Indiana GOP supports Mike Braun's pick for party chair

Republican leaders on Monday unanimously selected former state lawmaker Randy Head as the next chairman of the Indiana Republican Party.

Head, of Logansport, was recommended for the leadership role by GOP gubernatorial nominee and current U.S. Sen. Mike Braun and formally elected by the Republican state central committee Monday morning. He takes the helm of the state party following the convention earlier this month where delegates chose ultraconservative pastor Micah Beckwith as Braun’s running mate instead of Braun’s endorsed pick.

The Beckwith pick, which concerned some influential Republican leaders, leaves Head with the task of keeping the party unified as attention shifts to the campaign trail ahead of the general election in November. In a statement Monday morning, Head thanked the members of the Republican state central committee and Braun for their support.

“We are ready to come together and make sure Republicans are sprinting across the finish line this Fall," Head said in the statement.

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Head’s selection is also a win for Braun, especially following the rejection of his lieutenant governor pick at the state convention. Braun in a statement said he met with the central committee last week to share his support for Head as chair of the party.

"He has served the Republican Party in many different facets over the years, and I look forward to working with him to ensure Republican victories across the state come November," Braun said in the statement.

Head is the third chairman to lead the party in the last year. Anne Hathaway announced she was stepping down from the role after the state convention, saying she had considered the position a temporary one until voters selected a Republican gubernatorial nominee in May. Kyle Hupfer stepped down from the role in August after six years to take a position on former Secretary of Commerce Brad Chambers’ campaign for governor.

Head was the permanent chairman of the recent state Republican convention and the party chair for Indiana's 4th Congressional District. He is an attorney with Krieg DeVault and a member of the firm’s Governmental Affairs and Public Advocacy Practice. Head served in the Indiana State Senate for eleven years and previously was a deputy prosecuting attorney.

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: Logansport's Randy Head is new Indiana Republican Party chair