While much of Washington was consumed Friday by President Donald Trump’s pitch on immigration reform and the news that he tried to fire special counsel Robert Mueller in June, Vice President Mike Pence saw to one of his main priorities for the months ahead: relentlessly campaigning for Republicans to limit losses in what are shaping up to be bruising 2018 midterm elections.

Pence is set to join a group of GOP senators for a 12:30 lunch event with donors to the National Republican Senatorial Committee at the Trump International Hotel, a few blocks from the White House. Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), David Perdue (R-Ga.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W. Va.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) are also expected to attend.


The vice president will then travel to the Republican National Committee, where he is slated to participate in a series of private meetings, including one with RNC Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel, make calls to donors and greet RNC staff, according to an administration official.

The events are seen within Pence’s office as an unofficial kickoff to the first quarter of 2018, during which he aims to do nearly 30 events for various GOP members between now and mid-April.

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“Expect to see the vice president heavily engaged in competitive Senate races and helping keep the House majority,” a senior administration official said. “He’ll be crisscrossing the country to support Republicans who are fighting to enact President Trump’s agenda.”

Generic ballot polls show Democrats heading into the 2018 midterms with a lead in the mid to high single digits.

