Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Friday that he will not seek the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
Pompeo, who had assembled a team in preparation for a potential campaign launch, called the decision “deeply personal” and said the timing “wasn’t right”.
“After much consideration and continued prayer, Susan and I have concluded that I will not run for president of the United States in 2024,” Pompeo said in a video posted on social media. “This decision is deeply personal and ultimately we have decided that the time is not right.”
“At every stage of my public service, as a soldier, as a congressman, and then as director of the CIA and secretary of state, I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to advance America that befits the times and the moment.
Mike Pompeo will not run for president in 2024 because of “personal” reasons, the former secretary of state and CIA director announced Friday. “The time is not right for me and my family,” he said in a statement discussing the decision. https://t.co/TZ9WEzHtnw
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) April 15, 2023
“But now is not the time for me to seek elected office.”
Pompeo, a Trump loyalist who served as secretary of state from 2018 to 2021, was expected to enter the race in the coming months. In a survey by J.L. Shared exclusively with The Post last week, Pompeo garnered just 3% among Iowa Republican voters in a six-person Republican field, led by former President Donald Trump with 41% and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis with 26%. He also surpassed former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley on 5% and tied with former Vice President Mike Pence.
Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin each got 1%. Rather than enter the presidential race, Pompeo said he and his wife will continue to serve as parents, Sunday school teachers, and community leaders.
He thanked his campaign scouting team for giving him “the space to seriously consider running for president and a real chance to get the votes of the American people and have a chance to win.”
