This Is What Pence’s True Legacy Will Be

Former Vice President Mike Pence's decision to drop out of the GOP presidential race should not come as a shock to anyone who has been following the news. His campaign has lagged in almost every metric that matters. Save one, where Pence was a clear leader: the courage to be a conservative among populists and authoritarian wannabes.

The faithful who've nailed their fates to the mast of one or several of those populists will reflexively dismiss this as sour grapes or worse.  We should expect nothing better from those immersed in grievance.

But such a reaction tells us more about the GOP's drift over the last decade and more. Pence may have made a formidable candidate 20 years ago – or even 12 – when the GOP was still, unabashedly, conservative.

That party has been gone for some time, and there are precious few signs that anything more than an electorally challenged remnant of it survives. 

Pence is a symbol of the shift, and the remnant. As the Wall Street Journal notes:

Critics who say he should never have accepted the VP nod should thank heaven he was there on Jan. 6, 2021. Mr. Pence stood up to Mr. Trump's public and private pressure to stop the electoral vote count. He followed his conscience to recognize the constitutional limits of his role, and he did the right thing in a political crucible, though he had to know he was damaging his future presidential prospects. He deserves the public's gratitude.

Mr. Pence also made a contribution this year in calling out the drift among some of his GOP competitors toward isolationism. He may have been the wrong messenger, but he offered a message that Republican voters should hear about Russia, Iran, China, and an unprepared America. Hamas's murderous invasion of Israel is a reminder of what can happen when a nation begins to believe it is safe from its enemies behind walls—or two oceans.

Friends of the Constitution and our republican institutions of government will always be thankful Mr. Pence did his duty on Jan. 6 when so very many of his fellow Republicans, including the new House Speaker, actively sought to undermine both. 

And yes, Mr. Pence is right to note that the U.S. remains inextricably linked to the rest of our fractious, and sometimes dangerous, world. We can and must have vigorous debates about how much the rest of the world's struggles should demand our attention and strained resources. But we also cannot ignore the leadership the U.S. plays in the world. 

More GOP contenders are likely to follow Pence to the exits before the end of the year. Perhaps in leaving, Pence is also leading – this time bringing leading what are now vanity candidates back to their senses, out of the race, and behind another, stronger, alternative.

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