DES MOINES, Iowa —

Former Vice President Mike Pence promised “the best days of the greatest nation on earth are yet to come" in a video released Wednesday formally launching his campaign for the Republican nomination for president.

“Different times call for different leadership,” Pence says in the video, released via Fox News and Twitter hours ahead of a kickoff event in Des Moines. “Today our party and our country need a leader that’ll appeal, as Lincoln said, to the better angels of our nature."

While it would be “easy to stay on the sidelines,” he adds, ”that’s not how I was raised. That’s why today, before God and my family, I’m announcing I'm running for president of the United States.”

Pence is staking his presidential hopes on Iowa as he launches a campaign that will make him the first vice president in modern history to take on his former running mate.

Pence's campaign will also test the party's appetite for a socially conservative, mild-mannered and deeply religious candidate who has denounced the populist tide that has swept through his party under former President Donald Trump. And it will show whether Pence still has a political future after Jan. 6, 2021, with a large portion of GOP voters still believing Trump's lies that the 2020 election was stolen and that Pence had the power to reject the results.

Pence and his advisers see Iowa — the state that will cast the first votes of the GOP nominating calendar — as key to his potential pathway to the nomination. Its caucus-goers include a large portion of evangelical Christian voters, whom they see as a natural constituency for Pence. They also think Pence, who represented Indiana in Congress and as governor, is a good personality fit with the Midwestern state.

“We believe the path to victory runs through Iowa and all of its 99 counties," said Scott Reed, co-chair of a super PAC that launched last month to support Pence's candidacy.

Iowa has typically been seen as a launching pad for presidential candidates, delivering momentum, money and attention to hopefuls who win or defy expectations. But recent past winners including Ted Cruz, Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee have failed to ultimately win the nomination.

And Pence faces steep challenges. He enters the race as among the best-known Republican candidates in a crowded GOP field that now includes Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson.

But Pence — seen by Trump critics as complicit with his most indefensible actions and maligned by Trump loyalists as a traitor — is also saddled with high unfavorable ratings.

A CNN poll conducted last month found 45% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents said they would not support Pence under any circumstance. Only 16% said the same about Trump.

Pence’s favorability has also slipped in Iowa, according to The Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll.

Shortly after leaving office, in June 2021, 86% of Iowa Republicans said they had a favorable view of Pence. But the Register’s March Iowa Poll showed that figure had dropped to 66%. The poll also found Pence with higher unfavorable ratings than all of the other candidates it asked about, including Trump and DeSantis, with 26% of Republicans polled saying they have a “somewhat” or “very” unfavorable view of him.

And just 58% of Iowa evangelicals said they had favorable feelings toward Pence — a particularly disappointing number, given his campaign's strategy.

But Pence, who has already visited Iowa more than a dozen times since leaving office, has also received a warm welcome from voters during his trips. During a “Roast and Ride” event over the weekend that drew a long list of 2024 candidates, Pence stood out as the only candidate to actually mount a Harley and participate in the event’s annual motorcycle ride. When he arrived at a barbecue at the state fairgrounds, he moved easily from table to table, warmly greeting and chatting with attendees.

But there remains lingering skepticism of Pence among many Republican voters who adhere to the baseless but persistent conspiracy theory that the 2020 election was stolen. Many who cling to the falsehood believe Pence was complicit in the plot to deny Trump a second term because he refused Trump’s pressure campaign to reject the Electoral College vote when he presided over a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of Trump's supporters violently stormed the building.

Pence advisers say they recognize the challenge and intend to explain to voters directly that Pence was adhering to his constitutional duty and never had the power to impact the vote in his ceremonial role.

“I think it’s something you have to walk straight through,” said his longtime adviser Marc Short.

Beyond Jan. 6, his team sees their primary goal as reintroducing Pence to a country that largely knows him as Trump's second-in-command. They want to remind voters of his time in congressional leadership and as governor and are planning a campaign heavy with town halls, house parties and visits to local diners and Pizza Ranch restaurants —- more intimate settings that will help voters get to know him personally.

“People have seen Mike Pence the vice president. I think what people are going to see is Mike Pence the person," said Todd Hudson, the speaker of the House in Indiana and a longtime Pence friend who has signed on to help with outreach to state legislators. “I’m super excited for people to get to know the Mike Pence that I know, who's funny, who's just a wonderful person... the more relaxed Mike Pence."

Reed believes there is a strong desire in the party for a candidate like Pence who espouses Reagan-style conservatism, including traditional social values, hawkish foreign policy and small government economics.

“We think this nomination fight is going to be an epic battle for the heart and soul of the conservative, traditional wing of the Republican Party. And Pence is going to campaign as a classic conservative. His credentials are unmatched,” he said.

