(PatrioticPost.com)- Mike Pence is apparently looking to raise a lot of money in order to fund a bid for the 2024 Republican nomination for president.
Axios recently reported that a source said the former vice president is hoping to raise roughly $18 million for a potential run for president in 2024.
In April, Pence launched a nonprofit group called Advancing American Freedom. That group is made up of some of Pence’s closest allies, including some former members of the Trump administration White House. Some of those people include Marty Obst, a political adviser; Paul Teller, a former senior White House staffer in the Trump administration; and Marc Short, Pence’s former chief of staff.
Thus far, the group has already spent $60,000 in efforts to promote its message, and promote Pence himself.
At a recent retreat in Jackson, Wyoming, donors were asked to help Advancing American Freedom reach a fundraising goal of $18 million, according to the Axios source. That money is the goal for just the first year, which is a really large sum for a nonprofit group that is very new and doesn’t offer tax breaks to its donors.
In addition, the group has hired three firms that focus on fundraising to help them build the amount of money they have in the war chest.
That money could be used to fund polling and campaign travel for Pence, if he were to decide to enter the race in 2024.
Pence has long been mentioned as a possible candidate in the 2024 Republican primary. While he would likely garner a lot of support from people who have followed his political career and supported him for a while now, he’d also have a lot of detractors — especially those who consider themselves ardent supporters of former President Donald Trump.
While Pence was long seen as a close ally of his former boss, that changed very quickly at the end of 2020. Pence refused to stop the certification of the Electoral College results in his role as president of the U.S. Senate. That made Trump turn on him and, as a result, the former president’s supporters did, too.
Even if Trump were to decide not to run in 2024, Pence is unlikely to be able to convince Trump supporters to jump to his camp. It’s also very possible that Trump would support another GOP candidate that more aligns with his values and policies, which would deal a rather large blow to Pence’s chances.
While Pence hasn’t made his intentions officially known publicly yet, he’s starting to get out and in the public eye again. After taking a few months out of the public spotlight once he left Washington, he’s made appearances and spoken at some events recently.
Pence also has fundraised for some prominent Republicans, including Kevin McCarthy, the House minority leader. Apparently, the former vice president is trying to garner support from top Republicans in Washington, should Trump decide to stay on the sidelines for 2024 — and maybe even if they run against each other.
