IN-Sen: Who will be the Republican candidate against Joe Donnelly?

[Figueira]

Now that Holcomb, Pence, and Young have been elected to other things, who runs in 2018? Stutzman?

[Heisenberg]

Susan Brooks or Greg Ballard would be strong candidates. It should be one of them. Little Marlin is too extreme even for Indiana, and certainly can't be risked against a Democratic incumbent during a Republican President's midterm.

[Del Tachi]

Is Luke Messer a quality option?

[Figueira]

Susan Brooks or Greg Ballard would be strong candidates. It should be one of them. Little Marlin is too extreme even for Indiana, and certainly can't be risked against a Democratic incumbent during a Republican President's midterm.

Basically this. Also.. Susan Brooks kinda looks as if she were a daughter of Theresa May, lol.

She's only four years younger though.

[Kingpoleon]

Susan Brooks or Greg Ballard would be strong candidates. It should be one of them.

[KingSweden]

Is Luke Messer a quality option?

I believe he has long term House ambitions

[Bismarck]

Brooks or Ballard could both revive some of the strength republicans lost this year in the Indy metro.

[Vega]

I hope Marlin Stutzman is, so, so much.

[Coolface Sock #42069]

Is Luke Messer a quality option?

I believe he has long term House ambitions

Yeah, he's already in a position of power in the House if I remember correctly.

I'm going to take a guess and say Greg Ballard, but I wouldn't be shocked if Mitch Daniels resigned his post as president of Purdue University and gave it a shot.

[Heisenberg]

Is Luke Messer a quality option?

I believe he has long term House ambitions

Yeah, he's already in a position of power in the House if I remember correctly.

I'm going to take a guess and say Greg Ballard, but I wouldn't be shocked if Mitch Daniels resigned his post as president of Purdue University and gave it a shot.

I think Daniels is done with politics, as he seems happy where he is now. If he wanted a Senate seat, he would have probably ran this year.

[PAK Man]

What about Todd Rokita? I know he threw his name in for governor this year after Pence stepped aside (he also follows me on Twitter, oddly).

[KingSweden]

Brooks or Ballard could both revive some of the strength republicans lost this year in the Indy metro.

Ballard is pretty moderate by Indy GOP standards no?

[Mister Mets]

Brooks is probably the preferred candidate, but she may not want to give up her house seat for an uphill fight (Rokita would have to make the same sacrifice.)

Ballard would be a decent candidate, who doesn't have as much to lose as a former mayor.

We might see a run from David McIntosh, Club for Growth President and former Congressman. He doesn't have a great track record, though.

[Maxwell]

Brooks is probably the preferred candidate, but she may not want to give up her house seat for an uphill fight (Rokita would have to make the same sacrifice.)

Ballard would be a decent candidate, who doesn't have as much to lose as a former mayor.

We might see a run from David McIntosh, Club for Growth President and former Congressman. He doesn't have a great track record, though.

McIntosh running would be a sign that Indiana Republicans aren't really taking this race seriously.

[Vosem]

I'd appreciate a McIntosh run for Susan Brooks' House seat, but I think (echoing others upthread) this should be either Brooks or Greg Ballard. More likely the former.

[windjammer]

I assume Brooks will be running.

[Bismarck]

Brooks or Ballard could both revive some of the strength republicans lost this year in the Indy metro.

Ballard is pretty moderate by Indy GOP standards no?

Yes but the social moderate fiscal conservative  thing plays really well here. There are a lot of swing voters in Indy and the suburbs who voted Clinton this year. The kind of people who helped Mitch Daniels carry Marion county in 2008 while Obama won it by 20 points at the same time. The flip side is you risk losing the rural working class swing voters who have Trump his huge margin this year.

[Kingpoleon]

Is Luke Messer a quality option?

I believe he has long term House ambitions

Yeah, he's already in a position of power in the House if I remember correctly.

I'm going to take a guess and say Greg Ballard, but I wouldn't be shocked if Mitch Daniels resigned his post as president of Purdue University and gave it a shot.

Daniels is the only one besides Ballard and Brooks who would make this race Lean R at the very least.

[SATW]

I'm a huge fan of Susan Brooks. A Young-Brooks Senate pairing would be amazing.

[Ye We Can]

I'd love to see Ballard go for it, but is there any actual indications that he'll run for anything again? I feel like he would have went for governor if so.

[I’m not Stu]

Mourdock was a bad candididate. Will he challenge Donnelly in a rematch?

[Pandaguineapig]

Would like to see Greg Ballard run but I don't think he has much interest showing that he passed on senate and governor this year

[BuckeyeNut]

Ballard passing on Senate this year is somewhat strange but less so passing on Governor. If Indiana is going to have a second Republican Senator, as is likely, I'd prefer him.

Stutzman running presents a small opportunity for Mourdock 2.0, but he's far more likely to actually make it into office. So...

Messer is unlikely to run for higher office, as he, like Pence before him, is seeking House leadership. If he gets denied, perhaps he, like Pence before him, will seek higher office.

[KingSweden]

Ballard passing on Senate this year is somewhat strange but less so passing on Governor. If Indiana is going to have a second Republican Senator, as is likely, I'd prefer him.

Stutzman running presents a small opportunity for Mourdock 2.0, but he's far more likely to actually make it into office. So...

Messer is unlikely to run for higher office, as he, like Pence before him, is seeking House leadership. If he gets denied, perhaps he, like Pence before him, will seek higher office.

What's nice about Ballard is he's a rare GOP big city mayor, who would understand urban issues in a way most GOP Senators do not

[libertpaulian]

Ballard passing on Senate this year is somewhat strange but less so passing on Governor. If Indiana is going to have a second Republican Senator, as is likely, I'd prefer him.

Stutzman running presents a small opportunity for Mourdock 2.0, but he's far more likely to actually make it into office. So...

Messer is unlikely to run for higher office, as he, like Pence before him, is seeking House leadership. If he gets denied, perhaps he, like Pence before him, will seek higher office.

What's nice about Ballard is he's a rare GOP big city mayor, who would understand urban issues in a way most GOP Senators do not

The one thing that could be used against him is that homicides skyrocketed during his tenure as mayor.  Last year was his final year in office, and it concluded with a number of homicides not seen in over a decade.

Then again, maybe it won't be a liability.  *shrug*

It would be interesting to see another Mayor of Indianapolis claim this seat.  This was Richard Lugar's seat.  Lugar was also a Republican Mayor of Indianapolis.