DES MOINES, Iowa — When Vice President Mike Pence arrived at Westkirk Church in Des Moines, Iowa, on Friday, his mission was to hear how faith leaders planned to return to normal services as coronavirus restrictions are lifted.

But as he crisscrosses the country highlighting work to reopen the country, his official visits are taking him to Midwest manufacturing centers, faith communities, Main Street businesses, and battleground states that will decide November’s election. And there is a longer-term benefit for a figure assumed to have 2024 presidential ambitions.