Pence will make a speech in SC, the first since he left

COLUMBIA, SC – In his first public speech since the end of the Trump administration, former Vice President Mike Pence is traveling to South Carolina to speak to a conservative Christian non-profit organization in the state that plays a crucial role in the nomination process. presidential.

Next month, Pence will be the keynote speaker at a dinner hosted by the Palmetto Family Council, a Pence adviser told the Associated Press on Sunday. The aide spoke on condition of anonymity due to the lack of permission to discuss the plans publicly.

The Palmetto Family is lobbying for what it considers to be “biblical values”, such as heterosexual marriage, and more recently helped to promote a ban on most abortions in South Carolina. This law is now being challenged in court.

Pence, who since leaving the administration has worked with the Heritage Foundation and the Young America’s Foundation, has not indicated whether he plans a future candidacy for the position, but his choice to make his post-administration debut in South Carolina helps set a milestone for a potential presidential candidacy for 2024. The state holds the first presidential primaries in the South, and candidates from the two main parties typically spend more than a year in the state before these votes, appearing and trying to secure support.

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As vice president, Pence made several trips to South Carolina, meeting Governor Henry McMaster several times for coronavirus-related forums. He also recently campaigned in the state for US Senator Lindsey Graham and Congresswoman Nancy Mace.

Throughout his political career, starting as an Indiana congressman who became governor, Pence has long advocated for restrictions on abortion and expressed his support for the overthrow of Roe v. Wade. The speech for the Palmetto Family is advantageous for Pence in a state that Republican candidates use as a proving ground to test their “pro-life” courage.

Pence’s aide described the former vice president’s speech as one that will focus on traditional conservative talking points, but will also disclose what Pence sees as the Trump administration’s achievements.

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According to Dave Wilson, president of the Palmetto Family, Pence will speak to between 450 and 600 guests at a dinner sponsored by the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center on April 29.

Wilson told the AP that he considered Pence an “important person” to address the organization due to the “level of faith” that the former vice president incorporated while in office.

“Vice President Mike Pence … very much reflects the ideas, policies and direction that we in the Palmetto Family want to see in South Carolina: bringing faith to the forefront and growing the next generation of conservative leaders for our state” said Wilson. .

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Meg Kinnard can be contacted at http: //twitter.com.MegKinnardAP.