RNC Edition: Inside Indiana's Delegation

This week we've got the RNC edition of Checks and Balances.

First and foremost, our own Brittany Carloni was on the ground at the Republican National Convention all week, and she has the inside scoop from the Indiana delegation. It was also a sweet homecoming for the Milwaukee native!

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THE MAIN EVENT: Banks, Banks, Banks

Brittany here! My first national political convention has been nothing short of a whirlwind, starting on a somber note after an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. If anything, though, this seemed to bolster the confidence among delegates at the RNC. It felt like a coronation.

Gubernatorial nominee and U.S. Sen. Mike Braun might have been chair of Indiana's delegation, but it seemed U.S. Rep. Jim Banks , who is running for Senate, stole the show as a rising MAGA star.

He introduced Trump's vice president pick JD Vance at a fundraiser, spoke on the convention floor to declare Indiana's 58 delegates for Trump, gave a primetime speech Tuesday night (the only Hoosier to get such a spot) and was a panelist at an Axios program about the cost of living.

But perhaps the biggest moment for the congressman was when Banks sat in Trump's VIP box alongside the former president and Vance for about an hour . "What an honor!" Banks posted on X Wednesday with a photo of the trio.

Banks jabs at Pence, Young

There was a lot of talk of unity among Republicans at the convention, especially following the shooting at Trump's rally in Pennsylvania. For example, former Trump primary opponent Nikki Haley spoke at the convention Wednesday night despite not originally being invited to the festivities in Milwaukee.

The vibe wasn't all warm and fuzzy, however. Indiana has a few Republican non-supporters of Trump who were not in Milwaukee this week, including Sen. Todd Young and former Vice President Mike Pence . At an Indiana delegation breakfast Tuesday, Jim Banks told fellow Hoosiers to hold those politicians accountable when delegates return home to Indiana.

It creates an interesting dynamic, especially if Banks is elected to work alongside Young in the Senate in November.

Who was an RNC delegate?

Indiana had 58 official delegates and about 55 alternate delegates from across the state, including several Hoosier members of Congress and statehouse officials .

Indiana's delegation was a mixture of first-time RNC attendees, like state treasurer Daniel Elliott and Shelby County GOP chair Chris King , and experienced convention-goers like Annie Eckrich of Fort Wayne and former Indiana Secretary of State Ed Simcox , who told me on the floor Tuesday night he had been to 12 RNCs.

What are the upsides of being a delegate other than civic pride? Indiana delegates received gifts from the state Republican Party every morning of the convention, including Indiana RNC-themed Tervis mugs and beer steins.

This Hoosier was tardy

We reported Sunday that state officeholders such as Elliott, Comptroller Elise Nieshalla , Secretary of State Diego Morales and Attorney General Todd Rokita would all be in Milwaukee for the convention this week. The attorney general, however, did not arrive in Milwaukee until Wednesday.

By contrast, Elliott served as a whip for the Trump team , Nieshalla waved signs on the convention floor during Senate candidate speeches Tuesday night, and Morales was at Indiana events and met House Speaker Mike Johnson at the start of the week.

While we and a few others certainly noticed Rokita absence, one politico told us that it's pretty typical for a sitting AG or governor to pop in and out of these events. It is a lot of partying and sitting around on top of keeping up with work back home.

A family affair for GOP Hoosiers

Indiana's delegation was made up of several groups of families who took on Milwaukee. I spotted U.S. Rep. Jim Baird , his wife Danise Baird and their son, Indiana state Rep. Beau Baird , making their way through the security perimeter screening Monday morning.

I also ran into Johnson County GOP chair Beth Boyce and her daughter, who was a page for convention operations and tried to get the convention floor to sing "Happy Birthday" to Jim Banks following his primetime speech. Boyce told me this year marks three generations of her family attending Republican National Conventions. (Her father also went to RNCs before he died.)

Milwaukee borrows security from Indiana

Convention security was at the top of mind for many delegates I spoke with throughout the week, and security was tight. There were law enforcement officers everywhere , both protecting and assisting as delegates and journalists navigated the complicated entrances and exits at the huge site.

