Republican Jim Banks, Democrat Valerie McCray vying for Indiana’s open Senate seat

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Republican Jim Banks, an outspoken supporter of former President Donald Trump, is seeking to capture Indiana’s open U.S. Senate seat in the reliably conservative state against Democrat Valerie McCray.

Banks, 45, is strongly favored to win the Senate race in the Hoosier state, which Trump won by large margins in 2016 and 2020.

Banks is a combative defender of Trump who voted against certifying Joe Biden’s presidential election victory after a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He had no challenger in the May primary after a series of legal battles ultimately removed egg farmer John Rust from the Republican ballot.

The sitting congressman represents northeastern Indiana’s 3rd District. He passed on another House term to run for the Senate seat being vacated by fellow Republican Mike Braun who is vying for the Indiana governor’s office. Current Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb is term-limited.

McCray, a clinical psychologist from Indianapolis, is a political newcomer whose name is appearing on a statewide ballot for the first time. In 2022, she sought to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Todd Young in his reelection bid but didn’t get enough signatures to secure a spot on the Democratic primary ballot. The Senate seat Young holds will next be up for election in 2028.

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In this year’s May Democratic primary, McCray, 65, defeated trade association executive Marc Carmichael, a former state representative, to become the first Black woman chosen as an Indiana mainstream party’s nominee for U.S. Senate.

McCray and Libertarian candidate Andy Horning met for the only Senate debate on Oct. 29, but Banks did not attend.

Michael Wolf, a professor of political science and department chairman at Purdue-Fort Wayne, said Banks and McCray have largely parroted their national parties’ talking points in the leadup to Election Day, with Banks emphasizing border security and immigration and McCray healthcare and abortion rights.

He said Banks is a “formidable candidate who’s got name recognition” and a well funded campaign that didn’t have to spend on a GOP primary race because he had no challenger.

While Wolf said Democrats have been energized by McCray’s candidacy, he notes that the party hasn’t had much luck in statewide elections in recent years as Indiana voters have grown more conservative.

“She’s got a lot of work to do and she’s working against trends,” he said.