What a Pence 2024 run would look like - support for Ukraine, further abortion ... trends now

Former Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday teased what a 2024 campaign would look like, telling folksy family stories and stating his support for funding the Ukraine war and further chipping away at abortion rights - as just 7 percent of GOP voters say he's their first choice. 

Pence headlined a trio of events in Iowa - the state that holds the first Republican presidential caucus - and while he hasn't announced an official bid, which would pit him against his ex-ticket-mate, former President Donald Trump - all signs pointed to that that was the plan. 

'Everything good starts in Iowa!' Pence exclaimed as he took the stage Wednesday evening at the Johnson County Republican Reagan Dinner in Coralville, located just outside of Iowa City. 

It was his third event of the day, after having a breakfast with a Republican group outside of Des Moines and appearing at a luncheon at the Cedar Rapids Country Club. 

At the Reagan-themed dinner, Pence acknowledged that this was the start of 'a great Republican victory and a great American comeback in 2024.' 

'It has never been more important for Iowa to choose the right leadership of the Republican Party to lead us out of the failed policies of the Biden-Harris administration,' he said. 

Earlier in the day, Pence acknowledged that his relationship with Trump had gone downhill. 

They famously split when Pence refused to overturn the 2020 election in his role of overseeing the joint session of Congress when Electoral College votes are counted. 

'It obviously - it did not end well,' he remarked. 'But all those four years the president and I had a good working relationship. Oftentimes different temperament to things, but we both understood each other, we were both working the same agenda.' 

And he touted a number of the administration's accomplishments throughout the day. 

'I couldn't be more proud than to be a small part of the administration that appointed three of the justices that sent Roe v. Wade to the ashheap of history and gave the American people a new beginning for life,' he said to his dinnertime crowd, which was around 100 people. 

'We accomplished so much in those three years before the pandemic struck,' he added. 

Pence also told the groups about post-White House life. 

'One of the great things about no longer being vice president is you get to drive your own car,' he remarked - being sure to tell the crowd he had purchased a John Deere riding mower after moving back home to Indiana. 

John Deere's headquarters is just across the Mississippi River from Davenport, Iowa, and so there's a sense of pride about it in the Hawkeye State.  

He also remarked that he's now a grandpa to three grand-daughters. 

'Karen and I finally figured out that the reason we had kids - was to have grandkids,' he said to laughs. 

He recalled how his daughter-in-law told him, 'you're going to be "Bop,"' - a nickname for grandpa that has since stuck.  

Wife Karen is going by 'Kiki' by the grandkids - and even has a license plate with the name written on it. 

'Which we'll probably transfer if we have different transportation in the years ahead,' Pence said - presumably a hint that he'd like to see those license plates adorn the presidential Beast. 

At breakfast and lunch, Pence took questions from the audience that dealt ith bread-and-butter issues like inflation and Social Security, the current hyper-partisan state of the United States and the war in Ukraine.

Penece expressed the view of most Congressional Republicans - who want to fund the Ukraine war in a show of force against Russia's President Vladimir Putin. 

'The United States of America must continue to give the Ukrainian military what they need to repel the Russian invasion,' Pence stated.

'Now, I think some of the waning support that we see for that basic principle, which is a time-honored American principle, is a reflection of the lack of confidence in President Biden's leadership and I understand that,' he added.

Some of the MAGA-aligned figures in Congress, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, have insisted that the U.S. stop pouring billions into the conflict.