Unlike Trump and DeSantis, Pence has argued that cuts to Social Security and Medicare must be on the table and has blasted those who have questioned why the U.S. should continue to send aid to Ukraine to counter Russian aggression.

“We are not going to try to out-Trump Pence. Everybody else is," Reed said. “Pence is the only candidate running not to be Trump’s VP.”

The House Committee investigating the attacks on the U.S. Capitol is in talks with former Vice President Mike Pence's counsel, according to Rep. Liz Cheney.

The congresswoman told ABC News that she hopes Pence will testify.

"He played a critical role on January 6. If he had succumbed to the pressure that Donald Trump was putting on him, we would have had a much worst constitutional crisis," Cheney told ABC News correspondent Jon Karl.

Pence said earlier this week that he would consider testifying before the committee. However, he noted that it would be unusual for a vice president to testify in this type of investigation.

"Under the Constitution, we have three coequal branches of government," Pence said. "Any invitation directed at me, I’d have to reflect on the unique role I was serving in as vice president. It would be unprecedented in history for a vice president to be summoned to testify on Capitol Hill."

Former President Donald Trump has railed against the committee, claiming the investigation is a "witch hunt."

Public testimony has shown Trump launched an intense pressure campaign to try to get the results of the 2020 presidential election overturned. When those efforts failed, hundreds of his supporters stormed the Capitol.

Once the Capitol was eventually cleared of the rioters, Congress returned to certify the Electoral College results and declare Joe Biden the winner.

Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen Pence will be featured speakers during Night 3 of the Republican National Convention, slated to begin at 8:30 p.m. ET.

The third night of the convention is taking place amid a series of national emergencies, including Hurricane Laura striking the Gulf Coast, unrest in Wisconsin, and the coronavirus pandemic that has claimed nearly 180,000 American lives since March.

During Tuesday’s portion of the Republican National Convention, Melania Trump spoke out about the unrest after Jacob Blake was shot by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Sunday.

“I have reflected on the racial unrest in our country. It is a harsh reality that we are not proud of parts of our history,” the first lady said.

“I like to call on the citizens of this country to take a moment, pause, and look at things from all perspectives. I urge people to come together in a civil manner, so we can work and live up to our standard American ideas,” she added. “I also ask people to stop the violence and looting being done in the name of justice and never make assumptions based on the color of a person's skin. Instead of tearing things down, let's reflect on our mistakes.”

As the first lady delivered her remarks, crowds of demonstrators clashed with police for the third straight night in Kenosha. Amid the chaos, two people were fatally wounded and a third person was shot. Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, has been charged in connection with Tuesday's shootings.

While the first lady was among three Trumps not named Donald Trump who spoke on Tuesday, the only Trump family member listed on Wednesday’s schedule is the president’s daughter-in-law Lara Lea Trump, wife of Eric Trump. She is a senior adviser to the Trump campaign.

The theme of Wednesday’s section of the convention is “Land of Heroes,” and the GOP says that the party "will honor our nation's heroes and their contributions to writing our great American story

Wednesday’s portion of the convention will include a speech from Trump outgoing adviser Kellyanne Conway, who is stepping away from her role at the White House to spend time with family. Her husband, George Conway, is also stepping back from the Lincoln Project, which is a group of anti-Trump Republicans who are campaigning to defeat the president in November.

Others slated to speak: White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, Sens. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Joni Ernst of Iowa and Reps. Dan Crenshaw of Texas and Elise Stefanik of New York.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence has called Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to offer his congratulations.

That's according to two people familiar with the conversation who were granted anonymity to share details of a private conversation.

One of the people familiar with the Thursday afternoon conversation described it as a “good call,” with Pence congratulating his successor and offering assistance.

The call comes less than a week before President-elect Joe Biden and Harris are set to take office, next Wednesday.

It marks the first contact between elected officials from the outgoing and incoming administrations.

Former Vice President wrote an op-ed in the Daily Signal on Wednesday, speaking about election security and a bill that House Democrats plan on passing on Wednesday involving ballot access.

While not repeating some of the false conspiracy theories spread by President Donald Trump, Pence suggested that decisions by courts, governors and secretaries of state led to “voting irregularities.”

“Many of the most troubling voting irregularities took place in states that set aside laws enacted by state legislatures in favor of sweeping changes ordered by governors, secretaries of state, and courts,” Pence said.

"The tragic events of Jan. 6—the most significant being the loss of life and violence at our nation’s Capitol—also deprived the American people of a substantive discussion in Congress about election integrity in America," Pence added.

