Former Vice President Mike Pence is officially running for president

Former Vice President Mike Pence announced he’s running for president Wednesday. During his speech Pence explained why he’s taking on his former running mate, Donald Trump, and why he believes Republican voters should make him their nominee.

“I’ve long believed that to whom much is given, much will be required,” Pence said during his remarks at a rally in Ankeny, Iowa. “That’s why today, before God and my family, I’m announcing for president of the United States of America.”

Pence said as vice president he was proud to stand by Trump, and he defended their record and said that appointing three conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade was one of the most significant achievements of their administration.

Why Pence said he’s challenging Trump

“Given our record, it might be fair to ask why I’m challenging my former running mate,” Pence said. “Let me say from my heart, it begins with a promise I made to the American people and Almighty God and it ends with different visions for the future of our nation and our party.”

Pence called the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol “a tragic day in the life of our nation,” and reiterated that he had no right to overturn the election results and “Kamala Harris will have no right to overturn the election when we beat them in 2024.”

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Pence said Trump demanded that he choose between him and the Constitution, and said that he hoped Trump would “come around and see that he had been misled about my role that day, but that was not to be.” He said he prays for Trump but said that he believes “anyone who puts themselves over the Constitution should never be president of the United States.”

“My former running mate continues to insist that I had the right to overturn the election, but President Trump was wrong then and he’s wrong now,” Pence said. “I will always believe by God’s grace I did my duty that day I kept my oath to ensure the peaceful transfer of power under the Constitution of the United States of America.”

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Pence also criticized Trump for being insufficiently anti-abortion and insufficiently supportive of Ukraine.

“The war in Ukraine is not our war but freedom is our fight and America must always stand for freedom,” he said.

Pence polling third in Iowa and nationally

Pence said the U.S. is facing crises everywhere, including the U.S.-Mexico border and with inflation and gas prices, and he blamed President Joe Biden.

“The first step to turning America around is ending this disastrous presidency,” he said. “We must elect a new Republican president who will chart a course for our nation guided by our timeless principles.”

Pence said he chose to announce his campaign in Iowa, the first state in the Republican primary schedule, “because we know that Iowa was the right place to start our engines for the great American comeback.” Iowa is also one of the more socially conservative early voting states, which could play to Pence’s strengths.

His announcement came one day after former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced his campaign in New Hampshire, another early voting state, showing how important a strong performance in these states is for candidates.

Pence is third in the national polling average from FiveThirtyEight, behind Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and ahead of a tight pack of candidates that includes former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and others. Pence also came in third in an Iowa poll from Emerson College.

Pence walked out to the song “Born Free” by Kid Rock and was introduced by his brother, Rep. Greg Pence, R-Ind., Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston, and his wife, former second lady Karen Pence.