A special Indiana Republican panel has picked Lt. Governor Eric Holcomb as the new GOP nominee for the open governor’s seat, replacing Governor Mike Pence after he moved to join Trump’s national ticket. The decision was made early Tuesday afternoon.
Holcomb was able to edge out Rep. Todd Rokita and Rep. Susan Brooks. Both of the lawmakers made the case that Lt. Gov Holcomb, having been recently appointed to his current position, had never won an election and would be a weak candidate to face Democratic challenger John Gregg. Recent polling has suggested Holcomb would perform worse than the others and he has had issues in the past with fundraising.
However, it seems a last minute endorsement from Governor Pence himself helped propel Holcomb to victory with the select committee members.