Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Holcomb says he's too busy as governor to run for U.S. Senate in 2024

Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb speaks during an announcement in downtown Indianapolis about the NBA All-Star game. Holcomb is a White man, with white and gray hair and beard, wearing sunglasses and a polo shirt.
Brandon Smith
/
IPB News
Gov. Eric Holcomb is term-limited from running for another term as governor in 2024.

Eric Holcomb said he’s too busy as governor to run for Indiana’s open U.S. Senate seat in 2024.

That's why the term-limited governor said he made that decision, which was first reported by the Indiana Capital Chronicle.

U.S. Rep. Jim Banks (R-Columbia City) is the only Republican currently running for the open Senate seat. And with former Gov. Mitch Daniels passing on a bid, many turned to Holcomb to give Banks some competition.

READ MORE: Rep. Banks Announces Run for US Senate

But Holcomb said he’s focused on his current job.

“If I was sitting around throwing pencils in the ceiling tile, maybe I would’ve had time to think about something else," Holcomb said. "But right now, I’m going to finish the job that I started.”

The governor said it’s not yet time for him to consider what his next step will be, but that he expects to have options.

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.

Brandon Smith has covered the Statehouse for Indiana Public Broadcasting for more than a decade, spanning three governors and a dozen legislative sessions. He's also the host of Indiana Week in Review, a weekly political and policy discussion program seen and heard across the state. He previously worked at KBIA in Columbia, Missouri and WSPY in Plano, Illinois. His first job in radio was in another state capitol - Jefferson City, Missouri - as a reporter for three stations around the Show-Me State.