Republican Rep. Greg Pence announced Tuesday that he won’t seek a fourth term, becoming the third member of Indiana’s House delegation, and the second this week, to call it quits after 2024.
“As a former Marine Officer, I approached the job with purpose,” Pence, the older brother of former Vice President Mike Pence, said on X. “After three terms, I’ve made the decision to not file for reelection.”
Pence joins Reps. Larry Bucshon, who announced his retirement Monday, and Rep. Victoria Spartz, who said last year that she would not seek reelection. Spartz has since told The Indianapolis Star that she may reconsider.
Another House member from the Hoosier State, Rep. Jim Banks, is running for the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Mike Braun, who is running for governor.
Pence, 67, was first elected in 2018, while his brother was serving in President Donald Trump’s administration. A small-business owner who had never held elective office before, he earned a reputation as a Republican loyalist who largely operated under the radar despite his brother’s high-profile position.
On Jan. 6, 2021, when pro-Trump crowds stormed the U.S. Capitol to disrupt the certification of the presidential election results, Greg Pence sheltered with his brother after the Secret Service rushed the vice president away to safety.
Some Trump supporters that day chanted, “Hang Mike Pence,” and at an earlier rally, Trump had told the crowd that “if Mike Pence does the right thing, we win the election,” arguing falsely that Pence could reject states’ electors and change the result. Mike Pence had already said he did not have that authority.
“If you’ve ever been in a combat situation or life-threatening situation, it all happens very fast and it’s surreal,” Greg Pence told CNN in February 2022. “I think my brother’s a hero for him to say, ‘I’m not leaving.’”
After Congress reconvened, Greg Pence voted with Democrats to certify Arizona’s electoral votes, but he voted later that night against certifying Pennsylvania’s electoral votes.
He also voted against impeaching Trump in the final days of his term, against creating a bipartisan commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack and against raising the standard for members of Congress to bring future objections to electoral votes. Trump endorsed Pence’s 2022 reelection.
Pence represents the 6th District, which includes a swath of eastern and central Indiana. Trump beat Joe Biden by 32 percentage points in the district, and the race for the seat this year is rated Solid Republican by Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales.
He is the 21st House member, and 12th Republican, to announce that they would not run again this year. Another 17 members are seeking other offices.
Jackie Wang contributed to this report.
The post Indiana retirements continue as Rep. Greg Pence plans to exit appeared first on Roll Call.
