NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� In Donald Trump鈥檚 assessment, Mike Pence 鈥渃ommitted political suicide鈥� on Jan. 6, 2021.
By refusing to go along with the former president鈥檚 unconstitutional push to overturn the results of the 2020 election, Pence became a leading target of Trump鈥檚 wrath and a pariah in many Republican circles.
But the final weeks of the intensely competitive 2022 election suggest the former vice president鈥檚 fortunes have shifted as he lays the groundwork for his own potential campaign for the White House in 2024.
The man who was booed last year at a conservative conference is now an in-demand surrogate for Republican candidates, including some who spent their primaries obsessively courting Trump鈥檚 endorsement, in part by parroting Trump's election lies.
Pence has been traveling the country, holding events and raising millions for candidates and Republican groups, including signing fundraising solicitations for party committees.
For some campaigns in tight races, Pence is seen as something of a neutralizing agent who can help broaden their appeal beyond Trump鈥檚 core base of support. That includes Arizona, with a key Senate race on Nov. 8 and what is expected to be a hotly contested stop in the 2024 presidential campaign.
Last week, Pence endorsed Senate nominee Blake Masters, who has struggled to pivot from the primary to win over moderates in a state where one-third of voters are registered independents.
鈥淗e takes a little bit of the edge off Masters with a lot of voters,鈥� veteran GOP strategist Scott Reed said. 鈥淵ou know Masters is new to this, first time candidate, said some silly things he probably regrets during the campaign."
Yet the endorsements can seem jarring given that Pence has spent much of the past year pushing back on Trump鈥檚 election lies, which spurred the violent mob that descended on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, while Pence was trying to preside over the formal congressional certification of Joe Biden鈥檚 presidential victory. Pence and members of his family had to be rushed to safety and held for hours in an underground loading dock as the marauders roamed the hallways, some chanting, 鈥淗ang Mike Pence!鈥� and erected a makeshift gallows outside.
Masters, during the primary, baselessly denied the 2020 results, recording a video in which he said he thought Trump had won. Masters claimed on his website that, 鈥渋f we had had a free and fair election, President Trump would be sitting in the Oval Office today.鈥�
Trump said when he endorsed Masters in June: 鈥淏lake knows that the 鈥淐rime of the Century鈥� took place, he will expose it and also, never let it happen again.鈥�
Pence made no mention of that in Phoenix on Tuesday.
鈥淲hat I came here to Arizona to say is not only is Blake Masters the right choice for the United States Senate, the people of Arizona deserve to know Blake Masters may be the difference between a Democrat majority in the Senate and a Republican majority in the Senate,鈥� Pence said.
Pence, along with Masters and Gov. Doug Ducey, took just three questions, two of them from conservative websites. When a local television reporter tried to ask Masters whether Pence was right to move forward with certifying Biden鈥檚 victory, he was quickly cut off by a Masters spokesman.
Masters is not the only election denier Pence has endorsed or assisted.
Two days after the Masters event, Pence was in Georgia headlining a fundraiser for Burt Jones, the nominee for lieutenant governor. Jones not only embraced Trump鈥檚 claims of widespread election fraud and called for a statewide investigation into the 2020 race, but also signed on to be one of his state鈥檚 fake alternate electors 鈥� a scheme that is now under criminal investigation.
Last month, Pence campaigned in New Hampshire for Senate nominee Don Bolduc, a retired Army general who also spent his primary campaign telling voters the 2020 race was stolen from Trump.
Marc Short, a longtime Pence adviser, declined to set a red line for candidates Pence would and would not endorse.
鈥淚t鈥檚 more about making sure that he鈥檚 being a team player where he needs to be,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think as a lot of these candidates look to solidify the party behind them, Pence can be helpful.鈥�
There is no evidence of any widespread fraud or manipulation of voting machines in the 2020 election, underscored by repeated audits, court cases and the conclusions of Trump鈥檚 own Department of Justice. Still, support of false election claims run deep among GOP candidates this year.
Short said Pence was happy to support candidates who had moved past 2020, as he has urged the party to do.
鈥淚f people sort of acknowledged a mistaken position before, he certainly wants to reward that,鈥� said Short. 鈥淚 think he wants to help conservatives first and foremost, but if people who were elected are now adopting new position about the events of Jan. 6,鈥� he said, 鈥渢hen that鈥檚 a positive.鈥�
Reed, the Republican strategist, said he wasn鈥檛 surprised by the candidates Pence had chosen to back.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a big picture party guy. And it doesn鈥檛 surprised me that he鈥檚 hustling as hard as he is for people who may not be 100% Pencers,鈥� Reed said. 鈥淏y doing these kinds of events,鈥� he added, 鈥渢hey鈥檙e going to take another look at him if he decides to run.鈥�
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Associated Press writer Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix contributed to this report.
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Jill Colvin, The Associated Press
