INDIANAPOLIS (WLKI) - State Sen. Chris Garten has formally announced his campaign to become the next leader of the Indiana Senate Republican caucus, following current Senate President Pro Tempore Rod Bray's decision not to seek another term as caucus leader.
Garten, R-Charlestown, said Monday that he is seeking the Senate's top leadership position as Republicans prepare to select their next leader following the November election. "Our caucus stands at a defining moment, and the challenges ahead demand bold, focused leadership," Garten said in announcing his campaign. "I am committed to driving a conservative, Indiana First agenda and I am ready to deploy my experience to ensure our campaign apparatus is intentional and ambitious to secure and expand our supermajority."
The Indiana Capital Chronicle reported that Bray, R-Martinsville, announced Friday he would not seek reelection as Senate president pro tempore but will remain a member of the Senate through the end of his term in 2028.
The leadership change follows a dispute over a proposed congressional redistricting plan. Garten and Bray were among Senate Republicans who opposed a map supported by President Donald Trump and national redistricting advocates.
The proposal, which was considered before the normal redistricting timeline, would have created a map expected to favor Republicans in all nine Indiana congressional districts. The measure failed in December after 21 Republican senators joined all 10 Senate Democrats in opposition.
Garten resigned as Senate majority floor leader in June, saying he no longer aligned with the strategic direction of Senate leadership.
Bray later said he would not seek another term as president pro tempore after concerns that national groups would support primary challenges against Republican senators who backed him. The Indiana Capital Chronicle reported that several senators who opposed the redistricting proposal lost their primary elections after facing challengers backed by outside groups.
Garten, who was first elected to the Senate in 2018, is seeking a third term and was unopposed in the Republican primary.
If elected Senate leader, Garten said he would appoint Sen. Eric Koch, R-Bedford, as his choice for floor leader.
"Eric is an elite strategist, an accomplished attorney, and a deeply respected leader with judgment beyond reproach," Garten said.
Koch has served in the Senate since 2016 and previously spent about 14 years in the Indiana House. He is not on the ballot this year.
"Senator Garten understands that a supermajority is not self-sustaining -- it has to be earned every cycle and held together every day of session," Koch said.
The Senate president pro tempore has significant influence over the chamber's operations, including selecting committee chairs, assigning legislation to committees and setting the Senate's legislative priorities.
Other candidates could enter the leadership race before Senate Republicans make their final selection after the November election.