Mike Pence has left open the possibility of another presidential bid, saying he has heard from supporters who want him to run in 2028.
The former vice president, who served during Donald Trump’s first term, ran in the 2024 Republican primary but withdrew in October 2023. His break with Trump had weakened his standing among Republican voters.
In a recent interview, Pence criticized Trump’s policies, arguing that they departed from the party’s traditional conservative platform. He said he intends to use his remaining public influence to promote those principles through his work with Advancing American Freedom, the conservative organization he founded in 2021, and by traveling around the country.
Asked whether he might seek the presidency again, Pence said he had heard from many people across the country and felt humbled by their encouragement. He did not offer a decision.
Pence also declined to endorse Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, or any other possible Republican candidate for 2028. He said he would look for a nominee committed to the party’s historic conservative agenda, adding that recent midterm results offered a judgment on the populist right’s approach.
He said he did not know what lay ahead for him, his family, or his former colleagues. But, in his view, unless Republicans return to the conservative principles that have shaped the party for decades, the identity of their 2028 nominee may not matter.
