# Jim Banks Republican U.S. Senator from Indiana since January 2025, previously a congressman for northeast Indiana (2017–2025) and chair of the [[Republican Study Committee]], the House GOP's largest conservative caucus. For this vault, he is one of the two Republicans whose rejection made the [[House Select Committee on the January 6th Attack]] the committee it was. ## Background Born July 16, 1979, in Columbia City, Indiana. He served in the Indiana Senate from 2010 to 2016. A Navy Reserve supply officer, he took leave from the legislature to deploy to Afghanistan (September 2014 – April 2015). He won Indiana's 3rd district in 2016 and chaired the Republican Study Committee from 2021 to 2023, succeeding [[Mike Johnson]] and followed by [[Kevin Hern]]. ## The January 6 committee pick On July 19, 2021, [[Kevin McCarthy]] named Banks as the Republicans' intended ranking member on the select committee, alongside [[Jim Jordan]], [[Rodney Davis]], [[Kelly Armstrong]] and [[Troy Nehls]]. On July 21, [[Nancy Pelosi]] rejected Banks and Jordan, citing their statements about the investigation. McCarthy then pulled all five, leaving the committee with no members chosen by Republican leadership. Banks kept acting as if he had the seat. In October 2021, [[Liz Cheney]] revealed that he had been sending letters to federal agencies identifying himself as the committee's ranking member. A Republican who was never seated was presenting himself as the minority's voice on the panel. It was an early form of the parallel-investigation strategy that later produced [[Barry Loudermilk]]'s subcommittee. ## Senate He won the 2024 Senate race unopposed in the primary, then beat Democrat Valerie McCray 58.6% to 38.8%, succeeding [[Mike Braun]], who became governor. His committees in the 119th Congress are [[Senate Armed Services Committee]], [[Senate Banking Committee]], [[Senate HELP Committee]] and Veterans' Affairs. *Stub areas to expand: Senate voting record on Trump nominees and the [[SAVE Act]]; RSC budget documents from his chairmanship.* ## KB significance Pelosi's rejection of Banks is the origin of the "partisan committee" argument. The committee had no Republican-leadership members because McCarthy withdrew all five after two were rejected. Banks has since moved from the rejected House pick to a Senate seat while the committee's members needed pardons. ## Related - [[House Select Committee on the January 6th Attack]] - [[Kevin McCarthy]] · [[Jim Jordan]] - [[Republican Study Committee]]