(Bloomberg) -- Vice President Mike Pence will take a prominent role in Republican 2018 midterm campaigns with plans to make about 30 appearances on behalf of GOP candidates in House, Senate and governor races, a White House official said.
Presidents frequently deploy their vice presidents as active surrogates to rally support for their parties in midterm elections. Campaign appearances to help down-ballot candidates also allow vice presidents to build political debts they can call on later if they run for the presidency.
Pence’s campaign efforts kick off Friday, when he plans to appear at a fundraiser for the National Republican Senate Committee and later spend several hours making calls to donors, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Pence plans to travel Feb. 2 to Pennsylvania to campaign on behalf of Republican candidate Rick Saccone in the special election to fill the U.S. House seat vacated by Republican Tim Murphy, who resigned last year after acknowledging an extramarital affair.
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