Pence stumps for embattled Senate Republicans who helped confirm Amy Coney Barrett

The vice president offers embattled Republicans a less-controversial advocate than Trump, whose star power can eclipse senators completely and potentially draw opposition as well as support.

Pence stumped on Tuesday with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, who finds himself under pressure in South Carolina, and Thom Tillis in North Carolina.

Ernst finds herself locked in a battle for a state that should have been tied up after Trump won it by almost 10 points last time around.

And so, Pence spent much of his speech at a cold and blustery Des Moines airport, praising her work for Iowa and her role in confirming Barrett.

“None of that would have been possible, I got to say it again, without the strong and principled support of both of your senators from the great state of Iowa,” he said to cheers. “But it is one more reason why we need a principled conservative representing Iowa on the Senate Judiciary Committee. We need six more years of Sen. Joni Ernst in the Senate.”

The latest polling suggests a slight advantage for Ernst’s challenger, Theresa Greenfield. A rolling average of polls maintained by RealClearPolitics puts her lead at 1.8 points.

Her emergence brought a huge fundraising boost this month, outraising Ernst by a ratio of 2 to 1.

And Democratic nominee Joe Biden is due to make his first visit to Iowa since the party’s February caucus as his party eyes what might once have seemed an unlikely pickup.

A senior Pence aide said the visits were designed to help senators make up time they lost to attend confirmation hearings, review documents, and vote in Washington on Monday.

“There’s a recognition on the vice president’s part that a number of senators that are in embattled races sacrificed a great deal over the course of the past month to get now Justice Amy Coney Barrett over the finish line,” said the aide. “So, he is doubling down by incorporating visits to their states this week.”

On Tuesday, that meant South Carolina, where he praised Graham for his work in the Senate ushering through the confirmation of Barrett.

“You know, and, of course, I don’t have to tell all of you here in South Carolina, more than 230 federal judges on our courts at every level, including three justices on the Supreme Court, would not have been possible if it weren’t for a man who has been a stalwart, courageous, principled leader: the chairman of the Judiciary Committee in the United States Senate, Sen. Lindsey Graham,” he said.

Later in the day, it was an appearance in North Carolina with Tillis, who trails his Democratic opponent by 6 points, according to the most recent CBS/YouGov poll.

Kevin McLaughlin, executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said Pence was a consummate team player.

“His support for all of our candidates has helped put Senate Republicans in a position to hold the majority, and the support in the battleground states down the stretch will help drive key voters to the polls on Election Day,” he said.

There are also benefits in dispensing campaign favors for a vice president with an eye on a 2024 run for the top job, according to Pence watchers.

Tom LoBianco, Pence biographer and Washington, D.C., correspondent for Business Insider, said the vice president had to make the most of his institutional advantages while he had them.

“That could all evaporate on Nov. 3, or whenever we find out the results. And with the would-be 2024 field getting a bit louder and more crowded, Pence has to work every advantage he has until it disappears,” he said.

But the Pence aide said the trips were purely about securing four more years for Trump.

“This is about ensuring that we are turning out voters not only for President Trump at the top of the ticket but also ensuring that people who come out to these rallies know the role of their respective Republican senators in advancing policies put forth by the administration,” he said.