Mike Pence files papers to launch 2024 US presidential bid

Mike Pence, the former US vice-president, filed paperwork Monday to launch his presidential campaign in 2024, Federal Election Commission documents showed.

Pence, who served as vice president under the Trump administration, is expected to officially begin his campaign for the Republican nomination on Wednesday. The FEC filings were confirmed by a Pence spokesperson.

The former vice president is anticipated to bring a more conventionally conservative perspective into a primary field that has been overshadowed by the populist sermons of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and current front-runner Donald Trump.

Prior to being Trump's running mate in his successful 2016 presidential campaign, Pence, who turns 64 on Wednesday, served more than ten years in the US House and one term as governor of Indiana, solidifying his reputation as a steadfast conservative.

However, as he battles to secure the backing of a party that is still mainly devoted to Trump, he faces some significant obstacles in his bid for the White House.

He has consistently scored in the low- to mid-single digits in polls of the potential primary field, which is better than some of his rivals.

According to CNBC, his campaign is starting up weeks, if not months, later than those of many of his rivals, such as Trump and DeSantis, who are now leading the pack in the polls.

Nonetheless, Pence's split with Trump over the 2020 election made him a target for other Republicans, the report said.

According to a recent Quinnipiac University poll, 35% of Republican registered voters indicated they had a negative opinion of Pence, which is much higher than the ratings given to Trump (11%), DeSantis (5%) and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley (12%).

Trump is still the Republican to beat in the 2024 primary, despite the fact that his support in the Republican establishment appeared to be dwindling after the Capitol riot and the 2022 midterm elections.

According to polls, he is in the lead among potential primary rivals and has a strong hold on the GOP base of voters, which makes up a substantial portion of the electorate.

Prior to announcing his campaign, Pence made a few subtle barbs at his old employer, saying that there would be "better candidates" than Trump in 2024.

Furthermore, he suggested that Trump deserved blame for the GOP’s underperformance in the 2022 midterms. 

“Our candidates that were focused on the past, particularly on relitigating the last election, did not do well,” Pence told CNBC in an apparent reference to Trump, who has made his denial of the 2020 election results a central theme of his 2024 campaign.