Las Vegas, Nevada – Former Vice President Mike Pence announced Saturday that he will suspend his 2024 Republican presidential campaign.
“I’m here to say that it’s become clear that now is not my time,” Pence said in a surprise announcement at the annual Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) convention.
“So, after much prayer and consideration, I have decided to discontinue my presidential campaign as of today.”
The former vice president did not endorse any other candidate in the race for the 2024 Republican nomination.
President Trump and 2024 rivals express ‘unity’ with Israel at key Republican conferences in key early voting states
Pence will withdraw his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination and end his campaign for the White House. “After much prayer and consideration, I have decided to suspend my presidential campaign starting today,” he said in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
The former vice president launched his 2024 election campaign in early June. He spent much of the summer and fall campaigning in key early voting states like Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, but his bid for the White House never materialized.
The latest poll ranks Pence in the mid-to-low single digits, and his fundraising has been modest. The former vice president struggled, but ultimately succeeded in reaching the polling and donor threshold to qualify for the first two Republican presidential nominating debates. But as of Saturday, he had not yet met the criteria to take the stage at the third debate next month.
Pence’s political associates told Fox News that his final decision to withdraw from the race was due to recent fundraising efforts that will qualify him for the Nov. 8 debate in Miami. One of the reasons for this was that concerns that the standards would not be met were not dispelled.
“You know, we always knew this was going to be an uphill battle, but I have no regrets. I think the only thing that kept me any closer was not trying at all,” Pence told the crowd. Told. At the RJC’s annual leadership conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, he announced that he was ending his bid for the White House.
Pence takes aim at Trump and other Republican ‘copycats’ who have distanced themselves from conservatism
“I say this is not my time, but it’s your time. I urge you to hold fast to what’s important in your faith, your family, and the Constitution of the United States,” Pence said to the applause and cheering crowd. ” I am proud that our campaign stood firm on America’s role as the leader of the free world. ”
And Pence has urged the Republican Party to return to its conservative roots and resist what he has repeatedly called the “siren song of populism” within the party, which has been dramatically reshaped by his running mate, former President Donald Trump. made the final appeal.
“From his time in Congress to his time as governor and vice president, Mike Pence has been a steadfast friend and champion of defense of Israel and the Jewish community,” RJC CEO Matt Brooks told Fox News. He was an important ally.” In the fight against anti-Semitism. ”
“He always answered the phone, he was always a great friend, and I think that was reflected in the reaction from the crowd,” Brooks emphasized.
Pence officially announced his candidacy for president on June 7, 2023 in Ankeny, Iowa. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
Trump, the leading candidate for the Republican nomination for the White House for a third consecutive year, and all of his potential 2024 rivals spoke at the RJC leadership conference.
Trump, who spoke about 25 minutes after Pence, did not mention the news of the former vice president’s withdrawal from the 2024 campaign.
Hours later, at a campaign event in Las Vegas, Trump said Pence “should support me. You know why? Because I was a very successful president and he was vice president.” he said.
But he added: “Politicians can be very dishonest.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also spoke immediately after the former vice president and did not mention Pence’s breaking news.
In a statement hours later, DeSantis said Pence was “a principled man of faith who has worked tirelessly to advance the cause of conservatism.”
But the next speaker after DeSantis, former U.N. ambassador and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, began her speech by praising Pence.
“First, I want to make a special point about Vice President Mike Pence. He was a great man of faith and a great servant. He fought for America and he fought for Israel. And we all owe him a debt of gratitude.” Haley said to applause from the crowd.
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott spoke at the RJC conference earlier in the day. But after Pence suspended his campaign, Scott said in a statement: “The Vice President is a prayer partner, a friend, and a man of integrity and deep convictions. The Republican Party is stronger today because of Mike’s leadership.” said.
Pence is a former conservative congressman and governor of Indiana when President Trump nominated him as his running mate in 2016. Pence served as President Trump’s loyal vice president for four years.
However, on January 6, 2021, right-wing extremists, including some who chanted “hang Mike Pence,” aimed at overturning Congress’ certification of President Biden’s Electoral College victory, which Pence was overseeing. The situation changed when the sect stormed the U.S. Capitol.
More than two years have passed since the fall of the Trump administration, and the distance between the former president and vice president has deepened. Pence criticized his former boss by name when discussing Trump’s claims that Pence could have overturned the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Pence called the deadly attack on the Capitol “tragic” and “disgraced the millions of people who have supported our cause across the country.” He stressed that he had done the “right thing” and fulfilled his “constitutional obligations.” He has also mentioned multiple times that he and President Trump may never “see eye to eye on that day.”
Former Vice President Mike Pence, who suspended his 2024 Republican presidential campaign on October 28, filed to be included in New Hampshire’s Republican presidential primary on October 13, 2023 at the state capitol in Concord, New Hampshire. . (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
But die-hard Trump supporters have never forgiven Pence, viewing him as a traitor for refusing to reject the 2020 election results.
Pence is the first vice presidential candidate to run against his former boss in 80 years. The last attempt was by then-Vice President John Nance Garner, who unsuccessfully challenged President Franklin Roosevelt in the 1940 election.
Mr. Pence used his stump speech to tout the policy successes of the Trump-Pence administration, but his tone and delivery contrasted sharply with the controversial former president.
“People across the country want us to restore civility in political debate,” Pence said. “You can disagree without being offended. People who know me know that I take very strong positions. I’m conservative, but I don’t feel bad about it. .”
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie also preceded Pence in addressing the audience at the RJC meeting on Saturday, thanking Vice President Mike Pence for all he has done for this country. He said in a statement that it was beyond his expectations. He has fought for American values from his time in Congress to his time as governor and serving the American people as vice president. ”
“Mike Pence was a voice for the Constitution of the United States, and he deserves our gratitude as Americans for putting his oath of office and the Constitution above personal and political pressure,” Christie said.
Two weeks ago, Pence hinted at a difficult campaign.
On October 13, when Pence applied to have his name listed as a leading party candidate in New Hampshire, he said, “There are a number of things that other campaigns have more money than ours.” “It may become clear in the day, but it’s not about the money. It’s about the votes.” -National presidential primary vote.
“We’re going to do everything we can to marshal our resources,” Pence said. But he acknowledged that “we probably need to be a little more careful about where we invest our resources.”
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Pence is the first Republican presidential candidate to withdraw from the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
Four lesser-known candidates who failed to qualify for the debate had already suspended their campaigns.
Will Hurd, former CIA officer and former Texas congressman, Francis Suarez, mayor of Miami, Florida, Perry Johnson, business leader and quality control expert, and 2021 California gubernatorial recall candidate They include former conservative talk radio host Larry Elder.
FOX News’ Kellyanne Jones and James Levinson contributed to this report
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