Former Vice President Mike Pence announced the suspension of his 2024 Republican presidential campaign Saturday during the annual Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) convention in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“I came here to say it’s become clear to me this is not my time,” Pence said. “So after much prayer and deliberation, I have decided to suspend my campaign for president effective today.”
“You know, we always knew this would be an uphill battle, but I have no regrets,” Pence added. “The only thing that would have been harder than coming up short would have been if we’d never tried at all.”
The former vice president, who launched his 2024 presidential campaign in June, had continued polling in the single digits and struggled to gain significant fundraising support. According to Fox News, Pence struggled to meet the polling and donor threshold requirements for the first two Republican primary debates, and had not yet met the requirements for the next GOP primary debate.
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Sources close to the former vice president told Fox News that Pence’s decision to suspend his 2024 Republican presidential campaign was partially due to concerns that recent fundraising efforts would not be successful enough to meet the donor threshold qualifications for the Republican National Committee’s third debate in Miami, Florida, on Nov. 8.
While Pence acknowledged it is not his time to serve as president of the United States, he said, “I say this is not my time, but it’s still your time. I urge you to hold fast to what matters faith, family, and the Constitution of the United States of America. I’m proud that our campaign stood firm on America’s role as leader of the free world.”
Despite dropping out of the race Saturday, the former vice president has not yet endorsed any of the other Republican presidential candidates.
Instead, while announcing the suspension of his campaign, Pence said, “I urge all my fellow Republicans here, give our country a Republican standard-bearer that will, as Lincoln said, appeal to the better angels of our nature, and not only lead us to victory, but lead our nation with civility back to the time-honored principles that have always made America strong and prosperous and free.”
During a campaign event later the same day in Las Vegas, Trump suggested that Pence should endorse him. “You know why? Because I had a great, successful presidency and he was the vice president,” Trump stated. “He should endorse me. I chose him, made him vice president, but people in politics can be very disloyal.”
