Mike Pence tours Iowa state fair in search of votes – but who is his candidacy aimed at?
Mike Pence tours Iowa state fair in search of votes – but who is his candidacy aimed at?
Few think the former VP can win the Republican nomination. One analyst says he may only want to rehabilitate his image
His "candidacy" is to have his living expenses covered for another year while squirreling away enough cash so he doesn't ever have to be an AM radio talk show host again.
33Well, I can think of one Fly that will vote for him...
5
Chris Christie had a great quote about the Republican field: "why are you going to drink new coke when you still have the option of coke classic?" He's the only one of this field saying the emperor has no clothes and for the life of me I don't know what any of these other yahoos are doing in the race. It's Trump's party now and not even him going to jail will change that in their eyes.
18Well, that well could be the endgame.
If enough stars align that Trump becomes ineligible to run again, he looks a lot more compelling. Take Trump off the ballot and you're going to end up with a lot of the candidates outbatshitting each other trying to fill the Trump hole, both fragmenting that bloc, and driving away the Never Trump voters. I suspect a candidate like Pence also resonates more with lifelong social-conservative Republicans than the 4chan shitpost-a-goon-into-the-White-House crowd. He could end up getting the nomination in a brokered convention as "least objectionable option".
If the Trump train is derailed enough that treason goes out of style, "I personally refused to sacrifice the Republic" is a good look. They'll want to disassociate from the January 6 crowd as much as possible to avoid long-term damage.
9
His candidacy is aimed at billionaire mega donors. No one among republican voter base will ever vote for him since they see him as a traitor. Democrat voters won’t touch pence with a 10 foot pole, all thanks to his track record.
His only hope is he sticks around long enough to be picked again as a VP candidate by the likes of DeathSantis or anyone else to secure the evangelical vote. That’s all his candidacy is for.
14Yea, almost all the republicans hate him. And the democrats hate him. He'll never be president. I don't know what he is thinking.
11Jesus is such a dick for trolling him into running. He's been laughing at him this whole time.
10
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Then, with a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead and settling on his cheek on a hot August day, Pence told reporters that he was the “most qualified candidate” and “most consistent conservative in the field” for the Republican nomination for US president in 2024.
The episode offered a stark reminder that Pence, once loyal to the point of sycophancy, now stands accused of treachery by supporters of former president Donald Trump over his refusal to overturn their defeat by Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
Filed earlier this month by special counsel Jack Smith, the indictment documents Trump’s many attempts to pressure Pence to disrupt the certification process on January 6.
Although constitutional experts agree that Pence had no authority to challenge the election results, his role in certifying Trump’s defeat has won him few fans with Republican voters, 70% of whom believe Biden’s win was illegitimate.
Pence used his platform at the Iowa state fair – a rite of passage for candidates to gorge on fried food and woo middle America – to defend his actions in protecting the constitution, affirm a hawkish approach foreign policy and endorse cutting welfare benefits in the name of fiscal responsibility.
Wearing checked shirt, blue jeans and brown boots, the white-haired Pence, once described by Trump as “central casting”, looked the part of a Republican candidate from another era.
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8Mother
4Suburban homeowners who find Trump to rude to vote for in the primary.
3He thinks he can target the religious right vote, but its a shrinking minority and most have gone all in on Trump.
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