Social conservatives have moved on from Trump — here's why

Donald Trump isn't generating much excitement among social conservatives, who are looking at other options heading into the 2024 election cycle.

Former vice president Mike Pence is laying some early groundwork to appeal to influential pastors and activists on the religious right as he prepares a possible challenge to his old running mate, and people close the Indiana Republican say he's positioning himself as a true believer to social conservative voters, reported CNN.

“I think what Pence is doing is exactly what he should be doing,” said Iowa-based conservative activist Bob Vander Plaats, who heads the Family Leader coalition.

Trump has already announced his third presidential campaign and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appears likely to launch a GOP primary challenge at some point, but activists say social conservatives have not yet coalesced around any candidate at this point.

“We had to take a chance on Trump,” said Kristi Hamrick, a spokeswoman for the anti-abortion group Students for Life of America. “We don’t have to now. We have options.”

The U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned abortion rights set off a backlash that helped Democrats maintain control of the Senate and avoid sweeping losses in the House during last year's midterm election, but social conservatives are reassured by Pence's track record in Congress and as Indiana governor and vice president.

“People like Mike Pence, they trust Mike Pence," Vander Plaats said. "DeSantis may be the hot commodity today, but if he stumbles, they’re going to go to somebody they trust."

Pence has downplayed his refusal to take part in Trump's attempt to overturn the 2020 election results as simply a "disagreement," but social conservatives are hoping to see him develop a separate political identity from the ex-president in hopes of appealing to a broader coalition of voters.

“I think Mike Pence has to clearly demonstrate his own unique leadership style, and differentiate himself not only from Trump and the Trump administration, but outline the role he played in setting the public policies in the Trump administration,” said Dave Wilson, president of the Palmetto Family Council in South Carolina. “Mike Pence spearheaded a lot of the conservative policy directions of the Trump-Pence administration, and he needs to let people know about that.”