NEW YORK –
Former Vice President Mike Pence has become increasingly brazen in his desire to oppose former President Donald Trump.
The two will hold dueling events in Arizona on Friday as they battle for rival candidates who offer dramatically different visions for a critical battleground state Republican Party. Days later, their paths would cross again as they delivered major speeches on the same day in Washington, DC
The meetings mark a more confrontational phase in the strained relationship between the former teammates and onetime close confidants, who could soon find themselves running against each other in the 2024 GOP presidential primary if both ultimately decide to apply.
“I think it’s a continuation of the larger message that Pence is trying to embody here, which is that the Republican Party needs to look to the future,” said Scott Jennings, a longtime party strategist. “That’s going to be the existential question for the Republican Party: Are we going to listen to a slightly different point of view than Donald Trump’s?” Right now, the standard bearer for that is Mike Pence.”
That description marks a remarkable turnaround for Pence, who spent his four years in the White House as Trump’s staunchest defender. But Trump turned on his vice president when Pence refused to acquiesce to his unconstitutional effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election, putting Pence in the crosshairs of a violent mob on Jan. 6.
Now Pence, who has repeatedly defended his actions that day, is making a more active effort to shape the party’s future. This week, Pence endorsed Karyn Taylor Robeson in Arizona’s Republican gubernatorial primary, opposing Trump, who has endorsed Kari Lake, a former news anchor who embraced Trump’s campaign lies.
“As Arizona Democrats pursue the reckless Biden-Harris agenda, Karyn Taylor Robeson is the only gubernatorial candidate who will keep Arizona’s border secure and streets safe, empower parents and create great schools and promote conservative values Pence said in a statement announcing his decision.
Pence has endorsed Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, a top Trump target who easily defeated the former president’s handpicked challenger this spring. But Pence’s move in Arizona showed a willingness to enter a tighter, more open race in alliance with the state’s outgoing GOP governor, Doug Ducey, who also rejected Trump’s efforts to cancel the election.
Pence plans to campaign with Robeson in Phoenix and southern Arizona on Friday — the same day Trump is scheduled to headline a Prescott Valley lake rally that was rescheduled after the death of his first wife, Ivana Trump. Matt Benson, a spokesman for Robeson’s campaign, said Pence will attend an event at a local employer as well as a border security briefing while in the state.
A Trump spokesman did not respond to requests for comment on the developments.
Trump and Pence will cross paths again next week as the former president returns to the nation’s capital for the first time since leaving the White House. Pence will address the Conservative Heritage Foundation on Monday night and speak at the Young America Foundation’s annual National Conservative Student Conference on Tuesday morning. That afternoon, Trump will headline a two-day summit hosted by the America First Policy Institute and deliver what organizers said was a policy-focused speech.
Pence will also use his speech to the Heritage Foundation to highlight the policy agenda he laid out earlier this year and talk about the future of the party, according to aides. The remarks are expected to offer an implicit contrast to Trump, who has spent much of his energy since leaving office re-discussing the 2020 election.
Pence urged Republicans to move on, even as he continued to tout the achievements of what he often described as the Trump-Pence administration during his frequent appearances.
Pence also met privately on Wednesday with the House Republican Select Committee, the traditionally conservative caucus he once led as a member of Congress, to discuss his policy agenda. During the meeting, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, thanked Pence for his actions on Jan. 6, according to a person familiar with the exchange, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the closed-door meeting. Pence also pledged to help the GOP in the midterms and in 2024, though he did not specifically say what role he intended to play.
He then headed to South Carolina for a speech at a South Carolina Baptist church to discuss the “post-Roe world” after the Supreme Court struck down constitutional protections for abortion, a position he has long championed.
Pence’s efforts come as Trump prepares to launch a third campaign for the White House as early as this summer as he faces a flurry of investigations into his efforts to cling to power. That includes the Jan. 6 House committee, which on Thursday will hold another prime-time hearing, this time focusing on Trump’s refusal to cancel the angry mob that stormed the Capitol and prompted Pence and other lawmakers to hide.
While polls show Trump remains the overwhelming favorite in a hypothetical GOP primary, Mark Short, Pence’s former chief of staff and top adviser, argued that even if Trump does announce a run, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be in the running. the ballot in two years.
“As the committee winds down, I’m sure he’s looking for a reset to put the spotlight back on him. And an announcement doesn’t necessarily mean a commitment at the end of that process to move forward,” Short said. “I don’t think there’s any doubt that the president enjoys being the center of attention. And the announcement puts even more media focus on him.”
Meanwhile, Trump continued to criticize Pence for refusing to go along with his scheme to stay in power. At a gathering of evangelical Christians in Nashville, Tennessee, last month, Trump again said Pence “doesn’t have the guts to act,” drawing cheers.
When it comes to a potential race, Trump doesn’t see Pence as a threat, according to allies who are far more enamored with Ron DeSantis. The Florida governor is increasingly seen by conservatives as a natural and younger successor to Trump’s MAGA movement, who can channel the same anger but with less baggage.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday predicted Trump would face competition in 2024 if he enters the race.
“I think we’re going to have a crowded field for president,” he told reporters.
Asked if Pence should run, Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, a frequent critic of Trump, said it was up to Pence, who said he would decide after the midterms. “The more the merrier,” Romney said.
Meanwhile, Jennings praised Pence for being willing to stand up to Trump when so many others in the party still refuse to cross him.
“What Mike Pence is doing is extremely valuable. And whether he’s a viable candidate for president, I don’t know. But he’s certainly earned the right to make the case for a post-Trump future,” Jennings said.
“He could be someone else’s John the Baptist,” he added. “Headless, but remembered well.”
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Associated Press writers Farnoosh Amiri and Alan Frahm in Washington and Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix contributed to this report.
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