Rep. Mike Banks (R-IN) announced today that he is running for the Republican nomination in Indiana for U.S. Senate. Currently serving in the House, Banks is running on an America First agenda.

Banks calculates that now is his time to make the move from the House to the Senate as Senator Mike Braun is not running for reelection. Instead, Braun is running for Governor of Indiana. The Senate race is shaping up to have the potential to be quite interesting. Potential Republican candidates, besides Banks, include Rep. Victoria Spartz, Governor Eric Holcomb, and former Governor Mitch Daniels. All have mentioned an interest in the race. Indiana is a very red state.

Rep. Victoria Spartz is a frequent guest on cable television discussing Putin’s invasion into Ukraine. She immigrated to the United States in 2000 at the age of 22 and became a U.S. citizen in 2006 so she can deliver a unique perspective on the war.

Mitch Daniels is a blast from the past in politics. He served in the George W. Bush administration, he served as governor of Indiana from 2005 to 2013, and president of Purdue University from 2013 until the end of 2022. His reputation is that of a moderate Republican.

Banks released a video ad to announce his candidacy.

It’s a solidly conservative-style of political ad. He hits all the right notes about family, highlights his love of country and serving in the military, offers kudos to Trump as the most conservative president in his lifetime, and he promotes an America First agenda.

Banks lost his bid for House majority whip at the end of 2022 and he must have realized his upward projection in the House had hit a wall. Losing that spot in House leadership likely was what pushed him to make his move now. He has two strong endorsements so far. Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-IN) have released statements to endorse Banks’ candidacy.

In a statement, Cotton said “We need more leaders like Jim Banks in the U.S. Senate — leaders with military experience who will defend our rights and our national security.”

And Bucshon, who was elected in 2010, said: “Hoosiers deserve to have another tried and true conservative in the Senate, and Jim Banks is by far the best person for the job. Jim and I are both veterans of the U.S. Navy Reserve, and we need Jim in the Senate to build a strong military that will defend the homeland and stand up to our adversaries like Communist China.”

Of his potential challengers, as it stands now, the most interesting one to me is Mitch Daniels. Back in the Bush days, I appreciated his calm demeanor and strong fiscal conservatism, pushing back on the inclinations of big-spending Republicans at the time. He was mentioned as a possible presidential candidate at one time but decided against it because of family drama – his wife objected. Whatever. A statewide election would be much easier for his family, as Hoosier voters already know his history and ugly personal attacks against him likely won’t pack much of a wallop.

It is interesting to note, though, that just last month, Daniels said he hadn’t really thought much about his political future. Then the Club for Growth launched a pre-emptive attack against him. The group criticizes Daniels for being a moderate Republican. It is meant to discourage Daniels from getting into the race but his supporters say the attack may have the opposite effect.

The Club for Growth, a free-market advocacy group, is running television advertisements in Indiana declaring “moderate Mitch” is “wrong” for the Hoosier State’s open Senate seat despite a history of governing as a fiscal conservative. The club’s ad buy is small, appearing to function as a signal to Daniels that he would face strong opposition from grassroots conservatives should he mount a Senate bid. The goal, apparently, is to discourage him from launching one.

Republicans supportive of Daniels say the former two-term governor, 73, is actively mulling a 2024 Senate campaign, warning the Club for Growth’s attack could have the opposite of its intended effect.

“If anything, this ad will make his running more likely. It’s personal. It’s a gross distortion. And it insults Indiana, whose reputation soared higher under Gov. Daniels than ever before,” said Mark Lubbers, a GOP operative in Indiana and Daniels confidant.

“In the last 15 years, no fewer than 25 Republican governors have modeled their service on Mitch Daniels,” Lubbers added. “His conservative record is crystal clear, and not in the fairy tale world that David McIntosh lives in, but the real world of running a state.”

McIntosh is a Hoosier. He is president of the Club for Growth. McIntosh is also a former congressman from Indiana who ran for governor in 2000 and lost. Daniels ran four years later and won. Some think that McIntosh has an axe to grind with Daniels. Others say Daniels’ style of Republican politics is outdated. The riff between the two men could add spice to the race, if Daniels jumps in.

Banks is solidly conservative, a loyal supporter of Trump.

“I’m 100% pro-life, pro-family, pro-military, pro-veteran, focused on the issues that the voters care most about today, which is holding the Biden administration accountable and restoring America, fighting for our conservative values, putting America first, and that’s what I want to do in the Senate,” he said.

This may be a GOP primary race to watch heading into 2024.