Pence’s brother wins House GOP primary in Indiana

Greg Pence, the brother of Vice President Pence, is projected to win the GOP primary for the seat now held by Rep. Luke Messer (R-Ind.).

Pence, a wealthy businessman, on Tuesday defeated his top Republican rivals, Jonathan Lamb and Stephen MacKenzie, for the seat the vice president held from 2001 to 2012.

The Associated Press called the race for Pence at 7:17 p.m.

The vice president tweeted congratulations to his brother, writing, “He’s making Hoosiers & the Pence family proud. Good luck in November!”

Congratulations to my brother @GregPenceIN on his big primary win tonight in #IN06! He’s making Hoosiers & the Pence family proud. Good luck in November!

— Mike Pence (@mike_pence) May 9, 2018

{mosads}

Instead of running for reelection for his seat, Messer ran for the GOP Senate nomination this cycle.

The primary for Indiana’s 6th District was one of the most expensive House races in Indiana this cycle, with a total of $1.45 million spent between Pence and Lamb. Lamb, an entrepreneur, poured in hundreds of thousands of dollars of his own money, while Pence relied more on funds from outside groups.

Pence got a big boost from his brother and others closely associated with the White House. The vice president headlined a fundraiser for the Indiana Republican at Trump International Hotel. And a pro-Trump group also spent six-figures on ads backing Pence.

Pence’s opponents accused him of relying on his name to coast to victory and have also criticized his business record. Pence has also come under fire for avoiding media interviews, candidate debates and not releasing a public schedule of events.

Indiana’s 6th District encompasses rural areas in the southwest part of Indiana, including the suburbs of Cincinnati and Indianapolis. The safe Republican seat, which Trump won by more 40 points in 2016, is expected to stay in GOP hands, meaning Pence will be strongly favored in November.

Updated at 8:34 p.m.