Former Vice President Mike Pence launched his 2024 presidential campaign Wednesday by vowing to restore an American Dream that is being “crushed” by runaway inflation and a host of other problems.
Mr. Pence’s long-expected entrance into the race puts him on a collision course with his former boss, ex-President Donald Trump, who is the front-runner in the GOP primary. The former vice president did not dwell on their former partnership, which soured dramatically after their loss in 2020.
“We can turn this country around. But different times call for different leadership,” Mr. Pence says in his launch video. “Today our party and our country need a leader that will appeal, as Lincoln said, ’To the better angels of our nature.’”
Mr. Pence used his launch to focus on his roots in the American heartland as the grandson of an Irish immigrant. He also said the nation must confront a series of problems.
“Today, our country is in a lot of trouble. President Joe Biden and the Radical Left have weakened America at home and abroad,” Mr. Pence says. “The American Dream is being crushed under runaway inflation, wages are dropping, recession is looming, our southern border is under siege, and the enemies of freedom are on the march around the world. And worse still, timeless American values are under assault as never before.”
The launch video, which lasts nearly three minutes, leans into American imagery such as a bald eagle, the Statue of Liberty, vast farms and the Grand Canyon.
It pivots to footage that shows Mr. Pence as a hands-on leader who stared down Russian President Vladimir Putin and visited the southern border, while depicting Mr. Biden as out of touch and focused on ice cream.
Mr. Pence joins a crowded GOP field that is only getting larger. Mr. Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are the clear front-runners in polling, but former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie joined this week and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum announced he will run for president. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson are also making waves.
The Democratic National Committee says the unfolding primary will be a race to extremes to satisfy Mr. Trump’s MAGA base.
“This field might be getting more crowded, but every single contender is peddling the same brand of extremism that the American people have rejected again and again,” Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison said.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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