Indiana lawmakers drop reelection bids, will run to replace Pence

Two House Republicans quickly moved to withdraw from their reelection races in order to run for governor after Donald Trump announced he had selected current Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate.

Indiana Reps. Susan Brooks and Todd Rokita formally filed paperwork to drop their House candidacies Friday morning, less than an hour after Trump announced his vice presidential pick on Twitter.

Lt. Gov. Eric Holcomb also withdrew his candidacy for reelection to seek a promotion to the governor’s office.

{mosads}Pence cannot simultaneously run for vice president and governor, meaning he had to withdraw from the ballot by noon Friday to be Trump’s running mate.

A scramble in Indiana politics began Thursday as news outlets began reporting that Trump had chosen Pence. But the presumptive GOP nominee’s campaign didn’t confirm those reports until Friday morning, leaving little time for candidates to make a move by the filing deadline.

Both Brooks and Rokita represent districts considered to be Republican strongholds and are expected to remain in the party’s control.

Whoever is chosen as the Republican candidate for Indiana governor will face Democrat John Gregg in the general election.

Indiana’s state Republican Party will have 30 days to settle on who should replace Pence as the party’s gubernatorial nominee.

The 22-member Republican State Committee will issue a 10-day public notice before holding a vote to select a nominee. 

Brooks is in her second term in the House, and Rokita was first elected in 2010.

Brooks, a former deputy mayor of Indianapolis, served as a member of the select panel investigating the 2012 terrorist attacks in Benghazi.

Rokita, meanwhile, served as Indiana secretary of State from 2003 until becoming a House member.