Some of the changes made in states were due to the coronavirus pandemic, which prompted many states to expand mail-in voting. For instance in Pennsylvania, due to the virus and a slowdown in mail service, state Democrats went to court to extend the number of days ballots could be accepted by election counters. The state’s Supreme Court ruled that ballots mailed before election days would be counted as long as they were received by the Friday after the election.

The Trump campaign’s appeal to the Supreme Court failed.

While Trump and his supporters decried Pence for not intervening the counting of Electoral College votes, Pence said that he wanted to give an opportunity for challenges to be raised, which is already stated in the Constitution.

“As presiding officer at the joint session of Congress certifying the Electoral College results, I pledged to ensure that all objections properly raised under the Electoral Count Act would be given a full hearing before Congress and the American people,” Pence said.

Democrats are attempting to pass House Resolution 1, which would call for same-day voter registration, mail-in votes and place limits on removing voters from the voter rolls.

The legislation would place a prohibition on campaign spending by foreign nationals and add additional disclaimers to political advertising for federal offices.

The bill also requires candidates for president and vice president to release 10 years of tax returns.

Pence argues that the bill would shift the administration of elections from the state level to the federal level.

“Election reform is a national imperative, but under our Constitution, election reform must be undertaken at the state level,” Pence wrote. “Our Founders limited Congress’ role in conducting our elections for good reason: They wanted elections to be administered closest to the people, free from undue influence of the national government.”

The House Democrats’ bill comes as Republicans in a number of states are looking at curtailing voting access by reducing the number of days of early voting, and placing limits on mail-in voting.

“There is now in the 21st century, a concerted effort to roll back voting rights and state legislatures across the country,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Tuesday. “Alarmingly, making it harder, harder for Americans to vote and particularly aimed at Americans of color, African Americans, Latinos, and native Americans. And it's becoming a feature of one of America's major political parties.”

To read Pence's full letter, click here.

Related video: Police will lead off panel's first Jan. 6 hearing

A Florida man who breached the U.S. Senate chamber carrying a Trump campaign flag is scheduled to become the first Jan. 6 rioter sentenced for a felony, in a hearing that will help set a benchmark for punishment in similar cases.

Prosecutors want Paul Allard Hodgkins to serve 18 months behind bars, saying in a recent filing that he, “like each rioter, contributed to the collective threat to democracy” by forcing lawmakers to temporarily abandon their certification of Joe Biden’s election victory and to scramble for shelter from incoming mobs.

Video footage shows Hodgkins, 38, wearing a Trump 2020 T-shirt, the flag flung over his shoulder and eye goggles around his neck inside the Senate. He took a selfie with a self-described shaman in a horned helmet and other rioters on the dais behind him.

His sentencing Monday in Washington could set the bar for punishments of hundreds of other defendants as they decide whether to accept plea deals or go to trial. Hodgkins and others are accused of serious crimes but were not indicted, as other were, for roles in larger conspiracies.

A lawyer for Hodgkins, who pleaded guilty last month to one count of obstructing an official proceeding, asked U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss not to impose a prison sentence, saying the shame that will attach to Hodgkins for the rest of his life should be factored in as punishment.

“Whatever punishment this court may provide will pale in comparison to the scarlet letter Mr. Hodgkins will wear for the rest of his life,” Patrick N. Leduc wrote in a recent filing, citing a Nathaniel Hawthorne novel in which a woman accused of adultery is forced to wear a letter “A.”

The filing argues that Hodgkins' actions weren’t markedly different from those of Anna Morgan Lloyd — other than Hodgkins stepping onto the Senate floor. The 49-year-old from Indiana was the first of roughly 500 arrested to be sentenced. She pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct and last month was sentenced to three years of probation.

Hodgkins was never accused of assaulting anyone or damaging property. And prosecutors said he deserves some leniency for taking responsibility almost immediately and pleading guilty to the obstruction charge, which carries a maximum 20-years prison sentence.

But they also noted how he boarded a bus in his hometown of Tampa bound for a Jan. 6 Trump rally carrying rope, protective goggles and latex gloves in a backpack — saying that demonstrated he came to Washington prepared for violence.

On the day, he walked through grounds already littered with smashed police barriers and broken windows, evening passing police officers and others injured as the crowd surged toward the Capitol, prosecutors said.

“Time and time again, rather than turn around and retreat, Hodgkins pressed forward,” the government filing said.

Leduc described his client as an otherwise law-abiding American who, despite living in a poorer part of Tampa, regularly volunteered at a food bank. He noted that Hodgkins had been an Eagle Scout.

His actions on Jan. 6 "is the story of a man who for just one hour on one day lost his bearings ... who made a fateful decision to follow the crowd,” the attorney said.

