WASHINGTON − When Mike Pence was first elected to Congress in 2000, he promised his wife he would not dine alone with any other woman.
That vow, made to help protect his marriage, got both praise and considerable ridicule when it was highlighted after Pence became vice president in 2017.
In a forthcoming book − “Go Home for Dinner: Advice on How Faith Makes a Family and Family Makes a Life” − Pence wants to share the principles he and his wife, Karen, developed to raise their family.
“I believe we can heal our country by putting faith and family first − and it all starts when you go home for dinner,” Pence said in a statement.
The book, publishing by Simon & Schuster on Nov. 14, comes as Pence is seeking the GOP nomination for president.
Pence’s strongly held religious beliefs likely appeal to evangelical Christians, who represent a significant portion of the GOP electorate. But after Pence’s addition to the 2016 ticket helped solidify that voting bloc’s support for Donald Trump, the former president and frontrunner for the 2024 nomination, remains popular with religious conservatives.
In his previous book, “So Help Me God,” Pence wrote about his experience as vice president, most notably how he stood up to Trump’s demand that he overturn the results of the 2020 election.
He also wrote about Trump’s reaction to his promise to his wife for what became known as the “Pence Rule.”
“Can you believe it?” Trump said. “After all they’ve said about me, now they are attacking Mike for being faithful to his wife!”
His new work is billed as a practical guide to “balancing the demands of life with the long-term satisfaction that only a commitment to your family can bring.”
The title comes from Pence’s response to reporters who asked him early in his political career where he saw himself in five or ten years. Pence would reply, “home for dinner.”
His daughter and collaborator, Charlotte Pence Bond, wrote about her dad in the 2018 book “Where You Go: Life Lessons from My Father.” She also authored a children’s book about the day in the life of the vice president as seen through the eyes of his rabbit.
