Sen. John Thune (R-SD), the second highest-ranking Republican in the U.S. Senate, has endorsed Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) in his bid for the upper chamber to fill Sen. Mike Braun’s (R-IN) seat.
“Republicans need to take back the Senate so we can get our country back on track, and that work starts in Indiana,” Thune said in a statement.
“Jim Banks has a proven track record of delivering conservative results and standing up to Joe Biden and Democrats’ reckless agenda,” the number two Senate Republican added. “Jim served our country honorably in Afghanistan, and I’m grateful he’s raising his hand to serve in the Senate. I’m proud to endorse Jim Banks for Senate, and he has my full support.”
Thune’s endorsement comes as the Hoosier State Republican has already been racking up other endorsements and help from Senate GOP leadership.
The veteran congressman has already garnered an endorsement from John Barrasso (R-WY), the number three Senate Republican, and reportedly used Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) name in fundraising emails. Additionally, National Republican Senate Committee Chair Steve Daines (R-MT) has already endorsed him and has called Banks “one of [the NRSC’s] top recruits this cycle.”
Banks is currently the only Republican running for the seat after former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) said he would not run for the Senate in January, and Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN) announced in February that she would not run for the seat in 2024 either.
Daniels and Spartz not running made Banks the immediate front-runner for the open seat left by Braun. The current senator announced last year that he would run for governor after serving in the state legislature and U.S. Senate.
Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.