On Wednesday, former Vice President Mike Pence is anticipated to enter the growing field of 2024 Republican presidential candidates, pitting him against his former boss and running mate, former President Donald Trump.

But if he wishes to defeat Trump, the current party frontrunner, for the nomination, he faces an uphill battle.

“Pence, who turns 64 on June 7, has continued to embrace many of Trump’s policies while portraying himself as an even-keeled and consensus-oriented alternative. He has also appealed more directly to the evangelical Christian community,” Salem Radio Network (SRN) News reported Wednesday, adding that former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, himself a 2016 presidential contender, was set to enter the race, too.

Other reports indicate that Christie will make an announcement next week, most likely on Tuesday. “According to a person familiar with Burgum’s plans, he intends to enter the race on the same day as Pence,” SRN News added.

Trump is unquestionably the party’s leading candidate thus far, polling well above 50 percent in most surveys, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who declared his candidacy only last week, trailing far behind. Pence is presently polling at approximately 4 percent, according to the average of RealClearPolitics polls. Trump, on the other hand, is averaging approximately 53%, according to RCP.

With that in mind, “the growing Republican field concerns many Trump opponents inside the Republican Party. They fear a large number of challengers will splinter the anti-Trump vote and hand the party’s nomination to the former president, who can rely on at least 30% of the Republican base to back him,” SRN News noted, adding:

Trump’s encouragement of the rioters who attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, put Pence and his family in danger, according to Pence, a staunch social conservative who supported Trump throughout his time in office.

Pence, who will turn 64 on June 7, has continued to support many of Trump’s policies while portraying himself as a consensus-driven moderate. Additionally, he has made more direct appeals to the evangelical Christian community.

The success of his campaign will depend on whether he can establish a coalition with enough supporters of Trump’s policies who are turned off by the former president’s rhetoric and behavior.

According to NBC News and CNN, Pence is anticipated to announce his candidacy on June 7, the same day he is scheduled to appear at a CNN-sponsored event in Des Moines, Iowa billed as a “Presidential Town Hall.” Trump participated in a CNN town hall in early May.

Initially, the Georgia Republican Party had planned for the former vice president to speak at their June 9 event. In a memo that was first reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the party recently informed its supporters that Pence “has been forced to reschedule due to a televised national town hall at which he will be announcing his future plans.”

“We’re continuing to talk to people around the country and getting a lot of encouragement around the country,” Pence said in a recent appearance on Fox Business Network with Larry Kudlow, according to The Hill.

More on this story via Conservative Brief:

Significantly, Trump is also polling better than President Joe Biden. And, according to a Monmouth poll released on Tuesday, most Republican voters believe Trump has the best chance of defeating Biden next year. CONTINUE READING…