Pence laughs at ‘RINO’ label, touts ‘most conservative record’ of 2024 field
Julia Johnson
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Former Vice President Mike Pence laughed off claims that he is a “Republican in Name Only,” claiming he has “the most conservative record of anybody” in the 2024 Republican primary race.
Pence joined the popular conservative podcast Ruthless this week, where he expressed concern that former President Donald Trump and others in the Republican Party are deviating from traditionally conservative beliefs.
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According to the Indiana Republican, “I was drawn here because I believe America is the leader of the free world, that we’re the arsenal of democracy, that we defend our freedom by promoting freedom around the world as well. I believe in fiscal responsibility and form and I believe in the sanctity of life.”
On each of those issues, he said, “I see my former running mate and others beginning to shy away from those core Republican issues.”
This, Pence explained, is why he opted to enter the Republican primary contest.
The hosts asked for his thoughts on being criticized as a RINO after being known as one of the most conservative members of the House of Representatives, particularly when it came to fiscal concerns.
“Remember when RINO meant you voted like a Democrat?” he laughed.
He further told the hosts, “I just am not willing to walk by on the other side of the road on a national debt the size of our nation’s economy which is about to go from $32 trillion to $150 trillion in 20 years. And yet, Joe Biden’s policy is insolvency. And frankly, the former president’s policy is identical. He says we’re not even going to talk about [it] entirely.”
“Candidly, we didn’t do as good a job as we should have on controlling domestic spending,” Pence said of the Trump administration, in which he served as vice president.
Pence was then asked about Republican candidates who haven’t said if they would reform Social Security and Medicare. “I think there’s plenty of room to bring about reforms for Americans under the age of 40,” he explained.
He added that Republican voters want to stay on the historic Republican path of fiscal responsibility and reform.
Pence is polling at 7% among potential Republican primary voters, according to Morning Consult.
The former vice president saw a less-than-impressive second quarter fundraising haul after announcing his campaign in June. He also reportedly lacks the 40,000 unique donors required to take the Republican National Committee primary debate stage in August.
To remedy this, Pence’s team is looking to turn contributors to his nonprofit organization, Advancing American Freedom, into donors to his 2024 campaign. He has been a strong fundraiser through direct mail, and the campaign will seek to leverage this going forward, according to the Dispatch.
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Results, however, take longer than with digital fundraising. While the campaign will use direct mail appeals, it will still prioritize donations through online platforms. And, like other candidates, he will make media appearances and frequent social media posts to garner donor interest.
“The rate of unique donations has ticked up with each week,” Pence campaign spokesman Devin O’Malley told the Dispatch. “As that rate increases, so does our level of confidence that he’ll be on that stage.”