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Donald Trumps re-election campaign is having vice-president Mike Pence put a special emphasis on a key set of states going into the election 2020 by sending him out on the road to court suburban and religious voters and shore up the presidents base.

Pence, the second highest ranking official in the Trump administration, has been campaigning heavily in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin over the last year, a sign of the importance those states hold to the Trump campaigns re-election strategy.

Those states all went for Trump in the 2016 presidential election, surprising Democrats, and are an essential battleground for both Trump and the eventual Democratic presidential nominee in 2020.

To Republicans, Pence is an ideal liaison to key voting blocs in those three states. Hes a devout Christian and former governor of neighboring Indiana whose ties to the evangelical wing of the Republican party are famously strong. Temperamentally, hes less bombastic than Trump but falls more toward the conservative end of the Republican party.

Over the past few weeks, Pence had made stops in all three states. Since August, hes visited Michigan four times, Pennsylvania three times and Wisconsin twice, according to figures obtained by the Guardian.

Pence will continue to put a focus on those states over the next year, according to the Trump re-election campaign.

Trumps re-election team feels that Pence is a potent messenger among evangelical, conservative and suburban voters in these three states. So many of Pences stops have been in those communities.

Republican strategists see outreach to voters in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin as key to Trumps re-election prospects. Rex Elsass, a veteran Republican admaker and consultant, called the trio of states critical for Trump. Elsass said those were the states that played a major role in Trumps victory in 2016.

You couldnt have put together that list without saying, Well, these are the top targeted states that were key to the election and key to the original election, Elsass said.

And while Trumps approval numbers among Republicans are high, Elsass said Pence is an ideal surrogate for the region.

Theres no one better in terms of understanding, practicing, being the persona of midwest values than Mike Pence, Elsass said. Its obvious that the best person to send to communicate your message are the people who truly share your values to the greatest extent.

On Wednesday, Pence traveled with Trump to Michigan for a campaign rally in Calhoun county. Before that rally he headlined an event in Saginaw county, a part of Michigan where Trump barely defeated Hillary Clinton in 2016.

That speech represented a perfect example of the pitch Pence is offering these midwestern states. He focused on the administrations judicial confirmations, the passage of the United States-Mexico-Canada trade deal, and the American and Michigan economy. He touched on more controversial topics like the administrations border wall and Democrats partisan impeachment effort.

With all that, though, Pence still alluded to how winning any of these three states in 2020 is not a certainty.

So, men and women of Michigan, I know youve got a great holiday season coming, and I want you to enjoy your time with family and friends, but come January 1 its time to go to work, Pence said.

Unlike in 2016, all three states now have Democratic governors. In Michigan and Wisconsin, Democratic governors ousted their Republican predecessors in 2018. Recent head-to-head matchups of Trump versus one of the frontrunners in Michigan or Pennsylvania has shown the Democrat leading the incumbent president. In Wisconsin, a few polls have shown Trump leading Elizabeth Warren or Pete Buttigieg, two of the top Democratic primary contenders, in matchups.

Of the three midwestern states, Democrats see Wisconsin as the one most receptive to a hard push by Pence.

There is a large group of cultural conservatives in Wisconsin, and the Republican party has historically done a very good job tapping into that demographic and those voters, said a Democratic strategist and adviser to a top Wisconsin Democrat. The adviser was not authorized to speak on the record about the Trump campaigns prospects in the state.

No disrespect to the vice-president. But the governor of Indiana does not necessarily play all that well in Michigan or Wisconsin or Iowa, said former Michigan governor Jim Blanchard, a Democrat. I would be more concerned as to who we nominate for president than whether Pence would campaign in Michigan.

That has left some Republican strategists warning that winning these states could be more difficult, even with a concerted outreach from Pence.

I think its going to be far less fertile ground ultimately than it was in 2016, but where else do they have to go? said Jeff Timmer, a Michigan-based Republican strategist. Timmer added that the fact that Trump did a rally in Michigan the night he was being impeached and Pences multiple visits to the the midwest illustrated how important it is for the Republicans prospects in 2020.

Timmer pointed to two congressional seats in Michigan that Democrats wrested from Republican control in 2018. Now Haley Stevens and Elissa Slotkin, both Democrats, represent those districts.

Neither Democrat who flipped those seats in 18 did so because they ran simpatico with Trump and were gonna be Trump supporters, Timmer said. They did it because they ran opposite Trump, and those districts are moving rapidly away from Trump.

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Pence makes repeat visits to three key states in bid to deliver 2020 for Trump - The Guardian

The oldest daughter of Vice President Mike Pence and second lady Karen Pence married her Navy aviator boyfriend at the U.S. Naval Academy Saturday in a family event attended by Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner.

It was a big and family filled event, we were told of the marriage in the Naval Academy Chapel of 26-year-old Charlotte Pence and 27-year-old Lt. Henry Bond, a 2015 Naval Academy graduate.

The two got engaged in July and pushed the wedding up to occur before Bond deploys.

At the time, she posted photos of her romantic beachside engagement writing, I said 'yes,' and then I said 'thanks' a lot because I didn't know what else to say. I love you. Let's do this.

