For the past three Labor Day breaks, Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen, have vacationed in central Vermont with little fanfare and little notice.
It’s what anyone would expect in a state that 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton beat President Trump and Pence by a nearly 2-to-1 ratio in 2016.
But this year, the Pences saw something different as boats with Trump-Pence flags passed by the house on Lake Hortonia where they were staying and small crowds gathered to wave at their motorcade and when Air Force Two took off from Rutland Southern Vermont Regional Airport in Clarendon, Vermont.
“Boats just kept going by the lake house,” Karen Pence told Secrets. “It was really a surprise for us … It was pretty exciting.”
She added, “It was Labor Day. That’s Day One of campaign season.”
VP @Mike_Pence leaves #Vt after holiday weekend getaway- @ErinBrownNews reports https://t.co/KFFZzlWtt5 pic.twitter.com/f8lzxrKe4x
— Channel 3 News (@wcax) September 7, 2020
“To have the popularity of the vice president come into our hometown felt really good,” Dan Maglione told WCAX. “I think it’s a real good, uplifting feeling in times as bad as we’re in right now with the COVID and so much unrest in the country gives people hope that little towns like Rutland, Vermont are able to feel a moment of peace.”
Like her husband, Pence has been hitting the campaign trail with greater regularity, recently focusing on congressional races.
“The campaign is going great. We’re go, go, go,” she said.
“We always love the campaign. It’s a time when you see so much enthusiasm, whatever side you’re on,” she said. “For us, it’s nice to hear people say, ‘We’re with you, we’re behind you, keep fighting.’”
This year has brought new campaign rules because of the coronavirus, and the Pences are making changes so that they don’t cause any problems.
“We’re figuring out how to do it,” she said. For example, at one recent event, she had 100 people sign up to attend, but the crowd size was limited to 50 by the coronavirus regulations, so they added a second room. Lots of fundraisers are also shifting to Zoom.
“We just do what we can. We want to be safe. We don’t want to be part of the problem,” Pence said.
