Mike Pence, the former vice president, is the most conservative candidate running for the presidency with a strong stance on banning abortion from conception, cuts to Social Security and Medicare, and a hawkish foreign policy towards Russia. However, being the most conservative no longer holds as much significance in the Republican presidential primaries since Donald J. Trump transformed the G.O.P. electorate. Mr. Pence’s loyalty to Mr. Trump has created a burdened and dominated situation and has led Republican pollsters and strategists to write him off as a front-runner.
Despite this, Mr. Pence’s campaign is based on faith rather than data and is heavily rooted in Scripture. He makes every decision with significant prayer, including his run for the presidency. While Mr. Pence served as Mr. Trump’s yes-man for nearly four years, he refused to follow a presidential order that was plainly unconstitutional during Mr. Trump’s final month, which led to people in a pro-Trump mob chanting “Hang Mike Pence” as they stormed the Capitol. Mr. Pence is staking his candidacy in heavily evangelical Iowa, where he polls only around 5 percent.
Furthermore, Mr. Pence’s anti-populist policies and Republican voters’ sharply different expectations of their leaders, which prioritize fighting hard and dirty, have hindered his campaign. Mr. Trump has trained Republican voters to value Republicans who use whatever tactics are necessary to vanquish their opponents, leading Mr. Pence to avert his gaze from behaviors that were once considered disqualifying. Despite recent scolding of Mr. Trump for praising the dictator of North Korea, Mr. Pence’s loyalty to Mr. Trump may prevent him from gaining support from most Republicans.