Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) encouraged former Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday to declare a 2024 presidential bid sooner rather than later.
“Well, I would love to see him announce very soon,” Ernst said on The Hill on NewsNation.
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Pence will join GOP candidates Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley at the lawmaker’s annual “Roast and Ride” event in Des Moines, Iowa, on June 3, along with entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR).
“I think he will be riding a motorcycle with us as well,” Ernst said about the event, which will host a motorcycle ride and a roast at the state fairgrounds. “He will be taking the stage.”
Earlier in May, Pence’s allies launched a super PAC, Committed to America, raising donations to support his expected 2024 candidacy.
“We’re going to organize Iowa, all 99 counties, like we’re running him for county sheriff,” super PAC co-chair and GOP consultant Scott Reed said.
Pence has discussed rumors about his presidential bid recently, telling NBC News that if he enters the race he will “talk about American leadership in the world.”
Republican presidential hopefuls have campaigned frequently in Iowa, a state where former President Donald Trump remains popular.
An Emerson College survey from last week showed 49% of Republican Iowa voters support Trump in 2024, with DeSantis at 20%, and Pence and Haley behind the front-runners tied at 5% each.
Ernst, who has supported Trump’s agenda in the past, has said the Republican Party is “so much more than Donald Trump,” in an interview on Tuesday.
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Pence attended Ernst’s annual Iowa event in 2017, saying he is an “avid Harley-Davidson rider,” in a Tweet announcing his attendance.
“He is beloved by many Iowans as well, so we’ll see, but sooner is better,” Ernst said.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Ernst’s team for a comment.
