Mike Pence spokesperson denies former vice president filed to join 2024 race

A spokesman for former Vice President Mike Pence has rejected reports that Mr Pence has filed paperwork to run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.

“Former Vice President Mike Pence did not file to run for President today,” Devin O’Malley tweeted, seemingly in response to fake screenshots appearing to show a Federal Election Commission posting.

Mr O’Malley told The Washington Post on Monday: “You’ll have to reach out to the FEC for answers about the filing,”

“We cannot comment on specific filings,” a spokesperson for the commission told the paper.

Several Republicans have started jockeying for the position ahead of 2024. The only candidate to declare their campaign is former President Donald Trump.

Mr Pence was Mr Trump’s vice president between 2017 and 2021. An aide for Mr Pence told The Post last week that he was going to spend the holidays pondering a possible campaign for the top job against his former boss.

Monday’s FEC filing appeared to have been made under the name “Mike Richard Pence” with a post office box address in Anderson, Indiana. Mr Pence’s full first name is Michael, while his campaign seems to have used the address listed previously.

Mr Pence’s book tour for So Help Me God will appear in megachurches in the coming month. He’ll start with an appearance alongside evangelical pastor Robert Jeffress in Dallas, according to Politico.

Fellow Trump challenger Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor, has recently restarted his national Google and Facebook ads. The ads coincide with the state legislative session looking set to handle several issues Mr DeSantis hopes will play well for him on a national stage, including abortion, guns, data privacy, and company governance, according to The Post.

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem looks set to head to Iowa as her staff tries to knock Mr DeSantis down a peg by mentioning that she was the first to ban the social media platform TikTok on state devices.

Larry Hogan, the outgoing Maryland governor, has increased his fundraising efforts and is considering a campaign over the holidays, similar to Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and Trump UN ambassador.

Outgoing Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson is speaking to donors and is hoping for Mr Trump to take a tumble.

“You never know when that early front-runner is going to stumble,” he said, according to Politico.

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin is set to take on the Democratic state senate over tax cuts and has been speaking to donors for months.

Former Kansas Congressman, CIA Director, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have been speaking to possible members of staff in the early primary states.

Chris Sununu, the governor of New Hampshire, is publishing Facebook ads in the early states and appearing often in the national media, while South Carolina Senator Tim Scott has also been releasing Facebook ads in the initial primary states.