Archive for the ‘Mike Pence’ Category

Mike Pence talks Trump, abortion, faith, the midterms and his political future – NPR

  1. Mike Pence talks Trump, abortion, faith, the midterms and his political future  NPR
  2. Mike Pence Is Asked If Trump Is A 'Good Man' And His Swerving Answer Says It All  Yahoo News
  3. Former Vice President Mike Pence on his new book, 'So Help Me God'  KUNR Public Radio
  4. Read NPR's full interview with former Vice President Mike Pence  WFYI
  5. Former VP, ex-Indiana Gov. Mike Pence speaks on his future  FOX 59 Indianapolis
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Mike Pence talks Trump, abortion, faith, the midterms and his political future - NPR

Former VP Mike Pence visits North Carolina to support GOP Senate …

Former Vice President Mike Pence stumped in North Carolina on Wednesday in the final days before the midterm elections with U.S. Senate candidate Ted Budd, calling him one of the "strongest conservative voices" in the House, where he's served for the past six years.

"Im here to say just one thing and one thing only, and that is that North Carolina and America need Ted Budd in the United States Senate," Pence said after he and Budd answered questions on the economy and education from state GOP chairman Michael Whatley before a few dozen Republican activists.

Earlier Pence attended a luncheon fundraiser for the Senate candidate, who is in a highly competitive race with Democratic rival Cheri Beasley. The race is one of several that could determine whether Democrats hold onto power in the narrowly divided Senate.

Pence became a leading target of former President Donald Trumps ire after refusing to help him block certification of Democrat Joe Bidens win while Pence served as the presiding officer of those formal proceedings on Jan. 6, 2021. The anger spilled over to Trump supporters, who considered him a turncoat.

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Budd condemned the violence that prompted Pence and lawmakers to rush to safety that day. Still, he voted against certifying the election hours later. Months later, he called the insurrection a "bad day for America," but also said it was "just patriots standing up."

Pence has become increasingly in demand among Republican candidates in the midterms an effort that is rebuilding his credentials within the GOP as he considers a 2024 presidential campaign. He's been portrayed as someone who can help other Republican candidates win support beyond Trumps voting base. Trump endorsed Budd for the Senate last year and has held two rallies this year to help his candidacy. Budd has said Biden is the elected president.

Pence called Budd a "man of integrity his family, his faith, his commitment to conservative principles is known far beyond the state of North Carolina."

Former Vice President Mike Pence, center, joins with North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Michael Whatley, left, and U.S. Senate candidate Ted Budd for a conservation at the state GOP headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Nov. 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Gary D. Robertson)

Pence campaigned Tuesday with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who also refused to help the defeated president overturn the states results in 2020. And he recently campaigned for Arizona Republican Senate candidate Blake Masters, who embraced Trump and his false narrative about the last presidential election.

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During her own campaign event in Raleigh on Wednesday, Beasley said Budd shares the same "extreme" views as Pence when it comes to prohibiting abortion.

In the wake of the Supreme Court's decision to strike down Roe v. Wade, Beasley, a former chief justice of the state Supreme Court, has made protecting abortion rights a significant part of her platform.

Pence "recently said that he doesnt want to just make abortion illegal. He wants to make it unthinkable," Beasley said in a downtown park surrounded by several dozen supporters. "The only thing thats unthinkable is electing Ted Budd, who wants to take away our rights."

The question-and-answer session with Budd and Pence didn't touch on abortion, focusing instead on criticizing the Biden administration for policies they said have contributed to high inflation and gas prices. "Everything they have done has driven this economy into a ditch," Pence said. He and Budd didn't address the media after their event at state GOP headquarters.

Members of Congress have campaigned in person with Beasley in recent weeks but not Biden, who has low approval ratings in the state. Former President Barack Obama last week endorsed Beasley, who would be the first Black U.S. senator for North Carolina if elected.

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Budd has gotten in-person campaign support over the past week from U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.

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Mike Pence Says Stripping Women of Rights More Important Than Midterm Gains

Mike-Pence - Credit: (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images)

Former Vice President Mike Pence says he believes implementing a national abortion ban and continuing the conservative fight to restrict bodily autonomy for women is profoundly more important than any short-term politics.

