In Meredith, former vice president makes case for top job

MEREDITH CENTER — As someone who had national attention for four years, former Vice President Mike Pence has an advantage over most of the crowded Republican field of presidential hopefuls. That advantage hasn’t translated to potential votes yet, according to polls, but it did likely factor into why so many people filled the Wicwas Grange Hall on Thursday night to see him in action.

Roughly 80 people filled all the folding chairs, and stood along the outside of the meeting room. The evening was warm, and so was the reception for Pence. The former member of Congress and governor of Indiana has some ground to cover as he tours New Hampshire, though, as voters seem more curious about him than excited. A Yahoo News poll released Friday shows him in a three-way tie with Vivek Ramaswamy and Nikki Haley, each with 3% of support. Meanwhile, Donald Trump commanded 48%, and second place was Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, 23%.

A sampling of those in attendance at the Grange Hall said they were undecided, but willing to give Pence a chance.

Dean Jeas, who lives in Laconia, said he was largely impressed with the available candidates.

“There’s some strong people that I think would be excellent candidates. Sometimes it seems like a fool’s parade, but all these guys seem like they’re serious,” Jeas said, speaking prior to Pence’s arrival. He said he liked Pence’s “throwback” style of conservatism, and the way he performed his civic responsibilities during the events on Jan. 6, 2021.

“I’m proud of what he did with the insurrection,” Jeas said, “He can hold his head high for that.” He also said that “nobody has had the chance to meet Mike Pence yet, he’s always been in Don’s [Trump] shadow.”

Brenda Ladd, of Bridgewater, had a similar mindset. She said the current number of candidates was “overwhelming” and she looked forward to a “narrowed down” field by the time the primary is held.

One person she’s hoping won’t make it through that narrowing-down process is the current front-runner.

“Just please don’t make me vote for Trump again,” Ladd said. Instead, she’s hoping a candidate will emerge with “a message that will appeal to the middle, independent voters.” Will that be Pence? Speaking before the event, Ladd said that her view of Pence so far was that he was missing a certain something.

“He needs an ‘it’ factor. He hasn’t discovered his ‘it’ yet,” Ladd said.

‘I’m Mike Pence’

“I’m Mike Pence, I’m running for president, and it’s great to be in the first-in-the-nation primary state in New Hampshire,” Pence said to the crowd.

His stump talk highlighted some of the hits of what he called the “Trump-Pence Administration,” such as tax cuts, the appointment of Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade, energy independence and immigration reforms. When he went on the offensive, it was against the incumbent, rather than any other Republican candidate.

“Every crisis we are facing, here and abroad, can be described as a man-made problem, and that man is named Joe Biden,” Pence said.

His criticisms of the current administration were focused largely on economic issues, and inflation in particular, saying that it was caused by “runaway spending” in Washington.

By contrast, he said his presidency would be marked by what he called a “freedom agenda,” one which included a strengthened military, expanded school choice programs — which allow public dollars to pay for tuition at private schools — and an economy boosted by making the “Trump-Pence tax cuts” permanent.

Pence largely avoided talking about Trump, though he said one thing that distinguishes him from the current front-runner is his willingness to approach entitlement reform, something he said “my former running mate” had no appetite for. Pence said he would leave intact Social Security benefits for those soon to retire, but that Americans under 40 years old would be given what he called “a better deal.”

“We need new leadership. Not just in the White House, but in the Republican Party,” Pence said. “I think the time has come to restore civility in politics. You get 15 miles outside of Washington, D.C., and Americans get along pretty well. We need government as good as our people.”

Pence said the Granite State has an example of just such a kind of leadership in Gov. Chris Sununu.

“You can be conservative and not be in a bad mood about it,” Pence said.

His talk was peppered with references to his Christian faith.

“When we produce leadership that is honest with the American people, the people rise to the challenge,” Pence said. “Since the founding of our nation, we believe we’ve been endowed by our creator with some unalienable rights. Whatever your faith tradition, if you turn your heart back to him, the best days of our nation are yet to come.”

After the conclusion of his speech, Pence took questions. When asked about the influence of money in politics, Pence said the answer was “freedom” and “transparency,” rather than contribution limits.

Asked about nuclear energy, Pence called himself “an all-the-above energy guy” who would include nuclear in a broad portfolio of energy production.

And, when asked if he felt Trump’s actions have made him unfit for office, Pence got the closest he came all night to criticizing the former president when he said, “I’m running for president of the United States because I think that I should be the next president,” but he quickly followed that by saying he didn’t want to tell others what to do with their vote.

After seeing him in person, Ladd said he came across as a “relatable, relaxed family man. He talked very little about himself, framing the answer to everything as ‘freedom.’” His message of civility and discourse, especially with fellow Americans who might have differing political perspectives, rang clear.

She took notice of how he made time to greet people, shake hands, talk and take photos with all who wished as he arrived and after his talk, and that he “did not rush anyone.”

Did he show the “it factor” she was looking for? Not yet, she said.

“The ‘it factor’ will take a good PR team,” Ladd said. “At a personal level, he is salt of the Earth, honest and sincere, knowledgeable with a lot of political experience.” She felt his message would appeal to a broad swath of Americans, and that he will get a good “PR team” if he can stay in the race long enough.

Jeas said Pence made a positive impression in his visit.

“I have more confident feelings about him than I did before,” Jeas said. “He’s got an uphill battle. He came across as generally honest, I don’t get the sense that he was trying to blow smoke up our ass, so to speak.”

Yet, Jeas said he wasn’t ready to give Pence all of his support.

“If he gets this job, and he can put these ideas that he has into place, that wouldn’t be a bad thing. I tell you, the Republican Party this time around, besides Trump, there’s some really strong people in there. The top three or four people would be just fine in the White House.”

Jeas said while he didn’t personally connect with Pence’s religiosity, he also didn’t find it off-putting.

“It doesn’t bother me a bit,” he said about the “religious twist” that Pence used to explain his policy proposals. “His faith is very important to him. I don’t see him as a guy that would be willing in any way, shape or form to compromise his integrity. However you get that way, it’s great. For him, that’s his faith.”