Former-President Mike Pence has announced his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election, filing his official papers to run. A well-known conservative figure, Pence served as the governor of Indiana from 2012 and, before that, represented the state in the House of Representatives for twelve years, during which he was the chairman of the House Republican Conference from 2009-2011.
As governor, Pence implemented the largest tax cut in the history of Indiana, and passed two balanced budgets while signing the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. He was later selected by former President Donald Trump as his running mate in 2016, serving as vice-president until January 2021.
Following the 2020 election, Pence faced significant pressure from Trump to overturn the election results, but refused to do so. Speaking recently about Trump’s potential run for the 2024 nomination, Pence said: “I think we’ll have better choices. The American people want us to return to the policies of the Trump-Pence administration but I think they want to see leadership that reflects more of the character of the American people.”
Throughout his career, Pence has been known for his opposition to abortion, stating in 2016: “I’m pro-life, and I don’t apologize for it. We’ll see Roe vs. Wade consigned to the ash heap of history where it belongs.” He has also been an ardent supporter of law enforcement officers and criticized Obama’s executive order calling for the protection of illegal immigrants from deportation.
