Mike Pence jumped into the Republican presidential race last week, banking on the fact that Americans will unite behind a different kind of leadership in 2024. But that won’t be enough for him to win.
It’s the first time in modern history that a former vice president will run against the president he served. And he’s doing it against one of the most unpredictable and combative opponents I’ve ever seen, Donald Trump.
I covered Pence on a daily basis for five years — during his gubernatorial run and four years as governor — and I’m not sure he has the stomach for the kind of fight Trump will make it.
He’s too nice, frankly, to dish anything back. Ironically, his integrity is a positive for a candidate facing Trump but could hold him back if he isn’t willing to stand up to him. Politely, of course.
Pence simply can’t say nothing about Trump. He needs to address head-on where Trump may have failed, how to avoid that in the future and how his presidency would be different.
On his launch day, Pence appeared ready to do so, saying, “President Trump? He described Vladimir Putin as a genius at the outset of the invasion … I know the difference between a genius and war criminal. America must always stand for freedom, and when I’m your president, we will.”
There is no doubt that Pence has the pedigree to be president. After all, he has been building it for decades — always looking at the next office.
Of the 43 presidents to date, 17 had experience as a governor before taking over the presidency. The first was Thomas Jefferson, elected in 1800, and the most recent was George W. Bush, elected 200 years later.
The vice presidency also brings legitimacy to a run, though not a promise of success.
Nineteen of the 49 vice presidents of the United States have attempted a run for the presidency after being elected vice president. But only six have been elected. Those six were John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Martin Van Buren, Richard Nixon, George H.W. Bush and most recently, Joe Biden.
While governor from 2013-2017, Pence practiced what he considered “servant leadership.”
“I urge you to be servant leaders, driven by a calling to support and to serve others — not by selfish ambition — as the animating force of your career,” Pence told students at the National Student Leadership Conference in 2017.
In terms of governance, that meant he was deferential to the Indiana General Assembly, even when he was the top elected official in the state.
During one infamous press event with Pence, the Statehouse press corps spent more than 20 minutes trying to get him to explain how a business property tax cut would work. One after another, he avoided the question and laid it on legislators’ laps.
Pence had goals and vision, but few specific proposals and plans as governor.
That simply won’t work in a dysfunctional Washington, D.C. If he were to become president, Pence would have to adopt a different style.
And he should start as a candidate.
I hope he and others focus on real solutions that will help Americans, not pipe dreams or continued culture war issues. What would he do specifically to combat inflation? What is his plan for Social Security and Medicare? How will he reduce the nation’s debt without hurting Americans in the process?
Pence has to find a way to get people excited about a run. Heck, even Hoosiers are ho-hum about his bid, as evidenced by Trump easily out-polling him here.
My final bit of advice for Pence is to loosen up. Many people tell me he is funny, though I rarely saw it. His stern facial expressions are meme-worthy. His campaign would do well to encourage some more genuine interaction with voters.
National pollster Christine Matthews likened him to Al Gore, adopting a stiff public persona and not letting many people see his funny, easygoing side.
“That would be a pretty significant reinvention,” she said. “When Donald Trump would give speeches and Mike Pence was at his side, I mean, he would sit there like a statue… not conveying any emotion whatsoever. I don’t see that changing. I don’t see all of a sudden he becomes a loose and funny guy on the campaign trail.”
Niki Kelly is editor-in-chief of indianacapitalchronicle.com, where this commentary first appeared. She has covered Indiana politics and the Indiana Statehouse since 1999 for publications including the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette. Send comments to [email protected].