Leduc’s 33-page presentencing filing devotes several pages to the Civil War, highlighting Abraham Lincoln’s calls for reconciliation weeks before his assassination.

“The court has a chance to emulate Lincoln,” he wrote.

FALLS CHURCH, Va. — Former Vice President Mike Pence underwent a surgery Wednesday to have a pacemaker implanted.

A statement from Pence's office on Thursday said he experienced symptoms associated with a slow heart rate over the past two weeks, and he underwent the procedure at Inova Fairfax Medical Campus in Falls Church, Virginia.

The surgery was successful and Pence is expected to fully recover, returning to normal activity in the coming days, the statement said.

“I am grateful for the swift professionalism and care of the outstanding doctors, nurses and staff at Inova Heart and Vascular Institute, including Dr. Brett Atwater and Dr. Behnam Tehrani," Pence said.

"I also appreciate the consultation of my longtime Indiana physicians, Dr. Michael Busk and Dr. Charles Taliercio at Ascension St. Vincent. My family has been truly blessed by the work of these dedicated healthcare professionals."

After Pence was nominated to be the Republican vice presidential candidate in 2016, he disclosed his medical history, which included an asymptomatic left bundle branch block, according to the statement.

This story was originally published by Daniel Bradley at WRTV.

Two Senate committees are set to release new reports later this month on the security failures surrounding the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, but they are leaving out President Donald Trump’s role in inciting the riot.

The lack of answers is insulting to many who defended the Capitol that day, including two officers who are speaking out about their experiences during the attack.

United States Capitol Police Sergeant Aquilino Gonell immigrated from the Dominican Republic to the U.S. at 12 years old in 1991 and deployed to Iraq in 2003. He joined the Capitol Police in 2008.

He is speaking publicly for the first time about Jan. 6, when he fought rioters trying to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s win in the 2020 presidential election. He says those who breached the Capitol called him a "traitor."

"I served my country," Gonell said. "I went overseas to protect our homeland from foreign threats, but yet here I am battling them in our Capitol."

Gonell led members of the department’s civil disturbance unit. For hours, they battled the rioters attacking the Capitol.

"I got hurt. I would do it again if I have to, it's my job," Gonell said.

Gonell suffered a cut to his hand on Jan. 6. He also suffered a severe foot injury that later required surgery.

"They kept saying, 'Trump sent me. We won't listen to you. We are here to take over the Capitol, we're here to hang Mike Pence,'" Gonell said. "They thought we were there for them and we weren't, so they turned against us. It was very scary because I thought I was going to lose my life right there."

Some of the most horrific videos show Gonell steps from Metropolitan Police Officer Daniel Hodges, who got caught in a doorway.

"I could hear my fellow officers screaming, the agony in some of them," Gonell said. "All I could think was, 'we can't let these people in. There's going to be a slaughter inside.'"

While he fended off the attack outside, Officer Byron Evans locked down areas inside the Capitol and evacuated senators.

"I remember thinking, all that stuff like, 'Byron, this is the day. All those times you've given thought on what you would do, you're doing it,'" Evans said,

For hours, Evans and the senators watched the riot on TV from a secured location.

"I just remember the anger I felt when I saw those images — busting windows, climbing the walls and stuff like that, it was an audible gasp in the room," Evans said.

Around 6 p.m. that evening, the riot had calmed enough that Gonell could finally tell his wife he survived.

"I started texting my wife and I just said, 'I'm okay. See you whenever,'" Gonell said.

Congress resumed certifying the electoral college votes that night. Gonell arrived home around 3 a.m. the next morning but found little relief.

"When I came in, she wanted to hug me and I told her no because I was covered in pepper spray," Gonell said. "My hands were bleeding still, and I couldn't even sleep because I went and took a shower and instead of helping, that re-inflamed the chemicals."

Gonell said he later took a bath with milk in the hopes of washing out the pepper spray.

"That didn't help," he said.

Though they were still reeling from the worst attack the Capitol had seen in two centuries, Gonell, Evans and hundreds of other officers went back to work just hours later.

"I did give my wife a hug and started crying," Gonell said. "I didn't think I would be able to see them. I went to my son's bed and gave him a hug, he was asleep still, gave him a kiss. And I just started crying for 5-10 minutes. I just cried. She kept telling me it was going to be okay. I'm like, 'no, I've got to go back to work.;"

For him, the riot is hardly in the rearview. The failure of a bill to establish a bipartisan commission to investigate the causes of the riot left him devastated and gave him a reason to speak out

"It hurts me that the country that I love, that I came in, that I have sacrificed so much for, doesn't care about us. They don't," Gonell said.

To date, more than 400 people have been charged in the riot.