Mike Pence’s challenge to Donald Trump on January 6 drew a standing ovation from Republican lawmakers at a meeting on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.
Rep. Chip Roy of Texas apparently praised Pence for continuing to count the Electoral College votes to certify President Joe Biden’s victory last year even after a mob of Trump supporters attacked the US Capitol in an effort to stop the process.
The move drew applause from fellow Republicans, a source familiar with DailyMail.com told DailyMail.com
Some GOP lawmakers at the meeting “encouraged” Pence to run for president, a congressman said, a move Pence has yet to rule out, even if it means facing Trump in a contentious primary race.
“People said they hope he’s a big voice in 2024,” Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska told reporters after the meeting.
I Like Him. I’m not here to push him one way or the other, but I love the character of Vice President Pence, I love what he stands for.
Pence spoke at a Republican Study Committee meeting in Washington, D.C., the day after attending a fundraising dinner hosted by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
Vice President Mike Pence spoke at the Republican Study Committee meeting in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday morning
Extensive public appearances, sitting with Republican officials, and a number of high-profile endorsements in this year’s midterm elections have led to rumors that Pence is considering a run for the White House.
Asked by DailyMail.com how Pence received the encouragement, Bacon said the former vice president “smiled.”
Representative Don Bacon, who voted to impeach Donald Trump over the Capitol riot, said lawmakers at the meeting “encouraged” Pence to run for president in 2024.
“I think he appreciates the positive feedback,” said the Nebraska Republican.
He said Trump was not mentioned during the meeting. Bacon was one of ten House Republicans who voted to impeach the former president in the January 6 Capitol riot.
He added, “(Pence) was thanked there for his bravery on January 6, and I think people embraced his message and it was very positive.”
Another RSC member, Rep. Andy Barr of Kentucky, confirmed that lawmakers appreciated his actions in defiance of the Trump plot.
“The Vice President is a true moral force within our party, he is a true leader, and he has earned the respect of Republicans and other Americans across this country,” Barr told the media.
But he refused to confirm whether his colleagues were pushing Pence to run for president.
“I think the vice president said it best — he’s focused on 2022. He’s always been an advocate for House Republicans, an advocate for the Republican Study Committee, and as he said, his focus is 100 percent on helping us win back the majority,” he said. bar.
Pence arrived at the Capitol Hill club for the meeting early Wednesday morning, but managed to dodge the cameras by exiting through a connected exit at the Republican National Committee headquarters.
Video of Pence’s arrival shared with DailyMail.com by the Tennessee Star, and captured by staff photographer Anthony Peltier
His top aide, Mark Short, was also present, though he never stopped talking to reporters.
Pence posted photos of himself on Twitter addressing Republican lawmakers
“He’s always been an advocate for House Republicans, an advocate for the Republican Study Committee, and as he said, his focus is 100 percent on helping us win back the majority,” one lawmaker said of Pence.
A source also confirmed to DailyMail.com that Pence received a standing ovation for the Jan. 6 Electoral College vote count despite pressure from Trump.
Although their candidacy has not yet been formally announced, growing anger around the primary challenge to Trump-Pence is further fracturing the relationship between the two former candidates.
And it was torn apart when Pence refused to go along with a plan by Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election, which the former vice president has since said he had no constitutional right to do.
The growing number of congressional candidates Pence supports in the 2022 midterm elections is already testing the strength of Trump’s grip on the Republican Party.
The two Republican leaders are scheduled to host dueling events on Friday in Arizona for their respective gubernatorial candidates.
Pence appears on behalf of Karen Taylor Robson, a former Reagan administration staffer who also served on the Arizona Board of Governors.
Meanwhile, Trump is holding his second rally of the year on behalf of Carrie Lake, a former local news anchor who adored the former president by promoting his false claims of fraud in the 2020 election.
Robson is also backed by Arizona’s Republican-terminated governor Doug Ducey, who infuriated Trump by refusing to overturn Biden’s narrow victory in the state.
