Indiana Republicans to pick Pence replacement next week

Indiana Republicans will meet next week in Indianapolis to choose a gubernatorial nominee after Gov. Mike Pence dropped his reelection bid to become the GOP’s vice presidential nominee. 

In an official notice filed with Indiana’s Secretary of State, party chairman Jeff Cardwell gave notice that the party would fill the vacancy on July 26 at the state GOP headquarters in Indianapolis. 

{mosads}Pence’s exit has set off a mad scramble among several ambitious Republicans hoping to replace the governor on the ballot. Lt. Gov. Eric Holcomb, Rep. Susan Brooks and Rep. Todd Rokita all dropped out of their respective races in order to vie for the top job.

But while Pence needed to win a Republican primary to secure renomination, his successor only has to win over a majority of the 22 members of the state GOP’s central committee. Those members include senior party officials and representatives from each of the state’s nine congressional districts.

Holcomb’s exit means the 22 central committee members will have to choose a candidate for lieutenant governor as well. The party served notice that they will select a new nominee for that office in a separate meeting on Aug. 1.

Party insiders believe Holcomb and Brooks are the likely front-runners. While little-known outside of Indiana political circles, Holcomb has been a staple of Hoosier Republican politics for decades; he served as chairman of the state party from 2010 to 2013, alongside many of the central committee members who will pick a new gubernatorial nominee. Brooks, first elected to Congress in 2012, has generated the most buzz in recent weeks, Indiana political analyst Brian Howey said.

Indiana Democrats will hold their own meeting to fill a vacancy this week. Last week, former Rep. Baron Hill dropped out of the race for retiring Sen. Dan Coats’s seat, in deference to former Sen. Evan Bayh, who announced he was running last week. State Democrats will meet Friday at party headquarters in Indianapolis to formally put Bayh on the ballot in Hill’s place.