News/Commentary

Mike Pence drops out of GOP race, says ‘not my time’ – Trump quick to covet his endorsement

October 29, 2023 | | Print Article

Former Vice President Mike Pence unexpectedly suspended his White House campaign, ending a bid that failed to catch fire with Republican voters.

Pence made his announcement during his remarks at the Republican Jewish Coalition Annual Leadership Summit in Las Vegas, NV on Saturday, bowing out gracefully before he had to suffer the humiliation of not making the cut for the third GOP presidential primary debate next month.

(Video: Grabien)

“Traveling across the country over the past six months, I came here to say it’s become clear to me: this is not my time,” the ex-veep told the stunned crowd. “So, after much prayer and deliberation, I have decided to suspend my campaign for president, effective today.”

“Now, I’m leaving this campaign but let me promise you, I will never leave the fight for conservative values, and I will never stop fighting to elect principled Republican leaders to every office in the land,” he said. “So help me God.”

“You know, we always knew this would be an uphill battle, but I have no regrets. The only thing that would have been harder than coming up short would have been if we’d never tried at all,” Pence told the crowd.

By dropping out of the running, the former Indiana governor is merely acknowledging the obvious which is that his acrimonious split with his one-time boss, former President Donald J. Trump was a deal-killer for much of the party’s base, especially the differences between the two Republicans over the 2020 election and the so-called “insurrection” on January 6, 2021.

Pence struggled mightily in an overly crowded field vying for pole position behind Trump and the writing was probably on the wall with reports last week that the candidate was drawing crowds in the key early-voting state of Iowa that were so meager as to be an embarrassment, with just over a dozen showing up to hear him at a Pizza Ranch restaurant in Red Oak.

In many ways, Pence was his own worst enemy, refusing to moderate his rhetoric regarding Trump and also lashing out at other candidates who have dared to suggest that it’s in the nation’s best interest to put America first.

Despite being all but being blamed for Hamas terrorists’ slaughter of Israeli civilians, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis praised the former vice president after he ran up the white flag.

“Vice President Mike Pence is a principled man of faith who has worked tirelessly to advance the conservative cause. Casey and I appreciate Mike and Karen for their willingness to put themselves forward in this campaign and wish the Pence family well in their next steps,” DeSantis posted to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie also sang the praises of his fellow Trump hater.

“I am beyond grateful for everything Vice President @Mike_Pence has done for this country. He has consistently fought for American values from his time in Congress to his governorship and serving the American people as Vice President,” the blustering candidate said. “Mike Pence stood for the constitution of the United States. He deserves our thanks as Americans for putting his oath of office and the Constitution of the United States before personal and political pressures.”

Former South Carolina governor and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, who like Christie is more loved by the media than GOP voters, also gushed over Pence who she served with during the Trump administration.

But far more weren’t so kind in giving Pence a send-off.

The frontrunner’s take on his former vice president was vintage Trump.

“You know, people are leaving now, and they’re all endorsing me,” he said. “I don’t know about Mike Pence.”

“He should endorse me, you know why? Because I had a great successful presidency and he was the vice president,” Trump added. “He should enforce me. I chose him, made him vice president. But people in politics can be very disloyal. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

GOP candidates not named Trump will now compete for the coveted Pence endorsement as the former candidate will likely be a highly sought-after guest on CNN and other networks, much like former Attorney General Bill Barr who also stabbed Trump in the back.

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Chris Donaldson
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