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

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

Banks, 45, is considered a strong favorite to win the Senate race in the Hoosier state, which Trump won by wide margins in 2016 and 2020.

Banks is a fierce defender of Trump who voted against certifying Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election after a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. He was left without a challenger in the May primary after a series of legal battles that eventually ended Egg farmer John Rust from the Republican vote.

The incumbent congressman represents the 3rd District in northeast Indiana. He gave up another term in the House of Representatives to run for the Senate seat being vacated by fellow Republican Mike Braun, who is vying for governor of Indiana. Incumbent Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb is term-limited.

McCray, a clinical psychologist from Indianapolis, is a political newcomer whose name appears on a statewide ballot for the first time. In 2022, she attempted to challenge Republican U.S. Senator Todd Young for re-election, but did not receive enough signatures to secure a spot in the Democratic primary. The Senate seat Young holds is next up for election in 2028.

In this year’s Democratic primary in May, McCray, 65, defeated trade association executive director Marc Carmichael, a former state representative, to become the first black woman selected as a mainstream party candidate in Indiana for the U.S. Senate.

McCray and Libertarian candidate Andy Horning met for the only Senate debate on October 29, but Banks was not present.

Michael Wolf, a political science professor and department chair at Purdue-Fort Wayne, said Banks and McCray largely parroted their national parties’ talking points in the run-up to Election Day, with Banks emphasizing border security and immigration and McCray’s health and abortion rights.

He said Banks is an “outstanding candidate who has made a name for himself” and a well-financed campaign who doesn’t need to spend on a Republican primary race because he doesn’t have a challenger.

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

“She’s busy and working against trends,” he said.