INDIANAPOLIS — Republican Mike Braun is striving to maintain the Republican Party’s two-decade reign over Indiana’s governor’s office in a competitive election against Democrat Jennifer McCormick, who previously served as the state’s schools superintendent as a Republican before breaking away from the party.
With outgoing Republican Governor Eric Holcomb unable to run for a third consecutive term due to term limits, both Braun and McCormick are campaigning to become his successor. Braun, who is currently one of Indiana’s two Republican U.S. senators, chose not to seek re-election in the Senate to focus on the gubernatorial race.
Political analysts suggest that Braun, who garnered the endorsement of former President Donald Trump prior to May’s GOP primary, is well-positioned to secure victory in the upcoming election and keep the governor’s office under Republican control in Indiana, a state that Trump won decisively in both 2016 and 2020.
Since Mitch Daniels triumphed over late Governor Joe Kernan in 2004, the GOP has consistently held Indiana’s governor’s office. Furthermore, Democrats have not claimed a statewide office in Indiana since 2012, when Glenda Ritz was elected as the schools superintendent and Democrat Joe Donnelly won a U.S. Senate seat.
In 2016, McCormick, then still a Republican, won the race against Ritz for the position of state schools chief, promising to foster better relations with Republican leaders at the Statehouse after numerous disputes with Ritz, former Governor Mike Pence, and senior GOP legislators. However, McCormick’s affiliation with the Republican Party ended over educational policy disagreements, leading her to become a Democrat following her term’s conclusion in early 2021. She faced no opposition in the May Democratic primary.
Braun, at 70 years old, emerged victorious in a competitive six-way GOP primary in May with approximately 40% of the vote, which has been described by experts as the most expensive gubernatorial primary contest in Indiana’s history. Laura Merrifield Wilson, a political science professor at the University of Indianapolis, noted that Braun’s pathway to becoming the frontrunner was aided by several factors, including name recognition, financial resources, and Trump’s significant endorsement. In his previous Senate campaign in 2018, he had invested heavily in his own campaign, revealing over $11 million in personal loans to win against Donnelly.
However, the general election presents new hurdles for Braun. His initial choice for a running mate, state Rep. Julie McGuire, did not gain backing from the party. Instead, ultra-conservative Christian pastor Micah Beckwith was chosen by party delegates after a competitive convention in June, despite Braun’s support for McGuire. Beckwith is known for his rigid viewpoints regarding contentious issues like abortion, gender, and sexuality, and he cohosts the “Jesus, Sex and Politics” podcast which has stirred up some controversy.
McCormick’s running mate is Terry Goodin, a former state legislator who served from 2000 to 2020 and has faced criticism for his conservative voting record on essential Democratic issues, such as abortion and same-sex marriage. He has since recanted those positions, promising a change in perspective to Democratic constituencies.
As Election Day approaches, Braun and McCormick participated in three debates addressing a variety of topics, with education emerging as the most prominent issue of the campaign. “Given that nearly half of Indiana’s state budget is allocated to education, it’s not surprising that this topic is central to the race,” stated Wilson.
The governor’s race also includes Libertarian candidate Donald Rainwater, who previously claimed around 11 percent of the vote in the 2020 governor’s election after drawing support from conservatives unhappy with Holcomb’s pandemic response—an unusually high percentage for Libertarian candidates in the state.
Additionally, Hoosier voters will have the opportunity to influence the state attorney general race, where Republican incumbent Todd Rokita seeks a second term against Democrat Destiny Wells, a lawyer and lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve who previously campaigned unsuccessfully for the position of Indiana Secretary of State in 2022.