The impending end of Donald Trump’s presidency has brought intense focus to what he will do after he leaves office, a question clouded by his continued refusal to accept his loss to President-elect Joe Biden. A similar, if less attention-grabbing, question hangs over Vice President Mike Pence, who will be out of public office for the first time in 20 years on Jan. 20.
Pence represented Indiana in the House of Representatives for 12 years before becoming the state’s governor in 2013. He abandoned his pursuit of a second term when Trump selected him as his running mate in 2016. As vice president, Pence has been a loyal defender of Trump throughout the commander in chief’s many scandals. He assumed the most critical role of his tenure in February, when he was named head of the White House coronavirus task force.
Though Pence hasn’t publicly stated an intent to run, there’s a broad consensus among political insiders that he has been eyeing a presidential bid in 2024 for some time.