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Former Vice President Mike Pence made headlines during his stop in New Hampshire, as he gave his most extensive comments to date about the Jan. 6. insurrection at the U.S. Capitol while delivering the keynote address Thursday night at the Hillsborough County GOPs annual Lincoln-Reagan awards dinner and fundraiser.

The former vice president considered by pundits to be a likely 2024 Republican White House contender has been in a precarious position among some the GOP base since the storming of the Capitol by right wing extremists and other supporters of then-President Donald Trump aiming to disrupt congressional certification of now-President Joe Bidens Electoral College victory over Trump.

Pence was at the Capitol at the time it was attacked, overseeing the joint session of Congress. By following his Constitution duties instead of bending to Trumps wishes and overturn the results, Pence has endured the wrath of the former president and some of Trumps most devout loyalists and supporters.

In his speech at the Doubletree Hotel in downtown Manchester, Pence who along with members of Congress was forced to move to secure rooms while the Capitol was stormed called the attack a dark and tragic day in American history. But he emphasized that same day we reconvened the Congress and did our duty under the Constitution and the laws of the United States.

Pence, Trumps loyal right hand man the past four years, pointed to his now frayed relationship with the former president.

I dont know if well ever see eye to eye about that day, he said.

He quickly added that he remainsproud of the administrations goals and actions.

I will always be proud of what we accomplished for the American people over the last four years, Pence said tothe sold out audience of more than 360 Granite State conservative leaders and activists, who rose to their feet in applause.

Pence alluded to the unsuccessful push by congressional Democrats to pass legislation setting up a Jan. 6 commission to investigation the insurrection which was thwarted by GOP leadership in the U.S. Senate.

I will not allow the Democrats and their allies in the media to use one tragic day to discredit the aspirations of millions of Americans, he said.

Longtime New Hampshire based national GOP strategist David Carney, who attended the dinner, told the Monitor that it was smart for Pence to spotlight his differences with Trump over the insurrection while equally highlighting the Trump-Pence administration achievements.

Everyone I talked to in the crowd after the fact thought it was a great way to do it, added Carney, a veteran of Republican presidential campaigns for more than three decades.

Pence received roughly a dozen standing ovations during his speech, which included biting attacks on Biden and his administration. He blasted the current president for failed leadership and accused the Biden administration of incompetence, saying I dont think the left hand knows what the far left hand is doing.

The former vice president also dove directly in to the nations culture wars by attacking critical race theory, which aims to definesystemic racism as part of American society and takes aim at the beliefs that allow it to exist. Its become the latest cultural flash point, as numerous Republican governors and lawmakers across the country move to prevent it from being taught in schools. At least five GOP-controlled state legislatures have passed bans on critical race theory or related topics in recent months, and conservatives in at least nine other states are pressing for similar measures.

The former vice president charged that one of the most disturbing developments of the past few months has been the Biden Administrations whole-hearted embrace of the radical lefts all-encompassing assault on American culture and values. Under the Biden Administration, patriotic education has been replaced with political indoctrination.

It is time for America to discard the left-wing myth of systemic racism once and for all. America is not a racist nation, Pence declared to thunderous applause.

Pence was introduced by his good friend and fellow Republican Gov. Chris Sununu.

Sununu said that the former vice president is first and foremost my friend.

Hes just a good guy. His heart is absolutely in the right place, Sununu said.

Sununu spoke hours after he sparked a political firestorm by saying he wouldnt veto New Hampshires next two year budget over language that would ban abortions after 24 weeks, with no exceptions for rape or incest. Sununus comments, made during an interview with radio host Chris Ryan on New Hampshire Today, were quickly condemned by Granite State Democrats.

As Pence was meeting with Sununu at the State House in Concord on Thursday afternoon, New Hampshire Democratic Party chair Ray Buckley took aim at both Republicans.

Mike Pence is one of the most anti-choice politicians in America, and his extreme agenda is so toxic in New Hampshire that he and Donald Trump lost the state twice. Its not a coincidence that Governor Sununu came out in favor of an abortion ban in New Hampshire on the same day that hes meeting with Pence. Pence and Sununus anti-choice positions might play well with the most extreme elements of the Republican party, but it is wildly out of step with New Hampshire, Buckley charged.

A couple of hours later, an energized Sununu topped his comments at the Hillsborough County GOP dinner by touting that this state is crushing it. We really are.

After spotlighting the states number one ranking in some COVID safety and economic metrics, the governor emphasized that this is the place to be. It really is.

And Sununu once again made his case for smaller government.

Its not about getting a bigger and better government system, he said.Im the head of government and Im telling you you shouldnt trust government. Trust yourselves. Trust your cities and towns. Trust local control.

Pences trip to New Hampshire is sparking more speculation that hell seek the GOP presidential nomination in 2024. Its the former vice presidents second stop this year in one of the early voting primary states. Pence in April traveled to South Carolina, which holds the first southern contest and votes right after New Hampshire in the Republican nominating calendar, to give his first post-Trump presidency address. It was also the first in-person visit to New Hampshire this year by any of the potential GOP White House hopefuls.

Carney noted that the work that the vice presidents doing here, helping out building local parties, helping candidates across the country. That will really pay off for him if he decides to move forward going into the 2024 cycle.

Whatever candidate wants to be president has to focus their efforts on 22 and making sure we take House back, we pick up the Senate, we hold our governorships. Thats what will make the difference on who will be in the first round of top tier candidates, he said.

And former state House Speaker Bill OBrien, who remains a leader on the right, said the conservative community is a broad community even in New Hampshire, stretching from libertarians to more traditional conservatives. A whole bunch of that community would look at a fellow like Mike Pence and say hes us. Hes somebody that we could clearly come behind.

The Hillsborough GOP told the Monitor that Thursday nights dinner was its largest and most lucrative ever.

The Rockingham GOP announced on Friday that another potential Republican 2024 contender Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas will be in New Hampshire on July 17 to headline a breakfast at the Atkinson Country Club.

Cotton made two in-person campaign swings in New Hampshire last summer and autumn, to stump on behalf of Trump and down ballot Republicans in the 2020 elections. Early this year he gave a virtual speech during the New Hampshire GOPs annual convention, which was held on-line amid the pandemic.

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On the trail: Why Mike Pence's speech mattered - Concord Monitor