Support appears to be lining up for Indiana Gov. Mike Pence’s pick to take his place as the Republican candidate for governor following his withdrawal to become Donald Trump’s vice presidential running mate.
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“Eric will build upon Governor Mike Pence’s successful legacy of sound fiscal management, job creation and economic success, and continue to make IN a state that works”, said Gov. Susana Martinez, the chair of the Republican Governors Association, IN a statement Tuesday.
Holcomb, who will choose his own replacement for lieutenant governor nominee, will face former Indiana House Speaker John Gregg in November in a race Democrats had targeted after Pence’s struggles with social issue-driven controversies such as the backlash over the state’s “religious freedom” law in 2015. At least three state committee members are publicly backing Holcomb, but U.S. Reps.
Major Indiana Republican donor Al Hubbard calls Holcomb’s letter “threatening”. Pence starts an out-of-state campaign trip for Trump on Monday.
Lt. Gov. Eric Holcomb won a caucus Tuesday to be the Republican gubernatorial nominee on the fall ballot.
Whoever is passed over by the committee can be restored to the ballot for the positions they withdrew from, though Indiana Republican Party Chairman Jeff Cardwell has cautioned that there are no guarantees. Pence picked Holcomb after his 2012 running mate, Sue Ellspermann, resigned in March.
Holcomb spent 10 months running for this year’s Republican U.S. Senate nomination but had little fundraising success before he dropped out to accept the lieutenant governor appointment.
In an interview with the Associated Press Gregg offered congratulations but said he remained focused on “cleaning up the mess that’s been made” by the “the Pence-Holcomb administration”.
Rokita’s campaign is highlighting his two wins in statewide elections as secretary of state before he was elected to Congress in 2010 as evidence he would be the best candidate.
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When endorsing Holcomb, Pence wrote to the committee that the “decision is yours alone, and I will respect that decision and support the nominee you deem fit to serve”. But much of the jockeying for the nomination went on last week when the candidates and most committee members were at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.
