Mike Pence launches 2024 presidential bid in Iowa, saying America is 'in a lot of trouble'

Saying America is "in a lot of trouble," former Vice President Mike Pence publicly kicked off his 2024 presidential campaign in Ankeny Wednesday, officially beginning his bid against his former running mate, Donald Trump.

“I truly do believe in the boundless potential of every American to live the American dream. Traveling around this country over the past two years since I’ve left office, it feels different. Talking to our fellow Americans, I see a weariness on their faces everywhere I go, and I hear it in their voices,” Pence told a crowd of about 250 people at a Des Moines Area Community College venue in the Des Moines suburb. “I don’t have to tell any of you here: This country is in a lot of trouble.”

Pence’s entrance into the race came as no surprise: The former vice president spent months visiting Iowa and laying the groundwork for his widely expected bid.

He joins an increasingly crowded Republican field, led by Trump, the front-runner. Indeed, Pence is one of three Republicans to enter the race this week: former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced his candidacy Tuesday, while North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum announced the same day as Pence.

“We can defend our nation and secure our border, we can revive our economy, put our nation back on the path to a balanced federal budget. We can defend our liberties and give America a new beginning for life,” Pence said. “But it will require new leadership — in the White House and the Republican Party.”

Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison said in a statement that Pence’s candidacy will “no doubt drag an increasingly MAGA 2024 GOP field even further to the extremes.”

Mike Pence rips into Donald Trump over the Jan. 6 insurrection

Pence is inextricably tied to Trump, despite their dramatic split in the waning days of Trump’s presidency.

When Trump demanded Pence use his ceremonial role in presiding over the electoral count to overturn Joe Biden's 2020 presidential win, Pence refused. And crowds of Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 called for Pence's head.

Pence has defended his decision many times in interviews, speeches and in his memoir — and he defended it once again as he launched his campaign.

“The American people deserve to know that on that day, President Trump also demanded that I choose between him and the Constitution. Now, voters will be faced with the same choice,” Pence told the crowd. “I chose the Constitution, and I always will.”

Pence said Trump's attempt to elevate himself over the Constitution disqualifies him from regaining the nation's highest office.

“I believe that anyone who puts themselves over the Constitution should never be president of the United States,” he said. “And anyone who asks someone else to put them over the Constitution should never be president of the United States again.”

However, the events of Jan. 6 may present a challenge for Pence as he tries to build out support in Iowa. Those still loyal to Trump believe Pence betrayed them. And those wanting to move on doubt Pence’s break with his former boss erases four years of serving Trump.

“I think some people will reward him for showing the courage that he summoned on Jan. 6. There will be many that will strike him from the list,” said David Oman, a center-right Republican who co-chaired the Iowa Republican Party from 1985-93. “He has perhaps a more narrow group of people to reach out to.”

After several minutes discussing Jan. 6, Pence turned his focus to policy. He pledged to oppose abortion, to support Ukraine in its defense against Russia, and to “tell the American people the truth” about the national debt crisis — and his proposed changes to Medicare and Social Security.

Does Mike Pence's 'old-school' approach fit into the 2024 Republican Party?

The hallmarks of Pence’s campaign hearken back to an earlier Republican Party.

Pence quotes Ronald Reagan often, calling himself part of the “Reagan revolution.” Pence’s own campaign logo is a simple serif font, reminiscent of Reagan-Bush stickers from 1984.

Pence's presidential launch video, complete with soaring shots of emerald fields and the Statue of Liberty, calls for a "government as good as our people."

"Today, our party and our country need a leader that will appeal, as Lincoln said, to the better angels of our nature," Pence says in a voiceover.

It remains to be seen if Iowa Republicans are interested in "better angels" this presidential cycle.

Both Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the current front-runners in national polling, have led fiery campaigns lambasting the "woke" left and trading insults.

Pence called for more unity and kindness in politics in his Wednesday speech, emphasizing the importance of being a good neighbor and restoring “civility” to America.

“We must resist the politics of personality and the siren song of populism, unmoored from conservative principles,” Pence said. “And we must stand firm on a traditional Republican agenda of a strong national defense, fiscal responsibility, and traditional values that led us to victory in the past and will lead us to victory again.”

Longtime Republican strategist David Kochel told the Des Moines Register that Pence must determine “whether or not he can reset the party and cut that Reagan-esque conservative figure.”

"Or has the party changed so much under Trump to become a grievance party about fighting culture wars?" said Kochel, who worked on campaigns for Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush.

Kochel called Pence an "old-school evangelical candidate." Evangelicals and born-again Christians typically show up to caucus in above-average proportions, making up well over half the electorate.

"In a previous era, before Trump, Mike Pence would be the front-runner right now. Just based on his profile, his voting history, his evangelical credentials, his ability to speak with fluency about the Bible and Christian values," Kochel said. "But that's not the era we're in right now."

What do Iowans think of Mike Pence?

A March Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll found Pence was viewed favorably by 66% of Iowa Republicans and unfavorably by 26%, while 7% were not sure.

His stock among Iowa Republicans dropped substantially since a previous Iowa Poll in June 2020, when 86% viewed him favorably and 7% unfavorably.

Between those polls, Trump has repeatedly attacked Pence for not helping to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

A FiveThirtyEight polling average shows Trump leading the GOP field nationally, with DeSantis trailing by more than 30 percentage points. Pence is a distant third, polling in the single digits but ahead of other candidates in the race.

Attendees of Pence’s Iowa event said they’re undaunted by the odds.

Max Culbertson, a 64-year-old Iowan living north of Davenport, woke up at 3 a.m. and drove to Ankeny to volunteer at Pence's launch event. Culbertson said he believes Pence to be honest and loyal, and he hopes to see Pence rise in the polls following his official debut in the race.

"I think this announcement will probably bring those numbers up, I hope, because now he's fully invested. I think that will speak volumes," Culbertson said.

Marge Delzell, an 83-year-old Sioux City resident, said she's committed to caucusing for Pence, calling him "solid in everything that he stands for." She thinks gaining traction will be a "day-by-day process" for the former vice president.

"He's certainly showed himself to be a very faithful vice president, through some good times and some very difficult times," she said.

Editor's note: A previously published version of this story misspelled Jaime Harrison's name.

Stephen Gruber-Miller, Brianne Pfannenstiel and USA Today contributed reporting.

Katie Akin is a politics reporter for the Register. Reach her at kakin@registermedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @katie_akin.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Mike Pence targets Donald Trump in Iowa presidential campaign launch