Report: Mike Pence Will Launch Campaign Next Week

Former Vice President Mike Pence is getting ready to challenge his former boss for the Republican nomination—but insiders say he won't kick off his campaign in Indiana, the state he used to govern. Instead, Pence plans to launch his White House bid with a speech in Des Moines, Iowa, sources tell NBC. According to the AP's sources, Pence believes the state's conservative, evangelical voters could play a big part in his path to victory. Pence plans to launch the campaign on June 7, which is his 64th birthday, the sources say.

Earlier this month, Pence's allies said that a super PAC supporting his candidacy will organize in all 99 of Iowa's counties, CNN reports. "We view this race as absolutely wide open, and Iowa is really going to solidify itself as the pivotal player," a source close to Pence tells NBC, describing the state as one that values Pence's "traditional conservative principles." The AP notes that Pence was an "exceedingly loyal" vice president to Donald Trump—until he rejected Trump's demands that he block the certification of President Biden's 2020 election victory. Since then, he has praised the Trump administration's record while trying to draw a contrast between himself and the former president.

While he may get a boost from officially announcing his candidacy, polls show that Pence is currently a very long way behind Trump, the frontrunner, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in second place. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie reportedly also plans to launch his campaign next week. (More Mike Pence stories.)