Casey Smith
Indiana Capital Chronicle
U.S. Rep. Jim Banks will give a primetime speech at next week’s Republican National Convention, putting him on the same stage as major GOP politicians and signaling his continued rise within the party.
Indiana’s Third District Congressman is scheduled to speak at 7 p.m. Tuesday — on Banks’ 45th birthday. He’s expected to discuss his role in a new generation of conservative leadership and his fight to ensure that Republicans remain the party of the working class during his remarks.
Banks — who has working-class roots himself — recently described to Politico his childhood growing up in a trailer park, for example. He emphasized that he also went to a public school and state college, shops at Walmart, and struggled during the pandemic because he and his wife couldn’t afford full-time childcare.
He’s expected to be Indiana’s only working GOP official to speak at the convention, though former GOP Chair Anne Hathaway will play a significant role as one of Indiana’s two Republican National Committeemen.
The congressman is currently seeking Indiana’s open U.S. Senate seat. He easily secured the Republican nomination in May. He was ultimately unopposed on the primary ballot after Seymour egg farmer John Rust was removed.
A GOP favorite, Banks earned an endorsement from Trump in early 2023 — the former president’s first of the cycle.
He’ll face Democrat Dr. Valerie McCray, a clinical psychologist, as well as Libertarian Andrew Horning in the November general election.
The Senate seat is being vacated by Republican Mike Braun, who secured the GOP nomination in Indiana’s gubernatorial race and will now face Democrat Jennifer McCormick and Libertarian Donald Rainwater in November.
If elected, Banks will be one of the youngest lawmakers in the U.S. Senate.
Republican lawmakers, delegates and other party figures will gather in Milwaukee, Wisconsin July 15 to 18 to officially name former President Donald Trump the GOP nominee and see him announce his running mate.
A detailed schedule of speakers has not yet been released, but the convention has historically provided leading party figures and up-and-coming GOP lawmakers valuable airtime to speak about the party’s platform.
RNC co-chair Lara Trump has additionally promised a number of surprise celebrity guest speakers, including model Amber Rose, as well as Sean O’Brien, leader of the Teamsters union.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will also be speaking, though former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley is not expected to attend. Both Republicans challenged Trump for the party nomination before bowing out of the race when they failed to secure primary wins.
