Former Vice President of the United States, Mike Pence of Indiana, delivered an address to students of Saint Anselm College and residents of New Hampshire regarding the 2024 Republican Primaries and the future of the Republican Party on September 6.
Pence, a former Democrat, became a Republican during the Reagan Revolution and first ran for the House of Representatives in the final year of Reagan’s second term. He met Reagan during the campaign and struck an interest in conservatism. Pence idolized Reagan, during his address at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, he quoted Reagan’s “A Time for Choosing,” but this time said, “A Time for Republican Choosing.” Pence later ran for Congress a decade later, representing a district of Indiana until his election to Governor of his home state. Most recently, he served as Donald Trump’s running mate and Vice President from 2017-2021.
Pence’s time for choosing represents a divide in the Republican party between “traditional conservatives,” which Pence describes as those Republicans who believe in limited government and individual freedom. Pence’s Republican opponents are who he described as Republican populists. These candidates “would substitute our faith in limited government and traditional values with an agenda stitched together by little else than personal grievances and performative outrage.” Pence claims that Republican Populists would “blatantly erode our constitutional norms,” adding, “A leading candidate for the Republican nomination last year called for the quote termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the constitution close quote.” Pence sees similarities between Democrats and Republican Populists, saying that both have contributed to the national debt and have marginalized the lives of the unborn.
Professor Galdieri of Saint Anselm College attended the speech and found it to be unusual in a lot of ways. Galdieri added, “it was striking to me how he was, on the one hand, very critical of Trumpism and Trump himself without ever saying the name Trump and then wanted at the same time to say, but remember the glory days of the Trump/Pence administration, that was me, Mike Pence, I was part of that.” Galdieri acknowledged that the Pence campaign is running as a throwback to Ronald Reagan accepting the definition of conservatism that it’s a good thing and that “Republicans, by and large, don’t talk like that anymore.”
On the topic of abortion, Pence stands far to the right, saying in his speech, “The Republican populace would regulate the cause of protecting the unborn to the states.” Pence wishes for a 15-week abortion ban and a ban on abortion for non-viable pregnancies. Galdieri says of Republicans and abortion politics, “Republicans are sort of like the dog that finally caught the car, and now they’re like, well, what do I do with this?” Galdieri acknowledges that states with abortion bans have received backlash and that abortion bans are nationally unpopular, so “Pence is really going out on a limb here and saying he supports a policy that a lot of Republicans want to stop talking about.”
Sophomore NHIOP ambassador and Politics major, Georgia Milne, sat in the front row during the event. Pence is well known for his excellent speaking ability, which Milne found to be “clear and effective at communicating a traditional message.” Milne said of his admiration of Ronald Reagan, “I think there’s always been a movement in the Republican party to try and be Ronald Reagan the same way a Democrat always wants to be JFK.”
A student of Professor Galdieri’s New Hampshire Primary class and another Politics major, Jordan Tavares, also took an interest in the Reagan connection. Tavares noted, “I thought it was fascinating that he mentioned Reagan. He put himself in the position to be the ‘I am the closest candidate. to Ronald Reagan.’” Tavares also believes that the Republican “Time for Choosing” has been a common theme for the party this election season and even in the midterms. He adds, “they’re [Republicans] are trying to make a point, but it’s lost a true meaningful message.”
Pence is currently polling behind. Trump, DeSantis, Ramaswamy, and Haley. Former President Trump continues to hold a commanding polling lead among all GOP candidates, despite the several indictments. As the New Hampshire primary continues to approach, expect more big-name candidates to grace Saint Anselm College and the New Hampshire Institute of Politics with their presence. Student Ambassadors with NHIOP continue their hard work in preparation for these events.
