Mike Pence Suspends GOP Presidential Campaign

Former Vice President Mike Pence suspended his 2024 presidential campaign on Saturday.

The Details: The GOP hopeful unexpectedly announced his decision during a speech at the Republican Jewish Coalition Conference in Las Vegas. Pence, who has struggled with fundraising recently, reportedly was concerned he would not qualify for the next GOP debate. Pence vowed to back the eventual GOP nominee.

For Context: Pence, who served as VP for current GOP front-runner, Former President Donald Trump, broke from Trump’s platform in 2020, condemning Trump’s January 6, 2021 course of action, and taking different stances towards abortion, Social Security, and Medicare. All eight major Republican presidential candidates were present at the conference, where Pence made his announcement.

Key Quote: “After much prayer and deliberation, I have decided to suspend my campaign for president. 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, so help me God,” said Pence in his announcement. He also added, “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.”

How The Media Covered It: Media across the spectrum emphasized the surprise nature of the Pence’s announcement. CNN (Lean Left bias) offered some analysis, saying Pence’s exit shows today’s GOP has been reshaped by Trump, diverting from traditional conservatism.