On Tuesday, according to a report, the Indiana Republican central committee ignored the urging of the New Jersey governor to pick U.S. Rep. Susan Brooks of Indiana as the candidate to replace Pence as the GOP candidate for governor this November.
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“We will continue to balance budgets, we will continue to right-size our tax code, we will continue to invest in education, in infrastructure and work every day to make in the best place to live, work, play and stay”, Holcomb said.
And according to a member of the committee, who asked not to be identified, the race is down to a toss-up between Brooks, the early frontrunner, and Holcomb, who received a huge boost on Friday thanks to an endorsement from Pence himself.
After a private meeting, the 22-member Indiana Republican state committee announced it had decided Holcomb was best positioned to retain the governor’s office.
Before Trump plucked Pence out of this predicament, there were persistent whispers that internal polls by both Republicans and Democrats showed Gregg pulling ahead in the race.
“We have accomplished a great deal in the past 12 years – and I’ve not only had a front row seat, I’ve been at the table helping Governor Mitch Daniels and Governor Mike Pence build and grow our state”. He spent the previous 10 months running for this year’s Republican U.S. Senate nomination but had little fundraising success and dropped out to accept the lieutenant governor appointment.
Democratic contender John Gregg was quick to draw distinctions between the two.
“The only way we continue Indiana’s progress is by joining together, which we’ve done today”, Holcomb says. Eric Holcomb wholeheartedly embraced the failed approach that embarrassed our state, cost us jobs and has left the middle class behind.
The Waukesha Republican party sent out an email with details. “This is absolutely the right opponent for John Gregg to win”, said Crooks.
State Senator Jim Tomes of Evansville was the fourth candidate who sought the nomination.
Given that IN is a Republican-leaning state and the Pence campaign had pounded Gregg steadily with a barrage of negative advertising, that was not good news for the GOP.
Pence’s re-election campaign has about $7 million in cash, but some elections experts question whether that money can be transferred to Holcomb under federal rules that apply to Pence now that he’s a federal candidate.
Pence picked Holcomb after his 2012 running mate, Sue Ellspermann, resigned in March, and endorsed him for governor last week. “Congratulations to my fried Eric Holcomb on becoming our Republican nominee for governor”, said Bucshon.
The committee’s choice will face Democratic nominee John Gregg in the general election.
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