In a deep dive into Mike Pence's lowkey run to be the 2024 Republican Party's presidential nominee, multiple GOP insiders claim he is going to have to straddle the line between keeping his distance from Donald Trump while at the same time keeping the former president's fans -- those who haven't already turned on him -- in his corner.
According to Politico's Adam Wren, there are serious questions over Pence's political future with some saying it's over due to his relationship with Trump, others saying he should jump whole-heartedly into running against him for the presidential nomination, while another suggested he should -- for the time being -- lower his sights and possibly look to run for the Senate representing Indiana instead.
As Wren wrote, "Now, as Pence peddles a new memoir and ponders his own run for president, he’s struggling to demonstrate where his loyalties really lie — to the former president whose White House record he proudly touts as a shared legacy, or to a wing of the party that is debating whether to unshackle itself from a conspiracy-laden cult of personality."
He then added, "At a moment when Pence most needs to clearly identify himself to a party that is beginning to audition alternatives to its divisive de facto leader, Pence seems stuck in some muddled attempt to be multiple things simultaneously."
According to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, there is no easy path for Pence back into the hearts and minds of enough GOP voters to make him the new face of the party after Trump.
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“He’s got a huge problem,” explained Gingrich, who is serving as an adviser to the former vice president. “I think Pence is very, very comfortable making a positive case for himself. He’d be very uncomfortable running a negative campaign because it’s just not really who he is.”
According to one Pence insider who didn't want to give their name, "He would love to be reconciled to the president," before admitting, “My sense is he’s seen that window close.”
They added, "I think he’s got to decide whether he wants to be a Jim-Baker-like statesman that can just always be principled and speak the truth for the rest of his life, with no calculation of political cost. Or do you want to get the nomination?”
The Politico report added, "At least one top adviser and close friend in recent days urged him to consider a run for Senate in Indiana as incumbent Mike Braun eyes the governor’s office — a respectable offramp from his loftier ambitions. 'It’s worthy of consideration,' the Pence confidant told me. 'I could see him being majority leader within a short period of time.' (Two Pence aides denied that he had any interest in a Senate bid; but the chatter had grown so loud in the Indiana delegation that Rep. Jim Banks, who is eyeing his own Senate run, felt compelled to check with the former vice president about his intentions, according to someone close to Pence. A Banks spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.)"
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