Former Vice President Mike Pence has formed a political action committee, Committed to America, to support his potential bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. The super PAC will be led by Scott Reed, campaign manager of Bob Dole's 1996 presidential run and former eight-term US Representative Jeb Hensarling.
Despite extensive groundwork for a presidential run that includes visiting early-voting states, giving policy speeches, and promoting an autobiography, Pence remains in the lower tier of candidates in early polling. He holds only 6% support in the RealClearPolitics average of recent GOP primary polls—trailing behind Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is expected to enter the race soon.
The initial focus of Committed to America will be on Iowa with its first-in-the-nation GOP caucuses and evangelical voters likely aligned with Pence. The group aims to build a positive image for him while distancing him from Trump's attacks without explicitly criticizing his former boss. "The super PAC is hoping to follow Gov. Brian Kemp's successful gubernatorial campaign in Georgia when it comes to investments in voter contact," said Mike Ricci, communications director for then-Speaker Paul Ryan and Gov. Larry Hogan (R-MD).
Pence plans on casting himself as a "classical conservative" returning the Republican Party back to its pre-Trump roots—a stark contrast against both Trump's populist New Right stance and DeSantis' policies framing the Republican 2024 race.
With hawkish foreign-policy views at odds with some segments of the GOP establishment underlining his platform essentials—including an end-of-Federal Reserve dual mandate—Pence considers national bans after both six weeks’ gestation or fifteen weeks’ gestation as starting points worth supporting.
As Committed To America prepares outreach strategies across all 99 counties within Iowa—an epicenter of evangelical voters—Pence's potential candidacy hinges on successfully differentiating himself from key competitors Trump and DeSantis.