© 2025 Lakeshore Public Media
8625 Indiana Place
Merrillville, IN 46410
(219)756-5656
Public Broadcasting for Northwest Indiana & Chicagoland since 1987
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Braun tabs Lana Keesling to lead Indiana Republican Party

Braun is a White man, balding with gray hair. He is wearing glasses and a tan suit jacket. Keesling is a White woman with brunette hair. She is wearing a black blazer.
Courtesy of Mike Braun for Indiana
Gov. Mike Braun, left, named Fort Wayne City Clerk Lana Keesling, right, as his choice to become the next chair of the Indiana Republican Party.

Gov. Mike Braun has named his preference for the next chair of the Indiana Republican Party — Fort Wayne City Clerk Lana Keesling.

Republicans will choose a new chair in March. Governors typically select the person for the job, though the party’s state committee officially votes for the role.

Keesling was the first Republican elected Fort Wayne city clerk since 1971. She’s also served as vice chair of the Allen County Republican Party and ran unsuccessfully for state treasurer in 2022.

READ MORE: Randy Head steps down as Indiana Republican Party chair. What role do state party chairs play?

Join the conversation and sign up for the Indiana Two-Way. Text "Indiana" to 765-275-1120. Your comments and questions in response to our weekly text help us find the answers you need on statewide issues, including our project Civically, Indiana.

In a statement, Braun says Keesling’s experience gives her a “deep understanding” of what local parties need to grow and succeed.

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.

Tags
Brandon Smith has covered the Statehouse for Indiana Public Broadcasting for more than a decade, spanning three governors and a dozen legislative sessions. He's also the host of Indiana Week in Review, a weekly political and policy discussion program seen and heard across the state. He previously worked at KBIA in Columbia, Missouri and WSPY in Plano, Illinois. His first job in radio was in another state capitol - Jefferson City, Missouri - as a reporter for three stations around the Show-Me State.