Former vice president Mike Pence will announce he is running for president next week, sources close to Pence told media outlets.
Pence plans to launch his campaign on June 7 at a Des Moines rally, according to the Des Moines Register. He is expected to focus on Iowa, which holds the first caucus in the Republican primary, the Hill reported.
The former vice president will join an increasingly crowded GOP field that includes former president Donald Trump, Florida governor Ron DeSantis, former ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, South Carolina senator Tim Scott, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie is expected to announce his bid for the Republican nomination Tuesday in New Hampshire, according to NBC News.
Pence drew harsh criticism from then-president Donald Trump after he disregarded calls from Trump and his allies to block the certification of the 2020 election results on January 6, 2021.
Pence has since stated in recent months that Trump was "wrong" and that the former president’s "reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day."
The former vice president’s allies launched a super PAC, "Committed to America," this month in preparation for a presidential run. He is currently polling at 3.8 percent among Republicans, according to the RealClearPolitics poll average, behind Trump, DeSantis, and Haley.