Pence steps out of Trump's shadow, raising new questions about his political future

https://www.npr.org/2022/02/12/ [login to see] /pence-steps-out-of-trumps-shadow-raising-new-questions-about-his-political-futur
It was a series of words some never expected former Vice President Mike Pence to utter: "President Trump is wrong."

Pence was responding to Trump's claims that Pence had the power to overturn the 2020 presidential election results during last year's joint session of Congress.

Pence's comments raised new questions about his political future, and whether he's charting a new course in the Republican Party outside of Trump's shadow.

"I'm very interested to see where it goes from here," said Brendan Buck, a former top congressional GOP aide. "Because it's not clear, at least in the next three to four years, that there's much room for somebody to be outside of Donald Trump's good side."

Historically, vice presidents see themselves as the heir apparent to the Oval Office.

But for Pence, that plan appeared to be cut short in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, when rioters called for his hanging.

Pence had declined to accede to Trump's demands to reject President Biden's win during that day's joint session of Congress.