U.S. Senate candidate John Rust (R) was removed from Republican U.S. Senate primary ballot by the Indiana Election Commission, State Affairs Indiana reports.

The unanimous decision that Rust didn’t meet state’s primary voting requirement leaves Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) as the sole Republican candidate.

“Mitch Daniels is passing on a potential bid for an open Indiana Senate seat, forgoing what would have been one of the most hotly contested primaries in the 2024 cycle,” Politico reports.

Said Daniels: “After what I hope was adequate reflection, I’ve decided not to become a candidate for the U.S. Senate. With full credit and respect for the institution and those serving in it, I conclude that it’s just not the job for me, not the town for me, and not the life I want to live at this point.”

Mitch Daniels (R) “embarked on a tour of Capitol Hill Wednesday to figure out whether running for his state’s open Senate seat makes sense,” Politico reports.

Said Daniels: “I’m not the least bit worried, honestly, about losing an election. I’m worried about winning it and regretting it for six years.”

He added: “I say this with great respect for those who do it. But you know, that doesn’t mean it fits me or fits me at this time of my life. So that’s what this field trip’s about.”

“The latest front in the Republican civil war is set to erupt in the otherwise quiet state of Indiana,” Politico reports.

“Party officials and insiders are girding for an increasingly nasty primary battle for an open Senate seat between Rep. Jim Banks, who has declared, and former Purdue University president and former two-term Gov. Mitch Daniels, who appears increasingly poised to join the race. Daniels is expected to announce his intentions soon, according to one GOP senator. The ensuing fight could open years-old fault lines between the establishment and Trumpist wings of the party.”

Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) is launching his U.S. Senate bid this morning with a new video.

Politico: “With Mike Braun retiring from the Senate to run for governor in the Hoosier State, Banks is maneuvering to overwhelm any opposition early. But the four-term congressman and his allies are still preparing for a possible clash with Mitch Daniels, a two-term governor of the state who is weighing a bid of his own.”

“There’s more on the line than just a safe red seat. After November midterm voters rebuked several Trump-aligned candidates, the GOP is wrestling with its identity.”

Republicans close to Mitch Daniels (R) say opposition from the Club for Growth is poised to push the former Indiana governor into the 2024 Senate race, the Washington Examiner reports.

“A crowded 2024 Senate primary is already brewing deep in the heart of Trump country,” Politico reports.

“In a state with a deep and restless bench of ambitious GOP politicians, a half-dozen of them are weighing a shot at a coveted seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Mike Braun as he runs for governor. The roster of candidates spans the GOP’s ideological spectrum at a time when significant numbers of Republican voters here appear to be souring on the former president.”

Former OMB Director Mitch Daniels (R) is mulling a run for the seat that Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN) is vacating to run for governor, the Evansville Courier Press reports.

Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN) is running for governor, according to paperwork filed with the secretary of state’s office Tuesday, Politico reports.

“Braun’s decision could kick off a crowded GOP Senate primary to succeed him, with both Reps. Victoria Spartz and Rep. Jim Banks voicing interest in the seat.”

Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) is preparing for a run for the U.S. Senate if Mike Braun decides to run for Governor in 2024, Indy Politics reports.

Banks lost the Republican caucus race to be the new Majority Whip, so now he’s “all in for the U.S. Senate.”

“It’s been nearly six years since Todd Young pulled off one of the biggest Senate upsets of 2016,” Politico reports.

“Now, up for reelection in barn-red Indiana, the former chair of the Republican Senate campaign arm has pulled off an even more unlikely victory: avoiding a primary challenger.”

“Young is one of only four Senate GOP incumbents without the golden ticket of a Donald Trump endorsement this year. He has a record of taking some decidedly non-MAGA friendly positions and said Trump bore responsibility for Jan. 6 — in a state Trump carried twice by double-digits.”

“Indiana Democrats are funding a last-minute attempt to split the Republican vote in the state’s crucial Senate contest by boosting the race’s long-shot Libertarian candidate,” the Daily Beast reports.

“The state Democratic Party began purchasing Facebook ads on Thursday questioning the conservative bona fides of Republican challenger Mike Braun by, among other things, suggesting he backed Hillary Clinton in 2016. The ads, which encouraged voters to back  Libertarian Party candidate Lucy Brenton, say they are ‘authorized by Donnelly for Indiana,’ the campaign of incumbent Democrat Sen. Joe Donnelly.”

A new SurveyUSA poll in Indiana finds Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-IN) just ahead of challenger Mike Braun (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 41% to 40%, with Libertarian Lucy Brenton at 8%.

Indiana U.S. Senate candidate Mike Braun (R) loaned his campaign nearly $2.4 million in the third quarter after saying he would not self fund in the run-up to the general election, the Indianapolis Star reports.

Indiana U.S. Senate candidate Mike Braun (R) “is running his U.S. Senate campaign on borrowed funds. More than three of every four dollars in his war chest was loaned to the campaign, and the bulk of it has come from banks with executives who are Braun’s friends, professional acquaintances, or campaign donors,” the Daily Beast reports.

“At the same time, Braun has used a legal but controversial accounting maneuver to circumvent donation limits by re-routing nearly $100,000 in money earmarked for a prior election through funds that he himself has lent to the campaign, and into his general-election account.”