Of course, Pence is not alone on the high wire. Most 2024 contenders are forming political action committees to help out candidates in 2022 and build chits throughout the party, while waiting under the big foot of Trump to see if he runs again, or — as many hope — is indicted. But Pence, who let Trump and his millions of Stop the Steal devotees down, faces a much steeper climb in a Republican primary than people like Sen. Ted Cruz and Mike Pompeo do. A deeply devout man, Pence was heckled last month by Christian activists, no less, at the Faith & Freedom Coalition, where he was not just booed but called a “traitor.”... Pence is a cautious, measured politician who has been calibrating his position in the 2024 field since 2016. He clearly felt he must set himself apart from Trump on the insurrection while not going as far as Liz Cheney, who lost her leadership position by blaming Trump for inciting it. Meanwhile Pence is undoubtedly a hunted man. Just like those House Republicans who have told Cheney and Rep. Peter Meijer they are afraid to criticize Trump because they fear for their physical security (and their lives), Pence must be the target of ongoing death threats because several times since that lethal day, Trump has repeated that Pence lacked the “courage” to do what he wanted him to do.