Banks, McCray win Senate primaries, face off in November – NBC Chicago

The candidates vying to replace outgoing Sen. Mike Braun have been deadlocked, as the NBC News Decision Desk projects Republican Rep. Jim Banks and Democratic candidate Dr. Valerie McCray to win their respective primaries.

Banks, who represents Indiana’s 3rd Congressional District, ran unopposed in the Republican primary as he strives to replace Braun, who instead opted to run for governor.

Banks’s focus in Congress has included serving on the House Select Committee on China and chairing the Military Personnel Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee.

Banks is a military veteran who served in Afghanistan during Operations Enduring Freedom and Freedom’s Sentinel.

Voters can visit his campaign website for more information.

McCray faced a primary challenge from former state Rep. Marc Carmichael, but defeated him in the Democratic primary Tuesday night.

McCray, a clinical psychologist, ran a campaign emphasizing her support for raising workers’ wages, strengthening unions and providing health care to all Americans, among other elements of the platform.

She also pledged to continue student loan reform and increase investment in public schools, according to her website.

The seat the duo is running for has been largely held by Republicans in recent years, with former Sen. Joe Donnelly being the only Democrat to hold it since 1977. Previously, Sen. Richard Lugar held the seat until 2013 , when he lost the Senate primary. to Richard Mourdock, who lost to Donnelly in the general election.

The Cook Political Report lists this seat as a “solid Republican” seat for the upcoming race, as Republicans seek to regain control of the Senate.