Anne Hathaway, state GOP chair, announces departure; Braun eyes Daviess County chair

Indiana Republican Party Chairwoman Anne Hathaway will step down from her role with the state party once a successor is chosen to replace her later this month, the party announced late Sunday, one day after the state party convention.

Hathaway made party history in August when Gov. Eric Holcomb tapped the Republican consultant to lead the state party, the first woman to hold the role. Joe Elsener, executive director of the state Republican Party, is also planning to step down.

Hathaway shared the news Friday with the Republican state central committee after she was unanimously reelected as Indiana's national committeewoman to represent the state on the Republican National Committee, according to the party news release. In late May, Sen. Mike Braun's senior advisor Josh Kelley told reporters that Braun’s gubernatorial campaign team would not recommend party leadership changes while Holcomb was still in office and that it would be up to Hathaway if she wanted to leave before that point.

The Republican state committee is expected to elect a new chair, likely a recommendation from the Braun campaign, on June 24, according to the party. Braun is eying Daviess County GOP chair Janet Schuler-Hicks, who works for his Senate office, as a potential replacement for Hathaway.

In a statement Monday afternoon, Braun emphasized the role of the state central committee in that decision.

"Anne Hathaway did an excellent job as Chairwoman of the Indiana Republican Party, and her decision to leave means now is the time for a new leader who will bring fresh ideas to help Republicans across Indiana," he said. "The State Central Committee will decide our next leader, and I am confident they will find a conservative leader who will help Republicans, including Donald Trump, Jim Banks, Todd Rokita, Micah Beckwith, and I, win in November so that we can implement our conservative agenda in 2025."

The timing of the party’s announcement late Sunday evening, first reported by Importantville, follows the Republican state convention Saturday where delegates chose ultraconservative Noblesville pastor Micah Beckwith to run as lieutenant governor, rejecting U.S. Sen. Mike Braun’s endorsed running mate, state Rep. Julie McGuire. The success of Beckwith's unconventional campaign was a major blow to the state party establishment. In the past, delegate typically have chosen whomever the Republican gubernatorial candidate wants on his ticket.

State GOP convention: Bucking tradition, Indiana Republicans nominate Micah Beckwith for lieutenant governor

But Hathaway told IndyStar in May she promised to serve in the state party role through the primary elections and to see the party through the state convention. Hathaway is leading the RNC's committee on arrangements, which oversees the critical operations for the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee next month, where the national party is expected to formally nominate Donald Trump as the Republican candidate for president.

Hathaway said she intended for the state party role to be temporary so the next Republican nominee for governor could pick their partner to run the party.

“We know that you have to focus on pivoting from primary to general election, and so we’ll take one day at a time,” Hathaway told IndyStar in May. “At the end of the day this is a Republican team. We're focused on making sure that we win and that we have all the grassroots tools in the toolkit and that our party is focused on having the tools that they need to win.”

Hathaway is the president and chief executive officer of Indianapolis-based Hathaway Strategies.

Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Brittany Carloni at brittany.carloni@indystar.com or 317-779-4468. Follow her on Twitter/X@CarloniBrittany.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana GOP chair to depart; Braun may tap Daviess County chair