Mike Pence Suspends 2024 Presidential Campaign

Former Vice President Mike Pence announced that he is dropping out of his campaign bid for the Republican presidential nomination. He delivered the news during the Republican Jewish Coalition conference in Las Vegas on Saturday.

“The Bible tells us that there’s a time for every purpose under heaven. 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. So after much prayer and deliberation, I have decided to suspend my campaign for president effective today,” Pence said. It appeared to be a surprise to the audience, who audibly gasped, when he told those gathered at the Venetian resort on the Las Vegas strip.

“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 fighthing to elect principled Republican leaders to every office in the land,” he added, eliciting cheers and a lot of clapping from those in attendance.

Pence first entered the 2024 race in June, joining a crowded field of Republicans, which includes his former boss Donald Trump. With Pence’s departure, there are now nine major candidates left vying to be the 2024 Republican presidential nominee.

Pence has stood by his decision to certify the 2020 election results showing President Biden’s win while also defending Trump’s actions on Jan. 6. The former vice president has also campaigned on religious conservative issues, including supporting stricter limits on abortion, but his approach has struggled to shore up money for his campaign and he has not gained traction in the polls, which continue to be led by Trump. It is unclear if Pence will give his support to one of the other remaining Republican candidates vying for the party’s nomination.

Pence made the announcement at the three-day conference, which is being attended by all the major Republican candidates, including his former boss Trump.