Local Republicans early supporters of Holcomb

The following was originally published July 30, 2016.

With loyal Republicans and Saturday Shelby in attendance at Grandma’s Pancake House in January, then-U.S. Senate candidate Eric Holcomb laid out a simple plan to achieve public office.

“We’re building (the campaign) from the ground up,” Holcomb said. “I mean, we’re having such good success right now showing up in person…I just don’t think there’s any substitute for being there.”

Instead of staying in the Senate primary, Holcomb was tapped in March to serve as Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann’s successor. Months later, Gov. Mike Pence is now the Republican U.S. vice presidential candidate and Holcomb the Indiana gubernatorial candidate just three months before the election.

“Really, everything has just happened so fast,” Amy McQueen, who served as Holcomb’s Shelby County coordinator during his Senate run, said.

The last minute change suits county Republican Party Chair J.R. Showers just fine. He endorsed Holcomb, a former advisor to Gov. Mitch Daniels, early on in the revised gubernatorial election process.

“I thought (Holcomb) was a great choice to run for governor,” Showers said. “I think of what Gov. Daniels and (Mike) Pence did for jobs in Indiana. It shows we have some great things going on here.”

Showers met Holcomb during Daniels’ first run in 2003. Showers was certain Daniels would win and convinced Holcomb to schedule the candidate for the next Shelby County Lincoln Day dinner.

Shelby County Republican Club Vice President Jason Brown first met the new candidate during Holcomb’s tenure as Indiana Republican state party chair.

“I couldn’t be happier for (Holcomb) and, more importantly, for Indiana,” Brown said, describing Holcomb as a down-to-earth, approachable candidate. “I’ve seen him strike up conversations with complete strangers and leave them feeling like they have made a new friend. He truly cares about Hoosiers and their needs.”

McQueen believes Holcomb’s familiarity with the party would play to his strengths in office.

“Holcomb is very close to Mitch Daniels,” she said. “He worked closely with (Daniels) on promoting his legislative agenda, he is smart, he loves this state and we would all, Republicans and Democrats alike, be proud to have him as our governor.”

Showers agrees.

“He ran the party well,” Showers said. “I’m confident (Holcomb will) be our next governor.”