MICHIGAN, USA — Vice President Mike Pence was in full campaign mode Wednesday during a visit to West Michigan.
He and former White House press secretary Sarah Sanders spoke to community and faith leaders in Portage and held a Keep America Great event in Holland.
Pence and Sanders arrived just before noon at the Kalamazoo-Battle Creek International Airport. They were greeted by a group of supporters and spectators.
The vice president used the opportunity to shake hands and take selfies with the people who gathered.
He then traveled to Valley Family Church in Portage, where he addressed a crowd of faith leaders. He celebrated the nation’s strong economy, focused on the president’s right to life stance, and the power of prayer.
“I believe prayer reaches heaven, His holy dwelling place,” Pence said. “I believe if His people who are called by His name will humble themselves and pray. He will do like He’s always done in the long and storied history of this country. In these too divided of times, He’ll heal this land.”
Following the event in Portage, the vice president arrived in Holland where a crowd of about 300 supporters gathered inside a vacant office building for a rally downtown.
But before the Vice President took the stage, United States Senate candidate John James took the stage.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm running again not because I'm special but because you are," James said.
Sanders then took the podium first to warm up the crowd. She shared her vision of what she believes Democrats will do if elected.
“Democrats want to come into your home and take your guns. If you want to see real chaos, we’ll allow that to happen," she said. “We have a president and a vice president who understand you have a God-given right, enshrined in the Constitution, to protect your family because you can do it better than anyone else.”
After about 10 minutes of speaking, Sanders introduced Vice President Pence. He once again touted Michigan’s strong economy and warned attendees about the liberal stance many candidates on the Democratic side are embracing.
"[It is] booming thanks to the president's leadership. We've set records on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and the stock market is setting records every single day," he said.
He used health care and immigration as examples and reinforced the administration’s stance on abortion.
“America today has the most pro-life president in American history,” Pence said. “And I promise you under this president and this vice president this administration and this party will always stand for life.”
He also touched on national security.
"Thanks to the extraordinary work of the men and women of our border patrol and homeland security, in the last five months alone, apprehensions on our southern border are down by more than 70 percent," he said.
Outside of the rally, a large crowd of protesters also gathered, warning people to beware of "false prophets" and criticizing the administration’s record on climate change. The protesters remained for the entirety of the vice president’s speech, but they remained peaceful and did not interact with the administration's supporters.
It's been three years since Pence was in Holland. His last visit was just days before the 2016 election.
This is his third visit to the state this year.
Here are videos from the event:
More stories on 13 ON YOUR SIDE:
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.