Rep. Jim Banks' Senate run jump- starts Indiana GOP primary - NBC News

Jan. 17, 2023, 1:26 PM EST By Bridget Bowman Rep. Jim Banks' announcement Tuesday that he is running for Senate in Indiana kicks off a potentially crowded GOP primary, with one of Banks' House colleagues also eyeing a run. GOP Sen. Mike Braun's decision to run for governor opened up the Senate seat. GOP Rep. Victoria Spartz told the Muncie Star Press in December that she had been asked to consider running. Former Gov. Mitch Daniels is also considered a potential Senate candidate, although the conservative Club for Growth Action has pledged to oppose Daniels if he runs. The group's PAC quickly endorsed Banks on Tuesday, with the group's president, David McIntosh, saying in a statement that they will "spend whatever it takes to help Banks secure the nomination and victory." Other potential GOP Senate candidates include former Rep. Trey Hollingsworth, who retired last year after three terms in the House and could self-fund his campaign, and Jennifer-Ruth Green, an Air Force Reservist who ran unsuccessfully for the House in 2022. For Subscribers FOR SUBSCRIBERS Locals called their town ‘Almost Heaven’. A plan to open a Buc-ee’s exposed its underbelly. FOR SUBSCRIBERS Outrage, backlash and inaction: Why can’t America stop rape on college campuses? FOR SUBSCRIBERS France shuts down nearly 900 schools as violent student protests escalate FOR SUBSCRIBERS This voting bloc holds the key to the midterms FOR SUBSCRIBERS Florida Democrats try to regain their mojo after years of Republican dominance FOR SUBSCRIBERS Justice Department tells employees to adopt Trump’s AI rebrand FOR SUBSCRIBERS U.S. housing market sets a grim record as sellers swamp buyers FOR SUBSCRIBERS Texts show worried Cornell fraternity brothers coordinating responses as accusations came to light FOR SUBSCRIBERS Former Olympic canoeist asks government watchdogs to probe ‘nightmare’ Reflecting Pool case FOR SUBSCRIBERS A psychedelic drug could soon get approved in the U.S. What should the rules be? FOR SUBSCRIBERS The Data Dive: Steve Kornacki on how Kansas became a surprise midterm battleground FOR SUBSCRIBERS Baltic nations brace for Russian attacks as border threats escalate FOR SUBSCRIBERS Latino voters feel buyer’s remorse in battleground Texas FOR SUBSCRIBERS Tips came in just minutes after Cornell alerted students to an alleged sex assault at a frat house FOR SUBSCRIBERS What’s on the Supreme Court’s docket this term? For Subscribers FOR SUBSCRIBERS Locals called their town ‘Almost Heaven’. A plan to open a Buc-ee’s exposed its underbelly. FOR SUBSCRIBERS Outrage, backlash and inaction: Why can’t America stop rape on college campuses? FOR SUBSCRIBERS France shuts down nearly 900 schools as violent student protests escalate FOR SUBSCRIBERS This voting bloc holds the key to the midterms FOR SUBSCRIBERS Florida Democrats try to regain their mojo after years of Republican dominance FOR SUBSCRIBERS Justice Department tells employees to adopt Trump’s AI rebrand FOR SUBSCRIBERS U.S. housing market sets a grim record as sellers swamp buyers FOR SUBSCRIBERS Texts show worried Cornell fraternity brothers coordinating responses as accusations came to light FOR SUBSCRIBERS Former Olympic canoeist asks government watchdogs to probe ‘nightmare’ Reflecting Pool case FOR SUBSCRIBERS A psychedelic drug could soon get approved in the U.S. What should the rules be? FOR SUBSCRIBERS The Data Dive: Steve Kornacki on how Kansas became a surprise midterm battleground FOR SUBSCRIBERS Baltic nations brace for Russian attacks as border threats escalate FOR SUBSCRIBERS Latino voters feel buyer’s remorse in battleground Texas FOR SUBSCRIBERS Tips came in just minutes after Cornell alerted students to an alleged sex assault at a frat house FOR SUBSCRIBERS What’s on the Supreme Court’s docket this term? A crowded GOP primary could fuel a race to the right in a state that has shifted towards Republicans in recent election cycles. Former President Donald Trump carried the state by 16 percentage points in 2020. The state is no stranger to a competitive, and divisive, GOP Senate primary. Braun emerged from a bruising Senate primary in 2018 where multiple candidates painted themselves as most loyal to Trump, who did not endorse in the primary that year. Bridget Bowman Bridget Bowman is a national political reporter for NBC News.