Pence: GOP Primary Contenders Need To Enter Race By June

Former Vice President Mike Pence said that "serious" candidates need to get into the race by June.

"I think that anyone that would be serious about seeking the Republican nomination would need to be in this contest by June," Pence said in an interview with CBS.

"When we have an announcement to make, it will be well before late June," Pence added.

CBS News chief election and campaign correspondent Robert Costa asked Pence if he is leaning towards running.

Pence said, "Well, I'm here in Iowa."

Pence has said before that he and his wife, former second lady Karen Pence, "both believe that we’ll have a clear sense of our call this spring."

"The former vice president has made numerous visits to Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada — the first four states to hold contests in the GOP’s presidential nominating calendar — the past two years," reported Fox News.

"If he were to run, Pence would join former President Donald Trump who declared his candidacy for the White House in mid-November," Fox reported. "Former ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and entrepreneur, author and conservative commentator Vivek Ramaswamy who launched their presidential campaigns in February."

Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina recently took a major step towards running for the White House with an announcement that he has launched a presidential exploratory committee.