Trump and Kushner represented the Trump family and took a low-key role to keep the focus on the newlyweds, said an insider.

Afterward, the wedding party held a reception at the vice presidents residence at the Naval Observatory, completing the Navy theme.

There was no public announcement, and Karen Pence's press office did not respond to requests for comment.

Alex Brandon/AP

The two were introduced by Charlotte Pences brother, Michael, a Marine Corps pilot, and his wife at their wedding in 2017 in Indiana.

Henry and I just shared a lot of the same views about life and faith and I think that they were excited to see if anything happened, she told USA Today last month.

A family friend said Charlotte "is all-around terrific, a chip off the old block of Mrs. Pence."

A third Pence wedding is planned in February when 24-year-old Audrey will tie the knot.

Charlotte is well-known in Washington for writing the children's picture book Marlon Bundo's A Day in the Life of the Vice President. Karen Pence illustrated the book with her watercolors that tells the story of the bunny watching the vice presidents activities.

The duo has since completed two other Bundo books, Marlon Bundo's Day in the Nation's Capital and the just-released Marlon Bundo's Best Christmas Ever.

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Pence's oldest daughter weds at Naval Academy with Ivanka and Jared in attendance - Washington Examiner

The 2024 Republican nomination will be wide open, whether President Trump wins reelection next year or not. And several high-profile Republicans are already angling to succeed him.

A bit under five years from now, Trump will either be finishing up his second term, won in 2020, or an ex-president, having lost to the Democratic nominee that year. A natural successor for Trump, 73, would be his vice president, Mike Pence, who has dutifully stayed in the shadows for nearly three years in office behind his considerably more brash and flamboyant boss.

Pence, 60, a former Indiana governor and congressman, has a natural advantage heading into 2024 his daily working relationship with Trump, whom more than 90% of Republicans support.

But Pence, a cautious career politician, has none of Trump's bravado and bluster, which makes the president so endearing to supporters. And vice presidents have trouble directly succeeding the presidents they served. It's only been done twice, by Vice Presidents Martin Van Buren, in 1836, and George H.W. Bush, in 1988. Several others in recent decades have tried but come up short, including Hubert Humphrey in 1968 and Al Gore in 2000.

Pence has largely, though not entirely, avoided getting embroiled in Trump administration scandals, such as the Ukraine military aid affair that led to the president's impeachment on Dec. 18. Yet, he would hardly have a free ride to the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, 47, also is considered high on the list. Following the former South Carolina governor's sudden exit from her diplomatic post at the end of 2018, she's been subject to rising speculation over her political plans.

Haley finally made it clear she would not run in 2020 but instead campaign for Trump. But 2024 remains a live possibility, a theory stoked by her vocal defense of Trump in the Ukraine matter, and a memoir that helps keep Haley in the public eye.

In late November, the Dallas County Republican Party sent an invitation to a Dec. 2 $25,000-per-attendee Texas fundraiser headlined by Haley. The e-mail was titled Road to 2024 and welcomed Haley as a prospective presidential candidate. The local Republican party later changed the invitation's wording, which had been not approved by Haleys team.

Haley is not the only Trump-world ally with foreign policy experience being eyed for 2024. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wants to see Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, 55, run for the open Kansas Senate seat to succeed retiring Sen. Pat Roberts, which could serve as a platform for a 2024 White House bid.

Fueling speculation is a report that Trump is seeking a new secretary of state to replace Pompeo, a former House member from Kansas and CIA director, if he ran for the Senate. Potential successors to Pompeo at Foggy Bottom includes two Republican senators long mentioned as 2024 candidates, Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Marco Rubio of Florida, the latter of whom lost to Trump in the 2016 GOP presidential primary fight.

Yet, another senator and 2016 Trump GOP primary foe is raising his profile, Ted Cruz of Texas. The Princeton and Harvard Law School graduate, 49, has made no secret that in 2024 he wants to take another shot at the presidency.

"Look, I hope to run again," Cruz said in September. "We came very, very close in 2016. And it's the most fun I've ever had in my life."

After a bitter primary fight that included Trump slurs against members of his family, Cruz has made his peace with the president and is now a vocal supporter. Cruz has traveled the country and touted the presidents political accomplishments while defending him against Democratic opponents.

Trump has reciprocated by bestowing the nickname him Beautiful Ted, and holding a reelection rally for Cruz in 2018 as he faced a strong challenge for his Senate seat by then-Democratic Rep. Beto O'Rourke.

You know, we had our little difficulties. It got ugly, Trump told the crowd during a rally for Cruz at the Toyota Center in Houston. "But nobody has helped me more.

Cruz has subtly upped his public presence in other ways. Over the past year, he received accolades for a beard he grew in fall 2018. Cruz noted O'Rourke's own facial hair on Dec. 18, tweet, "Nice beard," after his former Senate rival dropped his bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.

Cruz also inveighed forcefully on Twitter against a year-end spending deal he and other critics contend was a gift to lobbyist and a waste of taxpayer money. Cruz, in a Dec. 19 video, blasted the 2,313-page omnibus that cleared Congress and was signed by Trump, avoiding a government shutdown.