The comments came in an interview with RealClearPolitics, during which Pence urged his fellow Republicans not to shrink from the fight after some GOP legislators distanced themselves from an effort by South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham to implement a national abortion ban. Some Republicans are wary that a push for a federal ban could galvenize pro-choice voters in the Novemeber midterms and cost them highly coveted legislative seats.

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When asked on Tuesday if he would bring Grahams measure to the Senate floor, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said most of the members of my conference prefer that this be dealt with at the state level.

Republican lawmakers have been disingenuously framing abortion as a states rights issue in order to mitigate the backlash to the Supreme Court overturning of Roe v. Wade, but the effort to implement a federal abortion ban has been in the works since far before the Dobbs decision in June.

Though Graham said abortion should be left up to the states as recently as last month, Pence has been consistent in calling for a national ban. Hours after the Supreme Court handed down their decision to strike down federal abortion rights, Pence tweeted that we must not rest and must not relent until the sanctity of life is restored to the center of American law in every state in the land.

On Tuesday night, Pence attended a secret, press-free gala hosted by the anti-abortion Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America foundation celebrating the end of Roe. Attendees allegedly also included Graham, Virginia Governor Glenn Younkin, Sens. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), , Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), and former President Trumps Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.

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Because you never gave up, never stopped loving, never stopped praying, on June 24th Life Won when the Supreme Court sent Roe v Wade to the ash heap of history and gave the American people a new beginning for Life! Pence tweeted along with some pictures of the event.

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Mike Pence Says Stripping Women of Rights More Important Than Midterm Gains

GOP hopefuls turn to Mike Pence to their broaden appeal before the November election – Chicago Tribune

In Donald Trumps assessment, Mike Pence committed political suicide on Jan. 6, 2021.

By refusing to go along with the then-presidents unconstitutional push to overturn the results of the 2020 election, Pence became a leading target of Trumps wrath and a pariah in many Republican circles.

But the final weeks of this years intensely competitive midterm elections suggest that the former vice presidents fortunes have shifted as he lays the groundwork for his own potential 2024 White House campaign. The man who was booed last year at a conservative conference is now an in-demand draw for Republican candidates, including some who spent their primaries obsessively courting Trumps endorsement, in part by parroting his election lies.

Pence has traveled the country, holding events and raising millions for candidates and Republican groups, including signing fundraising solicitations for party committees.

For some campaigns in tight races, Pence is seen as something of a neutralizing agent who can help broaden their appeal beyond Trumps core base of support. Thats the case in Arizona, with a critical Senate race this year and where the 2024 presidential campaign will be hotly contested. Last week, Pence endorsed Senate nominee Blake Masters, who has struggled to pivot from the primary and win over moderates in a state where one-third of voters are registered independents.

He takes a little bit of the edge off Masters with a lot of voters, veteran GOP strategist Scott Reed said. You know Masters is new to this, first-time candidate, said some silly things he probably regrets during the campaign. But now its all about undecided voters in Maricopa County. Theres not a lot more science behind this.

The endorsements can seem jarring given that Pence has spent much of the past year pushing back on Trumps election lies, which spurred the violent mob that descended on the Capitol on Jan. 6 while Pence was trying to preside over the formal congressional certification of Joe Bidens election victory. Pence and members of his family had to be rushed to safety and were held for hours in an underground loading dock as the marauders roamed the buildings hallways. Some rioters chanted Hang Mike Pence! and erected a makeshift gallows outside.

Former Vice President Mike Pence gestures as he addresses the Convocation at Liberty University on Sep. 14, 2022, in Lynchburg, Va. (Steve Helber/AP)

Pence agreed to endorse Masters even though Masters, during the primary, baselessly denied the 2020 election results. Masters recorded a video in which he said he thought Trump had won and claimed on his website that if we had had a free and fair election, President Trump would be sitting in the Oval Office today. Trump endorsed Masters in June, saying in a statement: Blake knows that the Crime of the Century took place, he will expose it and also, never let it happen again.

Pence made no mention of that in Phoenix on Tuesday.

What I came here to Arizona to say is not only is Blake Masters the right choice for the United States Senate, the people of Arizona deserve to know Blake Masters may be the difference between a Democrat majority in the Senate and a Republican majority in the Senate, Pence said.

The former vice president, along with Masters and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, took just three questions, two of them from conservative websites. When a television reporter tried to ask Masters if Pence was right to move forward with certifying Bidens victory, the candidate was quickly cut off by a Masters spokesman.

