Many commentators have opined that the Pence campaign is nothing more than warmed-over Reaganism, but I don’t agree. I think it is a combination of a Reaganesque view of foreign policy, anti-abortion extremism, and Trump with the adults in the room–the actual product of the first few years of Trump, not his Twitter rantings or January 6.
Pence is hardly the perfect vessel for this approach, since both the right and the left despise him for his actions during the Trump years, and his lack of charisma is painfully apparent every time he opens his mouth. That said, you can see how synthesizing the most popular elements of Trumpism and Reaganism could get you enough votes to win the nomination–pick off the resolute pro-lifers from the base, get lots of undecideds by supporting only the best parts of Trump, and unite the Never Trumpers under the Reagan banner. It’s certainly a better approach than refusing to attack Trump and hoping the base will somehow prefer you to the man on golf cart.