With two moves this week that tighten his connection to the GOP conservative establishment and donors and the new generation of Trump voters, former Vice President Mike Pence has quickly put himself in a position to lead the party to victories in 2022 and 2024.
On Thursday, Pence joined the Heritage Foundation as a distinguished visiting fellow for the conservative think tank that he has long had strong ties with. The move will give him access to key policymakers and some of the biggest donors in the party.
Today, he joined Young America’s Foundation as the Ronald Reagan Presidential Scholar, making him a leader and mentor to the nation’s younger generation of conservative voters, especially activists brought into the party by Pence’s former boss, former President Donald Trump. They have offered him a video podcast and a regular op-ed targeting younger voters.
Young America’s Foundation has been a bulwark of the Conservative Movement, advancing the cause of freedom and ensuring our future leaders embrace America’s founding principles and I am honored to join @yaf as the Ronald Reagan Presidential Scholar. ?? https://t.co/BgAHX0YfST
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) February 5, 2021
His team also said that the former Indiana governor will work to restore Republican majorities in the House and Senate and expand the number of conservative governors, an effort that should bring him support from winning candidates to a presidential bid. And he’s expected to create a group to raise money for conservatives.
A GOP adviser said that in teaming with Heritage and YAF, Pence is returning to his roots in the movement and foreshadowing a path of merging traditional conservatism with Trump’s base.
Moving now with his political plans allows Pence to break away a bit from what is expected to be a crowd of 2024 presidential contenders, including senators, governors, and former Trump aides such as former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley. Pompeo has already begun reaching out to GOP officials in early primary states.
Pence to Join Heritage Foundation, Write Column for Daily Signal https://t.co/1y3ebxzYzJ pic.twitter.com/TUXyIdW6mG
— The Daily Signal (@DailySignal) February 4, 2021
Trump is also mulling a bid, and his candidacy could disrupt the race. But waiting for him to make up his mind isn’t an option for others eager to establish themselves as front-runners, said a former Trump administration aide.
Pence’s circle believes that he is the rightful heir to the Trump legacy. He was loyal to Trump and took on some of the heaviest lifts, including running the coronavirus task force, paving the way for Trump to become the most pro-life president ever, and bringing evangelicals to the president.
His more Reaganesque style was also rewarded with better approval polling than Trump’s, though base voters appear to prefer a more aggressive posture.
He was also criticized sharply by some of Trump’s supporters for not trying to interfere with the Senate debate on approving the 2020 Electoral Vote count, a day that saw violent crowds break into the U.S. Capitol and force Pence out of his chair in the Senate.
But those close to the former vice president do not believe that most of the GOP base is angry with him.
Today’s announcement from YAF indicated that the 61-year-old is popular with younger voters.
Spokesman Spencer Brown told Secrets, “For the last six decades, YAF has led the conservative movement in reaching America’s youth with freedom’s principles. In achieving our mission, YAF has been honored to partner with principled leaders, helping them reach the rising generation with the ideas of individual freedom, limited government, a strong national defense, and traditional values. This new partnership announced today builds upon a longstanding relationship with Vice President Mike Pence and continues a tradition started by YAF in the 1970s when we sponsored Ronald Reagan’s nationally syndicated radio program.”