Masters is not the only election denier Pence has endorsed or assisted.

Two days after the Masters event, Pence was in Georgia headlining a fundraiser for Burt Jones, the nominee for lieutenant governor. Jones not only embraced Trumps claims of widespread election fraud and called for a statewide investigation into the 2020 race, but he also signed on to be one of his states fake alternate electors a scheme now under criminal investigation.

Last month, Pence was in New Hampshire for Senate nominee Don Bolduc, a retired Army general who also spent his primary campaign telling voters the race was stolen from Trump.

Marc Short, a longtime Pence adviser, declined to set a red line for candidates Pence would and would not endorse.

Its more about making sure that hes being a team player where he needs to be, Short said. I think as a lot of these candidates look to solidify the party behind them, Pence can be helpful.

There is no evidence of any widespread fraud or manipulation of voting machines in the 2020 election, underscored by repeated audits, court cases and the conclusions of Trumps own Department of Justice. Still, support of false election claims run deep among GOP candidates this year.

Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks at the Kaufmann Family Harvest Dinner on Sept. 29, 2022, in Wilton, Iowa. (Charlie Neibergall/AP)

The Masters endorsement notably came days after a debate in which he made headlines for seeming to have shifted from his most outrageous rigged election claims. Masters instead blamed Trumps loss on big tech, big media and the FBI, and under repeated questioning, acknowledged he hadnt seen evidence the vote count or results were manipulated, as Trump has claimed. (After the Pence visit, Masters told Fox News he stood by what he had said on his now-modified website, adding: I think if everyone followed the law, President Trump would be in the Oval Office.)

Short said Pence was happy to support candidates who had moved past 2020, as the former vice president has urged the party to do.

If people sort of acknowledged a mistaken position before, he certainly wants to reward that, Short said. I think he wants to help conservatives first and foremost, but if people who were elected are now adopting new position about the events of Jan. 6, Short said, then thats a positive.

Jones and Bolduc have also tried to distance themselves from their previous statements.

In interviews, Jones has tried to play down the fake elector slate as a procedural move, while noting that voters rarely mention the 2020 race.

Look hes been consistent that he does not believe the 2020 election was rigged. He said that Joe Biden is president, said Jones campaign spokesman Stephen Lawson, who noted that Pence and Jones have a long-standing relationship and, like Masters, share former Pence staff.

For us, it was sort of a no-brainer because the vice presidents still very well liked in Georgia, very well received. And were in that final stretch where any Republican coming to raise money, support, is a value add, he said.

I think its certainly a nod to more mainstream kind of moderate Republicans. I think thats a fair assessment, he said.

Bolduc claimed throughout the primary race that the 2020 election had been stolen. During a debate, he proclaimed that Trump won the election, and damn it, I stand by and adding, Im not switching horses, baby.

But right after the GOP primary and a day after appearing with Pence he told Fox News it was time to move on. You know, we live and learn, right? And Ive done a lot of research on this and Ive spent the past couple of weeks talking to Granite Staters all over the state from every party. And I have come to the conclusion, and I want to be definitive on this: The election was not stolen, Bolduc said. He described Biden as the legitimate president of this country.

(Earlier this month Bolduc changed his position again, saying he wasnt sure what happened with the election. I cant say that it was stolen or not. I dont have enough information.)

Reed, the party strategist, said he understood the rationale behind Pences endorsements.

Hes a big picture party guy. And it doesnt surprised me that hes hustling as hard as he is for people who may not be 100% Pencers, he said. By doing these kinds of events, he added, theyre going to take another look at him if he decides to run.

Pences political future is an open question. Trump, who is widely expected to run again, remains deeply popular with Republican primary voters and would almost certainly be an early front-runner for the 2024 nomination. Pence has said his own decision about running will not be influenced by Trump, though allies often voice skepticism that Trump ultimately will end up on the ballot.

Beyond his endorsements, Pence has spent his time since leaving office performing a careful balancing act. He has distanced himself from Trumps most corrosive statements while promoting what he calls the Trump-Pence agenda. Pence, like generations of could-be candidates, has used the primaries as an opportunity to forge new relationships and build goodwill, and continues to align himself with conservative causes. His trips often include college visits and speeches before anti-abortion groups.

