Ex-vice president Mike Pence, enemy of LGBTQ+ rights, joins White House race

Former vice president Mike Pence has joined the 2024 presidential race, setting up for a potential battle between himself and former boss Donald Trump. 

US reports claim Pence – who served as vice president under Trump from 2016 to 2020 – filed paperwork on Monday (6 June) to join the race and will officially announce his candidacy on Wednesday (7 June). 

Vying for the Republican ticket are Trump, Florida governor Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina govenor Nikki Haley and Pence, as well as other declared candidates who are not expected to garner much support, such as biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. 

It is expected Pence will take part in a CNN town hall on Wednesday evening. CNN also reported his intention to run for the 2024 presidency.

Over the years, Pence has been outspoken in his opposition to LGBTQ+ rights and freedoms.

The evangelical Christian believes marriage is between “one man and one woman. In 2015, when the Supreme Court ruled state bans against same-sex marriage were unconstitutional he said he was “disappointed”.

The former vice president has also been known to support so-called conversion therapy, with his archived campaign website from the year 2000 calling for funding for HIV services to be diverted to “provide assistance to those seeking to change their sexual behaviour”.

In terms of trans rights, in February Pence said schools and colleges were teaching students “radical gender ideology” which is “teaching children to hate their own bodies, and furthering the notion that it’s possible to transition from one gender to another”.