Mike Pence returns to public life after spending so much in Trump shadow

FLORENCE, S.C. - After years as Donald Trump's low profile sidekick, former Vice President Mike Pence is now appearing everywhere - or at least in friendly forums.

On Wednesday morning, Pence went to the U.S. Capitol for a meeting with House conservatives, some of whom urged him to run for president in 2024. He spoke at a church service in Florence, South Carolina in the evening. After a speech praising the end of abortion rights and discussing what comes next, he received a standing ovation.

"The tide has turned in this nation," said Pence, speaking to about 1,500 congregants at Florence Baptist Temple. There will be dueling rallies in Arizona for candidates competing in the Republican primary on Friday. They will give each other a speech in D.C. a day apart.

Wherever he goes, Pence urges for conservative candidates running in the midterm elections, often highlighting their anti-abortion credentials. He s also considering a presidential run of his own and his shadow campaign is well underway, fueled by a long conservative record that often diverges from Trump's.

Pence made the barest mention of Trump in his appearance at the church here: a reference to the Trump-Pence administration's anti-abortion policies.

Now that Roe v. Wade is overturned, he said that states hold great sway over whether abortion is legal. He backed a nationwide ban on the practice, which requires a movement in every state in the country. He said it is incumbent on all of us to make sure we have leadership in our statehouses that reflect a commitment to life. It is time to end this injustice in every state in America. He advocated for adoption to be less costly and more feasible for families at the same time.

Pence has been introducing himself to audiences who may not be aware of the man after spending so much time in Trump's shadow. He has gotten more attention recently thanks to the House Jan. 6 committee, which cast him as a hero for rebuffing Trump's demand that he not certify Joe Biden's victory.

Pence didn't say anything about Jan. 6 in his speech Wednesday night, nor did he answer an NBC News reporter's question afterward as he shook hands with the audience on his way out.

He told the crowd that his life has changed since he gave up the perks that come with the vice presidency for a more pedestrian existence back in his home state of Indiana. He said that the good thing about being a vice president is that I get to drive my own car, because of the high gas prices that have dogged Biden. I have to pay for my own gas. The bad part is that I have to pay for my own gas. He said he still had to wait nearly a half hour for a table at Olive Garden despite having served as the vice president and governor of Indiana. That is America, Dad, his daughter, Charlotte, texted him when he told her about it.

If Pence wants to defeat Trump, he needs to corral the evangelical voters who voted for a trio of Supreme Court justices who all voted to overturn Roe. Some of the interviewed people said they d give Pence a serious look.

Franklin Stewart, 80, holding a Bible on his way out of the church, said he would prefer Pence over Trump if both candidates run for the GOP nomination in 2024. Because of Pence's Christian position, right now I have to go with him, Stewart said.