Trump clouds Pence’s effort to lay groundwork for 2024 presidential bid

WASHINGTON — Less than a year after rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol targeting him for his refusal to overturn then-President Donald Trump’s election defeat, former Vice President Mike Pence is traveling the country to lay the groundwork for a possible 2024 bid for the White House, according to several people close to him.

Pence is planning to visit Georgia, Florida and Texas in the next two months, according to a person familiar with his schedule.

There are competitive statewide races on the ballot in all three states, and they are among the most delegate-rich in the Republican nomination process. Pence also plans to give a February speech at Stanford University in California — the state with the most delegates in play in 2024 — the source said.

Pence is not likely to make a final decision about a campaign until after the 2022 midterm elections, but he is ramping up his political activity to better position himself for a potential run, according to several people close to him who spoke to NBC News on the condition of anonymity to disclose private conversations.

Pence’s return to the political arena comes just 11 months after the pro-Trump Jan. 6 riot, and it is shadowed by the fury of activists who have not forgiven him for the perceived betrayal of presiding over the electoral-vote count in Congress.

On Wednesday, Pence, 62, traveled to New Hampshire, site of the nation’s first presidential primary, where he raised money for GOP state Senate candidates, spoke at an event organized by the conservative group Heritage Action and met with voters at a bakery.

He’s honing his messaging on the 2020 election — balancing between what he calls “irregularities” in the voting and his role in certifying President Joe Biden’s victory after Trump supporters stormed the Capitol to try to stop him.

Perhaps most telling, he and his team have been courting donors for a possible bid, both at a conference in August and in private conversations.

That all adds up to the foundation of a presidential campaign. Most Republicans believe the nomination is Trump’s for the taking — if he runs. Pence has told people in his inner circle that Trump’s decision won’t factor into his own thinking as he positions himself to campaign in a more traditional Republican lane, sources close to the former vice president said.

But Trump has given every indication that he will run — he’s holding rallies, raising money and endorsing candidates — and it’s hard for some Republican insiders to even imagine Pence could make a decision independent of Trump.

“People have to say that, but I don’t think it’s true,” said Dan Eberhart, a major Republican fundraiser.

Eberhart doesn’t see the former vice president winning the Republican nomination. “Maybe I’m playing the movie too early,” he said, “but I don’t see how Pence gets off the ground.”

Pence allies argue the former vice president has his own “lane” within the GOP and he will be able to capitalize on those who support his traditional Republican credentials.

Publicly, Pence is playing down the urgency of making a decision, but not the possibility that he will run. For now, he plans to play a significant role in supporting GOP…