"Christmas came early in Washington," the Texas senator said in a six-minute video on Twitter.

"While you were with your family, while you were shopping for Christmas, the lobbyists were spending and spending. I present to you, the massive omnibus bill that Congress is voting on," Cruz said while holding a lit cigar with theatrical flair.

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Looking past Trump: Pack of top Republicans already eyeing 2024 GOP nomination - Washington Examiner

One month shy of completing three years in office, President Trump has fulfilled or is making significant progress on most of his 2016 campaign promises, which aides said give him a strong reelection argument to counter his impeachment by a bitterly partisan House last week.

As the president and his team ready for the 2020 campaign at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, officials said it would be built on the administration's achievements list of 15 categories and 319 results.

Vice President Mike Pence told Secrets that the message is simple: Promises made, promises kept. Pence, who has already hit the campaign trail in a specially outfitted Trump-Pence bus, added, Thanks to President Trumps leadership, we are living in a stronger and more secure America with the best economy in the history of this country.

In looking at the extensive administration results list provided to Secrets, pollster Jonathan Zogby said, You really see the genesis of why Trump was elected in 2016 and will probably not be hampered by the Democratic impeachment and wins reelection in 2020.

Certainly, he will need a big list to overcome being only the third president in U.S. history to be impeached. But Trump appears to be starting with polls on his side, many showing that a majority want him punished but not removed from office and others showing that voters dont believe any of the top Democratic candidates can beat the Republican.

If things continue the way they are until Election Day, its hard to see how Trump can lose, and it might even become more clear to all voters as to why the Democrats rushed a partisan impeachment of a president who has delivered on a lot of campaign promises, Zogby added.

The list provided to Secrets is the latest update of initiatives, executive orders, accomplishments, results, and brags with a focus on the improved economy, trade, energy independence, job creation, cuts to illegal immigration, the presidents America First foreign policy, help for veterans, cutting eight regulations for every new one, packing courts with conservatives, and Trump's record of becoming the nations most anti-abortion chief executive.

It also charted Trump's successes in killing more than a dozen major Obama-era initiatives.

Officials said the list would be longer if key agency initiatives were also included, such as the Department of Transportations move to boost rural infrastructure and the Interior Departments expansion of areas open for hikers, hunters, and anglers.

Critics of the president have claimed that his achievements are overshadowed by multiple court setbacks, tussles with foreign leaders, an exploding deficit, and the Democrats investigations. But his supporters point to just the last few weeks when, as he was being impeached, he won some of his biggest policy victories, such as agreement on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement and creation of the Space Force.

Presidential historian Doug Wead said: "Historians of the future will come racing back to this Trump era with amazement. The list of presidents on either side will be a boring blur by comparison. Of course, the economic numbers from the Trump time will be telling. They don't lie. And they point to a great presidency."

Pence suggested that his and Trumps bid to improve the country are most important to voters, and he regularly uses his campaign stops to point that out.

He told Secrets: Over the past three years, weve continued to deliver on our promise to put American workers and American jobs first: Weve cut taxes, rolled back regulations, and fought for reciprocal trade. In the past three years, seven million new jobs have been created, wages are rising at record pace, and unemployment is at a 50-year low. We negotiated a new strong pro-American trade deal with China and the USMCA, and created the Space Force. Weve continued our commitment to rebuilding our military, standing with our allies, standing up to our enemies, taking on ISIS, reducing illegal crossings by 75% since May, and confirming more than 170 conservatives to our federal courts including two Supreme Court justices.

And Zogby said: The impeachment of Trump will play little into how voters decide who should be president in 2020. Remember, it's the economy stupid, and you can't impeach that.

The Trump "results" release provided to Secrets is below.

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Exclusive: Trump list shows 319 'results' and promises kept in three years - Washington Examiner

U.S. Ambassador Gordon Sondland explicitly linked President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Mike Pompeo, Mick Mulvaney and other senior officials in a cabal aimed at pressuring a foreign government (Ukraine) to investigate Trumps political rival in exchange for hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid classic quid pro quo. Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee tried to undermine Sondlands remarks by asking if the president directly ordered Sondland to communicate a quid pro quo.

Sondlands response was clear: Everyone was in the loop. It was no secret.

The Judiciary Committee subsequently approved two articles of impeachment: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

If Trump officials who refused to appear when subpoenaed or turn over requested documents like Rudolph Giuliani, Pence, Pompeo and Mulvaney are proud of what they did then they should stand up and tell the world about it. Instead they stay silent. For what they have done to our country they are nothing but a group of thugs, with Trump being the chief thug. This is a cancer that has metastasized. Republicans in the House, and Senate have been infected by this White House.

Every American is responsible for what is happening in Washington and we all bear responsibility for the outcome. Anger should be directed not at the criminal, but at those who stood around and did nothing.

Joel Wells

Iowa City

Joel Wells

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Officials did nothing, while Trump violated the Constitution - The Gazette