Other potential 2024 candidates have campaigned for the Republican cause, including Texas Sen. Ted Cuz, who is on a monthlong, 17-state Take Back America bus tour. Trump has held rallies and finally begun spending a small part of his vast political fortune to help his favored candidates.

I think he and all these guys are out there really helping the Republicans to win back the House and win back the Senate. Its an effort that everybody needs to contribute to, said David McIntosh, president of the influential Club for Growth, who has joined Pence at several events.

McIntosh, who has been at odds with Trump in recent months, said he believes the electorate is moving on from 2020 to whats on the ballot this election. He said candidates such as Masters want to show that theyve got support from all different types of Republicans, everyone thats out there, so theres a unity theme.

Its always been my view, he added, that leaders like that help themselves by helping.

But being popular enough that candidates want to campaign with you is very different from being popular enough to be competitive in a presidential primary, and right now, Pence routinely polls in the single digits, far lower than Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Around here people talk about DeSantis and Trump, said Georgia GOP strategist Brian Robinson, adding that attention is largely focused on the Nov. 8 midterms.

Pences policy group recently held a retreat in Utah at the Montage Deer Valley that was attended by GOP donors such as Matthew J. Bruderman, a New York investor who praised Pences election-year efforts.

Hes been extremely effective and deserves credit for continuing to help elect people who he believes will help advance conservative principles, Bruderman said by email, adding that he would support him or any fiscal conservative of courage and character that wins the nomination in 2024.

Art Pope, another donor who attended the retreat, said he personally would love to see Vice President Pence run in 2024.

Yes there are frictions and there are divisions in the GOP, he said, but the party is uniting behind its nominees now that primaries are over.

Vice President Pence is both benefiting for that unity and helping lead that unification, he said.

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Associated Press writer Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix contributed to this report.

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GOP hopefuls turn to Mike Pence to their broaden appeal before the November election - Chicago Tribune

Tulsi Gabbard Favored Over Mike Pence To Win 2024 GOP NominationBookmakers – Newsweek

Tulsi Gabbard has overtaken former Vice President Mike Pence as third favorite to win the Republican nomination for the 2024 election after leaving the Democratic Party, bookmakers have said.

Gabbard, a former congressman for Hawaii who unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, announced she was leaving the party on Tuesday, branding it an "an elitist cabal of warmongers."

Her comments prompted speculation that she would soon declare her intention to run for president as a Republican candidate, or even join Donald Trump as his running mate for his expected attempt to return to the White House.

According to bookmaker Betfair, Gabbard is now 10-1 to win the GOP nomination for 2024, pushing Pence into fourth place. Trump is still the overwhelming favorite at 11-8, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis second at 12-5.

Betfair's odds on who could be Trump's 2024 running mate suggest DeSantis is the most likely candidate, at 16-5, with Gabbard second at 4-1.

Nikki Haley, a former South Carolina governor and ambassador to the UN, is next on the list with odds of 5-1. Mike Pompeo, who was Trump's secretary of state, is fourth at 13-1.

Trump has repeatedly ruled out any hope that he would ask Pence to be his running mate again. The pair's relationship fell apart in the wake of the January 6 attack on the Capitol.

Betfair spokesperson Sam Rosbottom told Newsweek that Gabbard had "shorter odds than former Vice President Mike Pence, who is 16-1" for the GOP nomination.

He added that the odds of Trump winning the 2024 election with Gabbard as his running mate stood at 50-1.

Despite the speculation that Gabbard plans to switch sides, the former congresswoman has not confirmed that she intends to join the GOP or indeed wants to become the party's next presidential or VP candidate.

Gabbard did speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February and has been heavily critical of President Joe Biden's domestic and foreign polices. She also appeared as a guest host on the Fox News show Tucker Carlson Tonight in August.

In her statement on Tuesday, Gabbard said: "I can no longer remain in today's Democratic Party that is now under the complete control of an elitist cabal of warmongers driven by cowardly wokeness, who divide us by racializing every issue & stoke anti-white racism, actively work to undermine our God-given freedoms, hostile to people of faith & spirituality, demonize the police & protect criminals at the expense of law-abiding Americans, believe in open borders, weaponize the national security state to go after political opponents, and above all, dragging us ever closer to nuclear war."

Gabbard has been contacted for further comment.

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Tulsi Gabbard Favored Over Mike Pence To Win 2024 GOP NominationBookmakers - Newsweek