Former Vice President Mike Pence abandoned his bid for the Republican presidential nomination on Saturday, ending his campaign for the White House after struggling to raise money and gain ground in the polls.
Published on: October 28, 2023 – 9:53 p.m
3 mins
He had little chance, but is the main Republican candidate to throw in the towel so far. Former Vice President of the United States Mike Pence announced on Saturday, October 28, that he is withdrawing his candidacy for the Republican Party’s nomination for the 2024 presidential election.
“I have come to tell you that I have realized: It is not my time,” Mike Pence said at the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) meeting at a convention in Las Vegas, western Nevada.
“After careful consideration and prayer, I have decided to suspend my presidential campaign,” he said.
Despite his legal setbacks, candidate Pence, who struggled with around 3.8% of voting intentions in the polls according to the trade website fivethirtyeight.com, had little chance against his former boss Donald Trump, who is the big favorite in the Republican primaries.
He gave no instructions aimed at supporting this or that other candidate in this speech, which completely surprised his audience but received a standing ovation.
“I am leaving this campaign, but I promise you that I will never give up the fight for conservative values,” he said again.
The eight main candidates for the Republican Party nomination are all scheduled to speak at this weekend rally, including Donald Trump, who is leading the polls, and his closest rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The annual event, where conservative contenders for the Oval Office traditionally solicit financial support, is particularly important this year for the American Jewish community, traumatized by the Hamas attack that left 1,400 dead in Israel on Oct. 7 is.
Trump is destroying the election campaign
Mike Pence, a fierce abortion opponent, helped Donald Trump capture the religious right by being his vice presidential running mate in the 2016 presidential campaign.
After years of unwavering loyalty, he changed his tone after the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, which shook American democracy.
And this 64-year-old evangelical Christian has even decided to challenge his former boss in the 2024 Republican primary.
But the former Indiana governor’s chances quickly appeared slim as Republican activists loyal to the former president deemed him a “traitor.”
This is because Mike Pence, who as Vice President, did not prevent elected officials from certifying Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election, something Donald Trump and his faithful do not forgive him for.
After Mike Pence’s exit, seven major candidates continue to seek the Republican nomination, potentially challenging Democrat Joe Biden, who is up for re-election in November 2024.
Donald Trump is currently crushing the Republican election campaign despite facing multiple lawsuits against him, including a federal trial beginning March 4 in Washington, over his attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
The former president has denounced his legal troubles as “election interference” at the behest of the Biden administration to disqualify him from the race for the White House.
Donald Trump is also being prosecuted in New York state for suspicious payments to a former porn actress and in Florida for his negligent handling of confidential documents after leaving the White House.
Along with several of his children, the Republican billionaire is currently facing a civil lawsuit in New York state court over alleged financial fraud in the management of his real estate empire.
With AFP