Mike Pence is be next in line to conduct a Republican presidential primary town hall on CNN, with chief political corespondent Dana Bash as moderator, following in the footsteps of his former boss Donald Trump and new rival Nikki Haley.
Pence’s turn comes up Wednesday, June 7 at 9 p.m. ET on CNN from Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa, the network announced. Haley will get her turn a few days before on Sunday, June 4.
Pence served as vice president under Donald Trump from 2017-2021. Like Trump he’ll face a friendly audience of mostly Iowa Republicans who have pledged to pre-register and participate in the Republican caucuses.
Just like with CNN’s other town halls, this one will not require a cable log-in. It will be available to stream live on CNN.com’s homepage and across CNN’s apps. The town hall will also be available to paying TV subscribers on demand starting Thursday, June 8 through CNN.com, CNN’s apps and cable operator platforms.
Before Pence served as the 48th vice president of the United States, he was the governor of Indiana and a member of U.S. House of Representatives. During his time as governor, he initiated the largest tax cut in Indiana’s history and fought for more funding for private education. He also faced heavy backlash from more moderate members of his party and the LGBT community for the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, a law that states businesses and individuals can claim that their exercise of religion has been burdened as a legal defense. The law was later amended to be less discriminatory.
Pence’s road back to the White House has been an odd one. Back in May of 2022, the New York Times reported that Pence was considering a 2024 presidential run away from Trump. Since then, he has distanced himself from his former running mate, specifically criticizing Trump for his role in the January 6 attack on the Capitol and claiming that the former President “endangered my family.” He’s also remained vocal about modern politics, supporting the overturning of Roe v. Wade and endorsing several Republican candidates that stood in opposition to Trump-endorsed candidates.
Despite all of these strategic moves, Pence has yet to officially announce that he’s running for President in 2024. During an interview with CBS in April, Pence said that he will make a decision “well before late June.” Considering Pence’s CNN town hall is set to take place in the second week of June, whether or not Pence is throwing his hat into the ring is sure to be one of Dana Bash’s first questions.
