Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) is jumping into the race to replace outgoing Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN) in 2024.
Banks, who rose to prominence as chairman of the Republican Study Committee and one of former President Donald Trump’s most vocal allies, told the Washington Examiner he is looking to bring a fresh brand of conservatism to the upper chamber. He praised Braun, who decided last year to run for Indiana governor, and said he has the conservative credentials to fill his shoes.
REP. JIM BANKS EYES INDIANA SENATE SEAT
“I have one of the most fiscally conservative voting records in the entire House of Representatives, and after some Republican senators went along with Democrats to pass a $1.7 trillion omnibus bill, it’s clear that we need people to fight back against that in the Senate more than ever before,” he said in an interview.
“We need conservative senators who are going to fight back against radical Democrats instead of playing footsie with them, and that’s the type of leadership I provide in the House, but I can do even more in the Senate,” he added.
With the average age in the Senate currently standing at 64 years old, Banks, a 43-year-old veteran with a wife and three young daughters, said he would like to join the ranks of younger senators such as Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and J.D. Vance (R-OH), arguing a new crop of conservative leaders is needed.
“It’s time for a new generation of conservatives to step up and serve in the United States Senate. I think America is hungry for that, Indiana’s hungry for that, and Indiana deserves a conservative senator,” he said. “I want to be a Tom Cotton-type conservative in the Senate — I respect him greatly.“
“I respect a lot of other senators like Ted Cruz [R-TX]. I’m excited about J.D. Vance — he’s a great friend,” he added.
Banks said that while he has played a substantial role in helping craft the party’s messaging and advance issues important to conservatives in the House, he believes he can make a bigger impact in the upper chamber.
“I think it’s important to note that Indiana is a very conservative state, so to have a bigger platform in the United States Senate to work on issues like saving girls’ sports, the importance of pro-life issues that I care about, a strong national defense, national security issues, a bigger opportunity to fight for our troops in a meaningful way, to fight back against wokeism in our schools, securing the border, and passing pro-American immigration policies,” he continued, “those are all issues that the Senate provides a bigger platform to do even more than what I’ve been able to do in the House, so that’s why I’m drawn to it.”
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“I’m young, I can do it a while — long enough to build up seniority in the Senate to do more for Indiana — and I’ve learned a lot over the last six years in the House,” he said.
Banks has already garnered key support in the race, including endorsements from Cotton and Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-IN).
And the Indiana Republican said he has reached out to Trump, informing him of his plans to seek the seat, and hopes he will rally behind him in the race.
“I told him I’m running, and I told him I’d be really proud to have his support if he’d give it to me,” he said.
The primary field could become crowded, as the state’s GOP Gov. Eric Holcomb, Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN), and ex-GOP Gov. Mitch Daniels have all signaled interest in the seat.
