Mike Pence predicts 'historic' GOP midterm gains, urges Republicans to support Ukraine aide
Former Vice President Mike Pence reacts to President Biden’s recent speech on energy policy as the highly anticipated midterm elections quickly approach.
Former Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday predicted "historic" wins for the GOP in November's midterm elections, telling Fox News the election will be a referendum on President Biden's failed policies and the state of the country under his leadership.
In an appearance on "America Reports," Pence said he believes Republicans will regain control of Congress in large part due to Biden's "war on energy" and his repeated failure to assume responsibility for rising gas prices.
"Americans saw President Biden blaming rising gasoline prices on the war in Ukraine. But most Americans know gasoline prices have gone up 50% before the first shot was fired," Pence said.
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Vice President Mike Pence speaks during a "Save the Majority" rally on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
"Gasoline prices are high at the pump today not because of the war in Ukraine but because of Joe Biden’s war on energy, and I think the reason in 20 days you are going to see the American people take back the House, take back the Senate, take back statehouses around the country, is because they know better. They know the pathway to American independence is to unleash American energies, and we’ll have majorities in the Congress that'll drive those policies and I hope will force them back to common sense."
Pence said Biden's handling of the U.S. energy crisis and his effort to block Trump initiatives to move toward U.S. energy independence has crippled the country's standing on the world stage.
"But," he told Fox News host John Roberts, "I think they have another thing coming on November 8 and you are going to have pro-American energy majorities in the House and Senate, pro-American energy governors I think in record numbers, and my hope is that President Biden then will relent and understand that we just got to unleash the strengths of this nation, particularly in such an uncertain time in the world."
If Republicans take control, Pence said he hopes the party will continue providing military aid to Ukraine. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy's recently warned to expect Ukraine aid cuts if GOP wins next month's elections, but the former vice president said it's incumbent upon the party to continue to provide military and humanitarian support while continuing to U.S. imposed sanctions on Russia.
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House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., responds to reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 3, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
"The U.S. throughout our history has understood that we need to be the leader of the free world and that includes being the arsenal of democracy. And in the days of Ronald Reagan we understood the value of confronting the Russians and communism in the world, not by necessarily fighting directly but making sure the people that were fighting the communists, whether in our hemisphere or around the world, had the resources that they need. I think this is such a fight," Pence said.
He continued, "I’ve stood toe to toe with Vladimir Putin, I’ve looked him right in the eye. The only thing he understands, John, is power. And standing with the people of Ukraine who are courageously fighting for their freedom, that’s what the arsenal of democracy and what America needs to do."
Pence has been rumored to be considering a run for the presidency in 2024. He did mention that he has been traveling the U.S. recently, having been to more than 30 states in the past year campaigning on behalf of GOP candidates. But he stopped short of speculating on his own future.
Pence did, however, defend his decision to campaign for Rep. David Valadao, a California Republican who voted to impeach former President Trump after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
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Donald Trump and Mike Pence pose together on a stage. (Getty Images)
"I always tell people, I’m a Christian, conservative and Republican in that order. I’m a proud Republican," the former vice president said. "These candidates all ran in the primaries and carried the message, and now they're standing in the gap at a time when our nation has needed new conservative leadership than ever before in my lifetime."
Pence said Valadao, like all the candidates he's supported, is committed to "a strong defense, less taxes, less government, unleashing American energy, sanctity of human life, border security, standing up to China, all of the things we did in our administration.
"I’m proud to stand with them," he said.
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Earlier, Pence said the failed policies of Biden and "liberals on Capitol Hill" is uniting the party and bridging the internal divide among Republicans.
"I think we are 20 days away from a historic victory for conservative values, for Republican candidates, and that’s going to be step one," he said. "We win back the Congress, we win statehouses across the country. Two years from now, win back America."
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