Former United States Vice President Mike Pence has filed for his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race despite being poised as a likely winner of the Republican primary.
The lawmaker has a resume that most White House hopefuls could dream of, including experience as a congressman, a governor of a big Midwestern state, and a one-time stint as vice president.
Mike Pence Suspends Presidential Campaign
However, these factors no longer have the same impact amid former United States President Donald Trump's continued rise to fame within the GOP. Additionally, Pence's decision to retire his campaign comes more than two months from the first content in the Republican primary.
Pence clarified his intentions during a surprise announcement on Saturday in Las Vegas where he and several other GOP presidential hopefuls spoke at a summit. The Republican Jewish Coalition sponsored the event.
Despite the announcement only coming in now, many have seen Pence's campaign for the presidency being dead years before it officially began, in the days leading up to Jan. 6, 2021. That was the time when Trump desperately tried to hold onto power and was convinced that the former vice president was able to reject the election results, as per the Associated Press.
Pence spent four years as Trump's loyal defender, but he was suddenly cast as a traitor after he did not follow through with his former boss' demands. He was targeted by rioters who stormed the Capitol building as some of them chanted, "Hang Mike Pence!"
Angry Trump supporters also crossed Pence's name off their "Trump-Pence" yard signs or shoved them deep into the ground to bury his name in the dirt. While the issue later became less salient as the campaign continued, the former vice president was heckled and booed at times.
A GOP donor from North Carolina who supported Pence's campaign, Art Pope, said that from the very start, he believed that supporters knew that the challenge was going to be some of the hardcore Trump supporters never forgiving the former vice president for upholding the Constitution on Jan. 6, 2021.
Donald Trump's Influence Within the GOP
During his speech announcing the withdrawal, Pence said that after spending the last six months traveling across the United States, he realized this was not his time. Despite stepping down from the race, the former vice president did not endorse any of the remaining candidates, according to Politico.
Instead, the lawmaker urged the GOP to give the U.S. a Republican standard-bearer to "appeal to the better angels of our nature." He added that the new leader should not only lead them to victory but also lead the nation with civility back to the time-honored principles that have always made the nation strong, prosperous, and free.
In a statement, Pence said that they had always known that the road would be uphill and added that he had no regrets. The development makes the former vice president the first major Republican presidential hopeful to suspend his campaign in a race led by Trump, said BBC.
