HANOVER — Former Vice President Mike Pence outlined his concerns for the Republican Party and the future of American democracy inside the Hanover Inn Thursday evening as about two dozen people gathered on the sidewalk outside to protest his record on gay rights, the war in Gaza and the arrests of Dartmouth students last year.

The event, which drew an in-person audience of more than 300, along with 200 online viewers, was part of a speaker series accompanying a special Dartmouth College government and public policy course focusing on the 2024 election. Dartmouth Professors Russell Muirhead and Herschel Nachlis joined New York University administrator Emma Wolfe to moderate the discussion.

“Say it loud, say it clear: Homophobes aren’t welcome here” protesters chanted, as some held signs saying “Fascism is scary” and “Bigots are not welcome.”

Inside, Pence reiterated his refusal to endorse a presidential candidate.

“I could never vote for Kamala Harris or Tim Walz,” he said. “But I’m not endorsing the Republican ticket. I’m staying out of it because I’m concerned about the direction of the Republican Party.”

He did say that he is a “great admirer” of New Hampshire Republican gubernatorial candidate Kelly Ayotte.

Pence, who describes himself as a Reagan Republican, said that he is concerned that his party is pulling back from supporting its Eastern European allies, “marginalizing the right to life,” and ignoring the national debt.

Recounting his experience during the January 6 riots, Pence said that he was more angry than scared, and motivated by his oath to uphold the Constitution.

“I was determined to stay at my post and finish the job,” of certifying the 2020 election, he said and not “give that crowd the sight of a 16-car motorcade leaving the Capitol.”

Throughout the hour-long discussion, Pence avoided mentioning Donald Trump by name, referring instead to the “former president” and the “Republican ticket.”

Some of those protesting outside the venue questioned the decision to bring Pence to campus given his long record of opposing same-sex marriage and equal rights for LGBTQ+ Americans.

“Universities are places for debating ideas. These are not ideas that are in need of a platform or in need of further debate,” Dartmouth history professor Bethany Moreton said.

Inviting Pence to campus “is about a redundant affinity for power that is unrelated to the quality of ideas and their fitness for intellectual engagement,” she added.

Muirhead, a Democratic state representative who represents Hanover and Lyme in Concord, said that as a speaker, Pence offered a “special kind of insight” into American politics.

“There’s probably nobody in the Republican Party better situated to describe the rise of Trump in a sympathetic way and to describe the challenge and the threat to democratic institutions,” he said. “That combination of appreciation and dissent is a perspective that nobody else in American politics has.”

The event was aligned with the “Dartmouth Dialogues” initiative introduced last year by President Sian Leah Beilock.

For Muirhead, the point of bringing a speaker like Pence to campus isn’t to overcome disagreement.

“The goal in politics cannot be to arrive at common ground,” he said. “We will disagree with each other vigorously and for profound reasons.”

What is important is learning to live together peacefully and cooperatively despite disagreement.

“That’s what I worry about. Our ability to do that is fragile,” he said.

Roughly 90 students are enrolled in an “Election 2024” course this fall. Pence visited the classroom and spoke with students as part of his campus visit Thursday.

“I was struck by Vice President Pence’s generosity toward students. He wanted to hear every question. He wanted to engage every student who wanted to talk to or challenge him,” Muirhead said.

Throughout his talk, Pence emphasized the importance of civility in politics, using examples from his career including his friendship with the late civil rights activist and Congressman John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat.

After the event, Pence spent nearly an hour in the Hanover Inn ballroom speaking and taking selfies with members of the audience.

“It’s a very contentious time right now,” Pence said. “We’re going to meet this moment. We’re going through a season where we’re talking past each other too much in politics, but it will come back around.”

A video recording of the event is online at: https://dartgo.org/PenceLive. 

Christina Dolan can be reached at cdolan@vnews.com or 603-727-3208.