importance that we’re placing on the state.”