GUBERNATORIAL RESULTS
Six Republican candidates lined up for the opportunity to succeed incumbent Governor Eric Holcomb (R), who is unable to seek reelection due to term limits. U.S. Senator Mike Braun (R-IN) and current Indiana Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch (R) were the front-runners in polls leading up to the primary. Other contenders included former Indiana Secretary of Commerce Brad Chambers (R), former Indiana Economic Development Corporation President Eric Doden (R), former Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill (R), and Jamie Reitenour (R), who sought her first position in public office.
In the end, Senator Braun won the Republican Party’s nomination with approximately 40% of the vote. Braun has served in the U.S. Senate since 2019. He also served two terms representing the 63rd district in the Indiana State House of Representatives. Born in Jasper, Indiana, Braun attended Wabash College and Harvard Business School before joining his family’s business building truck bodies for farmers. Although formerly a registered member of the Democratic Party, Braun has traditional conservative views on many issues. However, he is one of few Republicans in Congress who has been vocal about taking steps to mitigate climate change. If elected to the governor’s office, Braun pledges to prioritize jobs and economic growth, education policy, family values, healthcare affordability, and reliable clean energy.
Former Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Jennifer McCormick (D) ran unopposed in the Democratic primary for governor. McCormick began her career as a special education teacher. She went on to work as a middle school language arts teacher and later principal at Yorktown Elementary School and assistant superintendent of Yorktown Community schools. McCormick was elected superintendent of public instruction in 2016 as a Republican, but clashed with GOP leaders in the position and did not seek a second term. She began endorsing Democratic candidates in the 2020 election cycle before switching her party affiliation in 2021. If elected governor, McCormick plans to advocate for education, individual rights and freedoms, and the state’s rural communities.
ATTORNEY GENERAL: UPCOMING CONVENTIONS
In Indiana, attorney general candidates are nominated during their party’s convention, not by voters in a primary. The Republican Party’s state convention will be held on June 15 and the Democratic Party’s state convention will be held on July 15.
Incumbent Attorney General Todd Rokita (R) is running unopposed at the Republican convention. Rokita is focusing his campaign on jobs and the economy, stopping unwanted robocalls, Second Amendment rights, parent choice, and pro-life policies. He is also highlighting his 2020 election victory, where he won with the largest number of votes in Indiana history for any person running for state office.
Two Democratic candidates, Destiny Wells and Beth White, will face off at the Democratic convention. Wells previously served as an Associate Corporation Counsel for the City of Indianapolis and Marion County, and Deputy Attorney General for the State of Indiana. Her campaign is focused on three priorities: protecting medical privacy, workers’ rights, and ethical standards. White currently serves as the president and CEO of the Indiana Coalition to End Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking. She previously led the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee and served two terms as the elected Marion County Clerk. Her priorities for the office include stopping human trafficking and child predators, expanding consumer protection efforts, and pursuing action against elder abuse.
Democrats have not held this office since 2001.
STATE LEGISLATURE
All 100 seats in the Indiana House of Representatives and 25 of the 50 seats in the Indiana Senate are up for election this year. Going into this election cycle, the house has a Republican supermajority of 70-30 while the senate has a Republican supermajority of 40-10. In the senate, most of the 25 races were dominated by incumbents, often uncontested, with only one person not filing for reelection. Five Republican senators faced primary competition. The story is largely the same for the house: There were 19 contested Republican primaries and three contested Democratic primaries; eight seats are open during this cycle after incumbents chose not to seek reelection.