Pence endorses Holcomb to replace him in governor's race

Gov. Mike Pence on Friday endorsed Lt. Gov. Eric Holcomb as his replacement in the governor’s race, a decision that could give Holcomb an edge ahead of Tuesday's meeting of a state GOP panel that will choose a candidate to fill the vacancy.

Pence's endorsement came as U.S. Rep. Susan Brooks appeared to be surging among the four Republicans running in Tuesday's caucus.

In endorsing Holcomb, Pence said he essentially made his decision on whom to support in March when he tapped Holcomb to become his lieutenant governor.

“When selecting my Lt. Governor in March, the primary factor was who would be able to best serve the state of Indiana in the event I could no longer perform my duties as governor. As I concluded before, there is no better individual to lead our state than Eric Holcomb,” Pence wrote in a letter to the 22-member Indiana Republican State Committee, which is responsible for choosing a successor.

The unprecedented process was kick-started after Pence dropped out of the race to become Donald Trump's running mate. But Pence went on to say, "This decision is yours alone, and I will respect that decision and support the nominee you deem fit to serve."

Other Republican leaders, including U.S. Sen. Dan Coats and Senate President Pro Tem David Long, also announced their support for Holcomb on Friday. But the other top candidates vying for Pence's job said they plan to press on.

Holcomb, Brooks and U.S. Rep. Todd Rokita are considered the front-runners. State Sen. Jim Tomes, a Wadesville Republican, also said this week he was seeking the Republican nomination.

Brooks said in a statement that Pence was in a "tough position" because he and Holcomb are close, but that the endorsement doesn't change her focus.

"It is clear the 22 state committee members take their responsibility for making this historic decision very seriously, and I appreciate Governor Pence’s acknowledgement that the decision lies alone with them and that he will support the nominee they choose," Brooks said. "I am confident I am the strongest candidate to beat John Gregg in the fall, and I will continue my efforts to demonstrate that to the committee.”

Rokita in a statement said the process for selecting a Republican candidate for governor "is still a wide-open race," adding "reports that one candidate or the other has this race locked up are simply not true."

"I will continue to make my case to the members and determine if this endorsement changes minds," Rokita added.

IndyStar reached out to all 22 members of the committee to ask whom they were planning to support. Five members said they would support Brooks, with two saying they would vote for Holcomb and one for Rokita. Eight members said they were either undecided or declined to say whom they would support. The remainder didn't respond to messages seeking comment.

Barbara Krisher, a member of the committee, called Pence's endorsement an effort to block momentum that had been building for Brooks.

"I think the governor went ahead and did it because Susan was gaining," Krisher said. "It's just the sense that I have."

Krisher, who declined to say whom she plans to vote for, said she had heard Pence would be making an endorsement over the weekend, but he apparently decided to do it sooner. Krisher said she thinks Pence should have stayed out of the process.

"I can't speak for the other people on the committee, but I think that would've been preferable," she said.

Krisher expects Pence's move to put pressure on committee members who might have been leaning toward Brooks, she said, yet added that doesn't necessarily mean the endorsement will prove decisive.

"I don't know how you'd tell the strength of an endorsement," she said.

Before the governor's announcement, two sources close to the Brooks campaign told IndyStar that they thought they had at least 12 votes on the committee — the minimum required to pull off a win.

At the same time, Pete Seat, a consultant to Holcomb, called him a front-runner in an analysis released Thursday. He based his conclusion on conversations taking place at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, where two-thirds of the panel's members were in attendance.

Pence's endorsement of Holcomb carries risk if the state committee doesn't end up going the governor's way, said Paul Helmke, a civics professor at Indiana University and former Republican mayor of Fort Wayne. It could send the message that the Indiana party isn't unified "at the time the national party is still dealing with that issue," he said.

Holcomb as the governor's candidate means Pence could have greater control over the messages shared with voters during the campaign season, Helmke said.

And no matter the election's outcome "having some influence with the governor is going to be good for him," Helmke said.

Holcomb in a statement said he was “as honored today to receive Governor Pence’s support as I was when answering his call to serve as Lt. Governor.”

Holcomb became lieutenant governor after Sue Ellspermann resigned the office to apply for the presidency at Ivy Tech Community College. She began that job earlier this month.

Whoever the Republicans select as their gubernatorial candidate will face Democrat John Gregg in the November election.

Brooks, Rokita risk little in run for governor

At the GOP convention, a behind-the-scenes race for governor

Steps to pick the new GOP nominee for governor

Call IndyStar reporter James Briggs at (317) 444-6307. Follow him on Twitter: @JamesEBriggs.