Mike Pence files to run for president

Mike Pence has filed to run for president in 2024, officially setting up a showdown between the Republican Party’s most recent president and vice president as he and former President Trump seek the GOP nomination.

Pence, who had telegraphed for months that he would likely enter the race, will have to overcome Trump’s strength with the Republican primary electorate and convince voters he is a better choice than the man he spent four years cheerleading before their relationship fractured after the 2020 election.

The former vice president is slated to  launch his campaign on Wednesday with an event in Iowa, which will be followed that evening by a CNN town hall in Des Moines.

Pence joins a growing field of candidates but enters the race with some of the strongest name recognition of any Republican after serving as vice president in the Trump administration for four years. He previously served as a congressman and as governor of Indiana, and his team believes his lengthy conservative track record will resonate with voters focused on the issues.

He is backed by a super PAC, Committed to America, which launched in mid-May and is co-chaired by former Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) and veteran GOP consultant Scott Reed. The group's executive director is Bobby Saparow, who managed Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s (R) successful reelection campaign in 2022.

Pence is con...