Former Vice President Mike Pence has dropped out of the 2024 presidential campaign, saying it is "Not my time."
On Saturday, Pence announced that he would not pursue his presidential ambitions as his campaign runs low on money and the Republican Party is moving in a different direction than his values.
"I came here to say it's become clear to me this is not my time," Pence said at the annual Republican Jewish Coalition convention. "So, after much prayer and deliberation, I have decided to suspend my presidential campaign effective today."
Pence spokesman Devin O'Malley said, "The conflict in Israel is a microcosm of what Pence has been evangelizing regarding populism and traditional conservative values," adding that the "RJC provided him one last opportunity to make that case and do so in front of a supportive audience."
More from NBC News:
Pence had struggled to gain support in a crowded primary dominated by support for former President Donald Trump. Having previously broken with his former running mate over certifying the 2020 election results on January 6, 2021, Pence had begun to draw a starker line between himself and Trump on the campaign trail. His positions and experience did not attract GOP voters to his side, with rank-and-file members of the pro-Trump party turning on Pence after he certified the 2020 election results. The lack of broad support meant fundraising struggles plagued Pence's campaign, with its latest campaign finance filing showing $600,000 in debt and only $1.2 million cash on hand. After scrambling to meet the donor thresholds for the first two Republican primary debates but making the stage, the campaign was unable to gain the 70,000 individual donors needed for the third.
Pence has often acknowledged how the Republican Party is changing away from his views and values as a "traditional conservative" and that only time will tell if the GOP will return to the "common-sense conservative agenda that has defined our movement over the last 50 years."
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