Former Vice President Mike Pence hinted once again on Saturday that his decision on a potential 2024 presidential bid is imminent.
“The American people love competition,” Pence said in an interview with Fox News Digital. “And it’s a free country. Everyone is entitled to vie for offices in this country of their choosing.”
“I do believe that different times call for different leadership,” he later added.
Pence has previously suggested that he will make a decision on his election plans by the spring, a point that he reiterated in Saturday’s interview.
“We think we’ve got time to be discerning, to be reflective, to listen,” he said. “And my wife and I both believe that we’ll have a clear sense of our call sometime this spring.”
The former vice president also indicated that he would comply with a new Republican National Committee (RNC) loyalty pledge if he were to enter the race.
RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel said last weekend that any candidate that wants to participate in the first GOP primary debate will be required to sign a pledge to support the eventual Republican nominee.
“I’ve supported Republican candidates for my entire adult life since I joined the Reagan revolution as a young man,” Pence said. “And if I’m a candidate for president, I have every confidence that we’ll meet the obligations that the RNC sets for the debate.”
Pence was notably absent from the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) this week. All three announced Republican candidates, including former President Trump, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and conservative entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, were on the schedule to speak during the conference.
