Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) on Tuesday endorsed Rep. Jim Banks’ (R-IN) bid to replace the outgoing Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN).
“Jim Banks is exactly the type of conservative leader we need in the U.S. Senate: a principled fighter committed to reining in wasteful spending, defending religious freedom, and strengthening our military to meet the challenges of the 21st century,” Rubio said in a written statement.
The Florida conservative added, “Jim has demonstrated courage and strength standing up to Communist China in the House, and he will be a much-needed addition to our efforts in the U.S. Senate. I’m proud to endorse Jim Banks for Senate and urge my conservative friends in Indiana to join me.”
Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN), a member of the U.S. Navy Reserve Supply Corps who served in Afghanistan, speaks during a news conference to criticize the Biden Administration’s handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan outside the U.S. Capitol on August 24, 2021, in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“Senator Rubio has been a champion for conservative values on the national stage and has promoted an agenda that focuses on supporting hard working American families. I’m honored to receive his endorsement and I look forward to partnering with him in the U.S. Senate to get our great nation back on track,” Banks said in a written statement.
The Indiana Senate Republican primary has become increasingly contentious, as conservatives, who are backing Banks, have been fighting with those aligned with former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R), who represents the more establishment wing of the GOP.
Purdue University President Mitch Daniels speaks at Ross-Ade Stadium on September 7, 2019, in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Michael Hickey/Getty)
Donald Trump Jr., Donald Trump’s son, noted that Daniels has agreed with the argument that only “MAGA Republicans” are “subverting democracy.”
Trump Jr. said that Daniels would become another Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) if he were elected to Congress’s upper chamber:
The establishment is trying to recruit weak RINO Mitch Daniels to run for US Senate in Indiana. The same Mitch Daniels who agreed with Joe Biden that millions of MAGA Republicans are supposedly a danger to the country & trying to "subvert democracy."
He would be Mitt Romney 2.0 pic.twitter.com/mCWNO2LEvG
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) January 13, 2023
Daniels criticized some of then-President Donald Trump’s executive orders, including one the establishment media refers to as a “Muslim ban.”
The former Hoosier governor sparked controversy when he called for Republicans running for president in 2012 to declare a “truce” on social issues such as gay marriage and abortion. Reports also suggested that social conservatives were “boxed out” during Daniels’ eight-year tenure as governor.
Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.
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