‘Election contest continues’: Pence refuses to break with Trump as he campaigns in Georgia Senate race

The run-off election in January 2020 will decide control of the Senate

Mike Pence remained loyal to Donald Trump as he campaigned in the Georgia run-off election that will decide control of the Senate.

In his clearest support yet for the president’s continued efforts to overturn the election results, Mr Pence said they would continue fighting for Mr Trump’s agenda “whatever the outcome” of the campaign’s recounts and legal battles.

“As our election contest continues, here in Georgia and in courts across the country, I’ll make you a promise. We’re going to keep fighting until every legal vote is counted, we’re going to keep fighting until every illegal vote is thrown out,” Mr Pence said.

The vice president was speaking in Georgia to stump for Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, while also charting his own political future in a post-Trump Republican Party.

He has been largely out of the public spotlight since the 3 November election, appearing briefly to give a speech to conservative youth in Virginia and deliver a White House coronavirus task force briefing without taking any questions from media.

The muted reaction is in stark contrast to Republican colleagues who have appeared in TV interviews and press conferences supporting the Trump campaign’s unproven allegations of voter fraud and election irregularities.

The return to the campaign trail comes as Mr Pence maps his next move and attempts threading the needle of maintaining his own brand, while not drawing the wrath of Mr Trump’s loyal followers, ahead of a potential 2024 presidential bid.

“Pence is trying to navigate between the land mines of a president who insists on total fealty and protecting his options for his own political future,” Dan Eberhart, a prominent Republican donor and Trump backer, told the Associated Press.

“Any Republican who is thinking about running for office in the next four years is definitely looking at that and trying to figure out which way the political winds are going to blow.”

Mr Pence is among a field of several conservative candidates being touted for a 2024 presidential run, including former ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Donald Trump Jr, and even Donald Trump himself.

The Georgia run-off election in January has become a magnet among potential candidates bolstering their party credentials, with Florida governor Rick Scott and senators Marco Rubio and Tom Cotton all making plans to campaign in the state.  

Republican strategist Barry Bennett said that Mr Pence has the opportunity to position himself as the head of the opposition to Mr Biden that remains loyal to Mr Trump’s policies without being tainted by his personality.

"What happened in the House tells us that the president's policies were quite popular. His personality, obviously, was not helpful with some voters," Mr Bennett told NBC News. "But if Pence can run on the policies and not have the baggage of the image problem, he'll do quite well."

While the vice president may be treading lightly as he weighs options of his political future, he could likely leave public life entirely.

In reality, Mr Pence’s allies told The New York Times they expect him to return to Indiana and make a living giving paid speeches and writing a book.