Indiana Rep. Jim Banks announces bid for Braun's Senate seat - NBC News

Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., connected Tuesday announced his run for the Senate spot held by GOP Sen. Mike Braun, who decided against moving for re-election successful 2024 and volition tally for Indiana politician instead.

Banks, a staunch state of erstwhile President Trump, is the archetypal campaigner to participate the Senate race.

"Radical, socialist Democrats are trying to alteration America, but I won't fto them," Banks said successful a video announcing his campaign. "I've been connected the beforehand lines warring for America archetypal policies successful Congress," including expanding borderline security, imposing commercialized measures connected China and opposing abortion, trans-gender girls competing successful sports and captious contention theory.

"Indiana deserves a blimpish combatant successful the United States Senate, but the extremist Democrats and the spineless Republicans are going to bash everything they tin to halt me," helium said.

Last year, Banks, a erstwhile seat of the blimpish Republican Study Committee, ran successful a tough three-way race for House bulk whip, the No. 3 occupation successful GOP leadership, but mislaid to Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., connected the 2nd ballot.

Tuesday's announcement comes days aft the blimpish radical Club for Growth Action vowed to walk wealth connected ads against erstwhile Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels if helium jumps into the Senate race. Daniels is considered a imaginable Senate campaigner for the Senate spot being vacated by Braun.

Banks’ Senate run is endorsed by Rep. Larry Buschon, R-Ind., Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., authorities Rep. Michelle Davis and authorities Sen. Justin Busch.

Banks supported recently elected House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., this period amid 15 contentious rounds of ballots successful his speakership bid. In 2021, Banks was among the names of 5 Republicans that then-speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., allowed McCarthy to prime to articulation the prime committee formed to analyse the Jan. 6 onslaught connected the U.S. Capitol. After Pelosi rejected Banks and Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, McCarthy yet withdrew each 5 names.

Banks often appears connected Fox News and often echoes grievances aired by Trump and his allies. He helped spearhead legislation successful 2020 that accused the Chinese authorities of having made aggregate “serious mistakes” successful its handling of the Covid pandemic. Banks' Twitter relationship was suspended in 2021 aft helium intentionally misgendered a elder Health and Human Services official, Dr. Rachel Levine, the archetypal transgender idiosyncratic to clasp an bureau that requires Senate confirmation.

Banks has besides remained vocal astir his enactment for Trump, whose endorsement of immoderate candidates successful the midterm elections failed to assistance triumph Republicans those seats. After Republicans underperformed successful the midterm elections, Banks told Fox News that Trump “remains a precise fashionable fig successful the Republican Party successful each country of the country."

Amid Trump’s refusal to concede the 2020 statesmanlike election, Banks was among the House Republicans who supported a Texas suit challenging then-President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral triumph successful respective states. He besides voted against certifying Biden’s triumph aft a mob of Trump supporters breached the Capitol connected Jan. 6, 2021.