Last Updated on July 26, 2016 by cassnetwork
Updated at 2:15 p.m. on July 26:
INDIANAPOLIS, IN- The Indiana Republican State Committee voted today to fill the gubernatorial ballot vacancy, which was previously held by Governor Mike Pence. Chairman Jeff Cardwell made the following statement after the vote:
“Today, 22 voting members of our state committee came together and made a historic vote to fill a gubernatorial ballot vacancy, something that has not happened in recent history. This caucus was conducted under the traditional caucus rules of the Indiana Republican Party- all voting members voted by secret ballot, all votes were counted in the presence of watchers. All four candidates were allowed two minutes for an introduction by someone of their choosing, three minutes for a speech and 10 minutes for questions with the Indiana Republican State Committee.
“We are very proud of Governor Mike Pence, who has been nominated as our party’s Vice Presidential nominee. We are blessed to have such a deep bench of talent to pull from, and I want to thank all of our candidates for expressing interest.
“After the proceedings, I am proud to announce that Lt. Governor Eric Holcomb will be running as the Republican Candidate for Governor of Indiana. Today, we stand united and give our full support to Eric as we race towards victory in November.”
SOURCE: News release from Indiana Republican Party
Original post:
Indiana Republicans will hold a Gubernatorial Candidate Caucus at 10 a.m. Tuesday, July 26 to fill the Indiana governor vacancy on the Indiana ballot for the general election in November. Governor Mike Pence withdrew his name as a candidate for re-election when he was named as Donald Trump’s running mate for vice president earlier this month.
Candidates who have filed declarations of candidacy to fill the Republican ballot vacancy for governor include the following:
• Rep. Susan Brooks, who currently represents Indiana’s 5th District in the U.S. House
• Lt. Governor Eric Holcomb, a former state chairman of the Indiana Republican party
• Rep. Todd Rokita, who currently represents Indiana’s 4th District in the U.S. House
• State Sen. Jim Tomes, who represents District 49, which includes Posey County, Gibson County and Vanderburgh County, in the Indiana Senate.
John R. Gregg is running for Governor as a Democrat. Rex Bell is the Libertarian candidate. Adam Adkins and Christopher Stried are also on the ballot as Independents.
PROCESS TO NOMINATE REPUBLICAN GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE:
According to the Rules of the Indiana Republican State Committee (IRSC), the Chairman is required to call a “State Committee Caucus” of the IRSC for the purpose of electing a candidate to fill the ballot vacancy within 30 days of when the vacancy occurred. This would be a private, closed door meeting for members only of the IRSC. All votes will be cast by secret ballot. A written 10-day notice is required prior to the date of the meeting. All candidates are required to file a written “Declaration of Candidacy” with the Secretary of the IRSC 72 hours prior to the start of the State Committee Caucus.
There are a total of 22 eligible voters as follows: The District Chair and the District Vice Chair of each of the 9 Congressional Districts and the 4 officers of the IRSC. The RNC Committeeman and Committeewoman are not eligible to vote. Each candidate will be allowed 2 minutes for a person to provide an introduction to the State Committee and each Candidate will be allowed 3 minutes to speak before the Caucus in person. A simple majority of those present is required to secured the nomination. In the case of all eligible voters being in attendance, 12 votes would be required to secure the nomination. In the case of multiple candidates, and no one reaches a simple majority, a second ballot would occur after dropping the candidate with the lowest number of votes. Voting would continue until a candidate reaches a simple majority. – (Source: Indiana Republican Party)