Editors note: This is part of a series of stories covering the 2024 elections. Read the rest of the stories here.
Republican Jim Banks, a U.S. Representative for Indiana’s 3rd Congressional District, is aiming to represent the state in the U.S. Senate.
Banks will be the only Republican running after John Rust who was disqualified from the ballot Feb. 17. The Indiana Election Commission decided Rust had not voted in two consecutive Republican primaries or received certification to run from a county Republican chair.
Banks announced his campaign in a video Jan. 17, 2023, on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“We NEED conservatives in Washington who aren’t afraid to fight Biden’s radical agenda,” he wrote in the post.
Banks, a Columbia City, Indiana, native, has represented Indiana’s 3rd district in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2017. His district is in the northeast corner of the state, including Columbia City, Huntington and Fort Wayne.
Banks graduated from Indiana University with a degree in political science in 2004 and received a Master of Business Administration from Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana in 2013.
“Only in America could a small-town kid from a working-class home be able to do what I’ve been blessed to do,” he said in the announcement.
His political career started in the Whitley County Council from 2008-10 as an at-large member.
He served in the Indiana State Senate from 2010-16, taking a leave of absence from 2014-15 to serve in Afghanistan. His wife, Amanda, served in his place during his deployment.
“I love my family, and I love America,” Banks said in the announcement. “That’s why I decided to serve my country in the military. One of the greatest joys in my life was coming home from Afghanistan to my wife and our three little girls.”
Banks ran for Congress in 2016, winning the primary with 34.3% of the vote against five other Republican candidates.
He received 70.1% of the vote in the general election, defeating Democrat Thomas Schrader and Libertarian Pepper Snyder to win the open seat.
Banks ran unopposed in the 2018 primary and defeated Democrat Courtney Tritch in the general election. He received 64.7% of the vote.
After receiving 85.2% of the vote in the 2020 primary against Republican Chris Magiera, Banks defeated Democrat Chip Coldiron in the general election with 67.8% of the vote.
In the 2022 primary election, Banks ran unopposed and defeated Democrat Gary Snyder and Independent Nathan Gotsch with 65.3% of the vote in the general election.
According to his campaign website, Banks’ policies involve securing the southern U.S. border, defending life, supporting veterans and police, prioritizing national defense, opposing “wokeness” in schools and sports, unleashing the American economy, reducing the national debt, securing elections and standing with Israel.
“The United States has seen record-high illegal border crossings under Joe Biden, leading to increased crime and illegal drugs flooding our communities,” Banks said on his website.
There is little evidence that immigrants cause more crime, whether they entered the U.S. legally or not, and immigrants actually tend to be more law-abiding than citizens born in the U.S. Violent crime rates also fell significantly in many U.S. cities over Biden’s term.
Banks and former President Donald Trump visited the southern U.S. border in 2021. He also intends to support the reinstatement of Migrant Protection Protocols, also known as the “Remain in Mexico” program.
Human Rights Watch found this program put asylum seekers at risk of kidnapping, extortion and sexual violence. The organization also found the program violated migrant’s rights to basic services such as healthcare and education, due process and their right to seek asylum.
The policy started in 2019 and required immigrants seeking asylum to stay in Mexico until their court date. President Joe Biden ended the policy in February 2021.
According to his campaign website, Banks’ second policy, defending life, is informed from his Christian faith. He said he celebrated the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022.
In Indiana, this decision resulted in a near-total abortion ban passed in August 2022, only prohibiting the procedure in cases before 22 weeks if doctors detect a lethal fetal anomaly, or 12 weeks in cases of rape or incest. Seventeen women in total have received abortions in Indiana after the law took effect.
“There is more that federal and state lawmakers must do to protect life,” he wrote on his website.
As for supporting veterans and police, Banks referenced his military background and his January 2023 Qualified Immunity Act.
The act would protect police officers from “frivolous, unending lawsuits,” according to Banks’ press release. It is currently in the House of Representatives. While Banks said it would shield law enforcement from “frivolous, unending lawsuits,” critics worry qualified immunity would encourage more police violence.
“The radical Left treats criminals like heroes, while villainizing our law enforcement officers,” he said on his website.
National defense is another priority for Banks. He said America’s world standing has fallen under Biden.
“Our foreign policy should come from a place of strength, and there must be no question that America will always defend its standing,” he said on his website.
Banks voted against the Continuing Appropriations and Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, which passed Sept. 2022.
Banks also stands with Israel. He said Israel is the U.S.’ strongest ally in the Middle East and supporting the country is a moral obligation.
He wrote a letter to IU President Pamela Whitten in November about alleged antisemitism at the university since Oct. 7. He requested a response to several questions.
“As an IU graduate, allegations of antisemitism at my alma mater are personal and extremely concerning to me,” he said in the letter. “As a lawmaker, I would note that Title VI of the Civil Rights Act prohibits anti-Jewish and antisemitic discrimination.”
Banks also said in the letter IU could lose access to federal funding if the university condoned or tolerated antisemitism.
Whitten responded to the letter in December, explaining IU’s safety procedures and antisemitism prevention measures.
Over 200 IU faculty criticized Banks’ letter, and IU professor Jeffrey Isaac published an op-ed to the Indianapolis Star. Banks responded to Isaac on X.
“Radical Marxist professor Jeffrey C. Isaac is attacking me for standing with Jewish student victims of antisemitism at IU,” Banks said in the post. “I’m not sorry!”
Banks opposes teaching Critical Race Theory and the 1619 Project in schools, a contentious issue in many Indiana schools.
The 1619 Project was developed by Nikole Hannah-Jones and The New York Times in 2019. It reframes United States’ history, placing slavery at the center of it.
Banks said he supports protection for women’s and girls' sports, citing his involvement with the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2021. The bill would have not allowed transgender women and girls to participate in a women’s or girls athletic activity that receives federal funding.
“I’ve led the fight on the House floor to keep girls' sports for girls,” he said in the video.
Critics say bans on transgender youth in sports increase high levels of discrimination and unnecessarily regulate sports in schools.
Banks said unleashing the American economy, another priority for him, will start by supporting pro-growth policies. He cited the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and said it led to the healthiest economy in a generation.
Banks said his family balances its budget and believes the United States should do the same.
“Reckless, runaway spending by Joe Biden and Democrats in Washington has directly led to record-high inflation,” he said on his website.
Banks is an executive committee member of the Republican Study Committee, a conservative caucus of Republicans in the House of Representatives.
“It exists to bring like-minded House members together to promote a strong, principled legislative agenda that will limit government, strengthen our national defense, boost America’s economy, preserve traditional values and balance our budget,” its website said.
The committee was founded in 1973 and announced a budget proposal in June 2023 that would cut $16.3 trillion in federal spending and reduce taxes by $5.1 trillion over 10 years. The budget is comprised of 220 individual bills and initiatives.
Securing elections is another one of Banks’ priorities. He introduced the Save Democracy Act, which would implement reforms to the United States’ election system.
“The American people need to know without a shadow of a doubt that their voices are heard, and their votes are counted,” Banks said on his website.
Banks was one of 126 Republicans in the House of Representatives to sign an amicus brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to allow a Texas lawsuit seeking to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in four states. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case.
Banks will face the Democratic nominee between Marc Carmichael and Valerie McCray as well as Libertarian Andy Horning in November.
CLARIFICATION: This story had been updated to provide context about several of Jim Banks’ statements on his website.
