As early contenders for the governor and Senate positions begin jockeying for place in primaries, Neighborly Indiana is becoming the first hotbed for Republican internecine warfare in 2024. This happens approximately 18 months before the next election cycle.

Sen. Mike Braun (R.IN) and Indiana Lieutenant Governor. Suzanne Crouch announced her campaigns for chief executive. This set up a battle royal GOP primary between two heavyweights at the southern end the Hoosier State. Braun, a successful businessman who was elected to the Senate in 2018, hails from small Jasper. Crouch is a veteran of both local and state government. He hails from Evansville, which is a suburb of Evansville along the Ohio River, which borders Kentucky.

Braun’s declaration prompted Rep. Jim Banks, R-IN, to announce his “strong consideration” for a run in the Senate.

In his bid to win the No. 2 spot in the House of Representatives, Banks was reelected in November for a fourth term as a member of the northeast Indiana 3rd Congressional District. The 3-ranking whip position will be available when the GOP assumes majority. The GOP Senate primary could be very crowded with the likely Republican nominee winning the general election. A number of prominent Republicans have been mentioned as potential contenders.

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Banks stated that Indiana “deserves a proven conservative” to continue the work of Sen. Braun in the United States Senate. This statement is part of a debate about who the strongest conservative will be able to determine the terms for Republican primaries in the Hoosier State in 2024.

Indiana has supported Democrats and Republicans in state and federal offices for years. From 1988 to 2000, Indiana supported Democrats for the governor’s house. In 2008, it voted for Barack Obama as president and Joe Donnelly (D–IN) for Senate. Since then, however, the state has shifted to the right. The state was won by former President Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020. The GOP holds all the state’s constitutional offices and both Senate slots.

Braun easily defeated Donnelly by 50.8% to 44.8% in the 2018 midterm elections. This partisan advantage could motivate many ambitious Republicans to run as senator and governor, fueling a crowded field of candidates for both offices similar to what happened in red states during the past election cycle.

This dynamic, along with GOP hopes of recapturing Senate majority in 2024 is likely to fuel a competitive primary for gubernatorial. Candidates work hard to not get outflanked by their right. According to GOP insiders and political observers, the potential Republican Senate candidates include:

Former Vice President Mike Pence. Former governor of Indiana is interested in a White House bid but has not indicated any interest in the Senate. He was a former governor of Indiana and has been mentioned as a potential candidate.

Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN). Spartz is the representative of central Indiana’s 5th Congressional District. She is a Ukrainian-born American who has gained notoriety as a Republican who can provide insight and commentary on Russia’s invasion of its European neighbour. Spartz suggested that her Senate bid was a done deal with Braun, but she has yet to announce.

Jennifer-Ruth Green. Green, a Democratic-leaning candidate for Congress in the northeastern Indiana 1st Congressional District, was unsuccessful this fall. Green, a black woman, won the support of Republican donors and activists across the country. She could prove to be a formidable candidate in a Senate primary.

Rep. Trey Hollingsworth, R-IN After three terms, the congressman represents southeast Indiana’s 9th Congressional District. It is not clear whether he will be able to survive a Senate primary. Hollingsworth, a Tennessee transplant brings one important asset to the table: his ability to self-fund a campaign through the generosity of his family.

Gov. Eric Holcomb. It is unknown whether Indiana’s term-limited chief executor would be interested in running for Senate in 2024. This is especially true with Braun and Crouch. He was briefly a candidate for Senate in 2006, but he quit to be Pence’s running-mate for lieutenant governor.

Holcomb was elected the GOP’s gubernatorial candidate after Pence resigned from the 2016 governor’s race in order to become Trump’s running-mate.