Pence fundraising lags behind Republican rivals, even those he out-polls: report

Former Vice President Mike Pence is expected to report a relatively modest fundraising haul for the second quarter of 2023.

Pence, who announced his campaign on June 7, had just over three weeks to raise funds prior to the second quarter reporting deadline. In that period, his campaign managed to raise $1.2 million while a Pence-aligned super PAC secured an additional $2.6 million, an advisor told The Hill.

That combined $3.8 million stands well below the fundraising hauls of former President Donald Trump and Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who brought in $35 million and $20 million, respectively, albeit with admittedly more time to reach those figures since announcing their candidacies.

The Florida governor announced his candidacy in late May while Trump made his plans clear last year.

Nonetheless, South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott managed to bring in an impressive $6.1 million after declaring his campaign two weeks before Pence, despite polling at roughly half the former vice president's support.

Trump stands as the clear front runner in the primary contest, earning 53.0% support in the RealClearPolitics polling average. DeSantis claimed 20.6% while Pence took 6.3%. Scott earned 3.2%.

The relatively small fundraising figures, even compared to Scott, suggest Pence has yet to overcome the significant suspicions that Trump-aligned voters have over his refusal to interfere in the certification of the 2020 presidential election.

Speaking to former Fox News host Tucker Carlson at a Friday event in Iowa, Pence declined to describe the events of Jan. 6, 2021, as an insurrection, but condemned Trump's "reckless" rhetoric and said he "endangered me and my family and everyone that was at the Capitol that day."

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.