WASHINGTON — Former Vice President Mike Pence said the upcoming midterm elections "couldn't be more important in the life of the nation," framing the next two election cycles as a fight over the country's direction.
Pence made the remarks during an interview on WABC's "Cats & Cosby" radio show and repeated them on CBS News' "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on May 31, 2026.
He cast the choice before Republican voters as a contest between the "progressive left with its embrace of socialism" and a "populist right" that he said also amounts to a form of progressive politics — drawing a sharp line between his brand of conservatism and the party's nationalist wing.
Pence said he believes Republican voters will "rally to our cause" if the party holds firm on "the banner of American leadership on the world stage, of limited government, free market economics, of traditional values and the right to life."
He also said he has "never been a fan of partisan gerrymandering," a position that sets him apart from much of the party apparatus heading into a redistricting-sensitive election year.
Pence's call to hold high "traditional values" and abortion rights as a party standard signals his intent to keep social conservatives at the center of Republican messaging through 2026 and into the 2028 presidential race.
