Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence announced his candidacy for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination on Monday.

preparing for a confrontation with former President Donald Trump.

The campaign for Pence has filed a declaration of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission.

On Wednesday, Pence will launch his campaign in the early nominating state of Iowa with a video and a speech, according to three sources familiar with the situation who spoke to Reuters last week.

Pence's candidacy pits him against front-runner Trump, whom he once supported, but refused to back when Trump attempted to overturn Democrat Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election.

The former governor of Indiana, a staunch social conservative, has distanced himself from Trump, claiming that his encouragement of the radicals who attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, endangered Vice President Pence and his family, who were in the building at the time.

Pence joins Trump, U.S. Senator Tim Scott, and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley in an expanding field of Republican candidates. According to a source familiar with his plans, Governor Doug Burgum of North Dakota intends to enter the race on Wednesday.

Tuesday marks the entry of former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, bringing the total number of Republican candidates to double digits.

Many Trump opponents within the Republican Party are alarmed by the number of candidates vying for the nomination, as they fear that the anti-Trump vote could be divided, thereby handing the nomination to the former president.