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Banks Wins 3rd District GOP Primary

Nick Janzen | IPB

State Senator Jim Banks won a closely contested GOP primary for Indiana’s Third U.S. Congressional District. Banks beat out five other republicans, including prominent Fort Wayne businessman Kip Tom and fellow state senator Liz Brown.

May’s primary election will overshadow the November's general election in Indiana’s third district. “Whoever wins the republican nomination is going to be the next congressperson,” said Allen County GOP Chairman Steve Shine. The nine county district is home to the largest number of registered Republicans in Indiana. 

Jim Banks won a close contest, getting 34% of the vote and beating the second place finisher, Kip Tom, by less than 4,000 votes. Not taking November's election for granted, Banks said “We will roll up our sleeves, no one will work harder than the Bank’s family.”

If Banks is elected in the fall, he says he wants to address what he calls a lack of leadership in Washington.

“I’m the only candidate in the country recently deployed to a combat zone in Afghanistan, it gives me a powerful, unique perspective to be an advocate for our troops and rebuilding our military.”

Banks will face Fort Wayne Democrat Tommy Schrader. Schrader has run for political office many times before, including races for city council, mayor, and the U.S. Congress.

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