I ran into several Indiana State Police troopers, and confirmed with ISP that about 60 officers were in Milwaukee at the request of the city's police department. The out-of-state police presence became a touchpoint Tuesday when Ohio police officers shot and killed an armed man outside of one of the security perimeters.

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

Following Jim Banks ’ primetime speech at the Republican National Convention Tuesday night, the congressman had a party at the DoubleTree Hotel in downtown Milwaukee in honor of his 45th birthday.

The festivities were held on the hotel’s sundeck patio, where drinks and birthday cake were served. IndyStar spotted Morales , Nieshalla and U.S. Reps. Jim Baird , Victoria Spartz and Erin Houchin . Indiana state Sens. Eric Koch , Greg Goode and Mark Messmer , who is running for Congress, were also there as well as House Speaker Todd Huston , and state Reps. Michelle Davis , Joanna King and Beau Baird .

Banks took photos with guests, including Braun , who is vacating the Senate seat that Banks is running for in November.

DEMOCRAT CORNER: Is Indiana no longer a fly-over state?

Kayla here for a quick observation: It seems like Indiana Dems are getting some long-lost love from national forces.

First there was the DNC's funding boost we reported on weeks ago. This week, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee added former state Rep. Rita Fleming 's competitive district near Louisville as a "spotlight" race on their website (which means access to fundraising help). Our attorney general race between incumbent Republican Rokita and Democrat Destiny Wells was the only AG race nationwide to prompt a ratings shift in the Center For Politics' Crystal Ball blog , from "Safe Republican" to "Leans Republican." And Heidi Beidinger , a Democrat running to unseat state Rep. Dale Devon in a House district near South Bend, held a fundraiser in Chicago and will have another this Saturday in the San Francisco area, attracting attention from progressives in solid blue states, according to a spokesperson for her campaign.

TLDR

• Indiana Democrats nominated gubernatorial nominee Jennifer McCormick 's endorsed running mate, former state Rep. Terry Goodin , to be their lieutenant governor candidate by a landslide, despite some initial brouhaha . And, Wells prevailed over Beth White to be the attorney general nominee.
• The night before that convention, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker , at one point on a short list of potential Biden replacements, addressed Indiana Democrats at a dinner event. It's also worth noting the byline on that story: It was the first for Michael McDaniel , who has joined the politics team as Indianapolis city hall reporter. He's an Army veteran who served in Afghanistan prior to embarking on his journalism career.
• The FBI searched the home Wednesday where former 7th Congressional District Republican candidate Gabe Whitley and Democratic lieutenant governor candidate Bobby Kern live. The agency won't say what the investigation is about. Kern told us they confiscated Whitley's devices and that it was all very civil. Whitley emailed us last night that there are "multiple people involved" in the FBI's investigation ― again, the FBI won't say.
• Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett will be in attendance at Major League Soccer's all-star celebration week in Columbus, Ohio, next week, as will our reporters, who are keeping an eye out for any major MLS announcements.
• Quarterly campaign finance reports were due this Monday. We took a look at how McCormick is doing (a little better, but still far behind) as well as the matchup between Wells and Rokita .
  • An interesting tidbit that our Pulliam fellow, Nadia Scharf, picked up on while scanning through Braun's and Republican lieutenant governor candidate Micah Beckwith 's reports: the two only had three donors in common this year. Further evidence that their ticket brings together two very different crowds.

WHAT WE'RE READING

Axios and others are reporting that pressure from top Democrats may persuade Biden to drop out of the race, possibly as soon as this weekend.

TAKE OF THE WEEK

Opinion Editor James Briggs on Wells' victory as Indiana Democrats' nominee for attorney general: "The attorney general's race turned the party's old school vs. new school subtext into text, pitting a diverse, youthful-looking group of Democrats against older counterparts on stage."

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Checks and Balances is compiled and written by Brittany Carloni, Hayleigh Colombo, Kayla Dwyer and Kaitlin Lange on the IndyStar politics and government team. Send us tips or let us know what you think of the newsletter by emailing IndyStarPolitics@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: RNC Edition: Inside Indiana's Delegation