Indiana primary election results: Braun wins Republican primary for governor

U.S. Sen. Mike Braun has won Indiana's Republican gubernatorial primary.

Why it matters: In a state that hasn't chosen a Democrat to lead the state in two decades, Braun, who had former President Trump's endorsement, is now the presumptive favorite for the November general election.

• "There's going to be a new era in the state of Indiana," said former state Sen. Carlin Yoder, who now works as Trump's Indiana state director. "It's going to be a conservative era of people who believe in what Donald Trump believes and the establishment should probably wake up to that fact."

Zoom in: The Republican primary for governor was a six-way race between Braun, Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, Brad Chambers, Eric Doden, Curtis Hill and Jamie Reitenour.

What he's saying: Braun told reporters he would keep First Lady Janet Holcomb's chicken coop at the governor's residence.

• "The chicken coop definitely remains," Braun said, talking to reporters at his election night watch party at Moontown Brewing in Whitestown. "I like chickens and we eat a lot of eggs farm fresh, so it'll be right there in [the] backyard."

The other side: Chambers said he offered Braun "continued service to the state," stating that he still hopes to make good his vision for Indiana.

• But he didn't mince words when describing how it felt to see his campaign come to an end.
• "Losing sucks. I'm not used to it. I hope I never get used to it. My light has not dimmed for Indiana and for public service. But it's going to take me a little bit of time," Chambers said. "We had some momentum in this race. It just wasn't enough."

The big picture: Hoosiers also voted for candidates for congressional and Statehouse races.

What's happening: Early voting was up in Hamilton County where election officials reported 11,248 early votes — 7,000 more than 2022 early in-person totals.

• Early in-person voting was up slightly in Marion County, but mail-in ballots were down slightly, putting early voting totals about equal to those counted at this point in 2022.

In Marion County, where voters can cast a ballot at any of the 186 polling locations, most were quiet with short, if any, lines throughout the day.

• At St. Luke's United Methodist Church, it was about a 10 minute wait to vote at the popular Washington Township site two hours before polls closed.
• Dolores Jackson, 72, said she was thrilled to see the line, and would have waited longer if needed. She added that she is encouraged to see younger voters at the polls each year.

• "Maybe it's not so much that they're younger, as much as I keep getting older," she said with a laugh.

In Hamilton County, poll workers at the Ritz Charles celebrated first-time voters by blaring horns.

• Julia Merriman, judge of the Carmel voting location, said they do it to keep the energy high.
• "And we've been using it quite a bit, which is good," she said. "We've got a steady stream of voters, which is nice for a primary."

Here's a look at where things stand in other key races:

Valerie McCray, the winner of the Democratic Senate primary, will face Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Banks in November for the seat being vacated by Braun.

Context: Banks, who has a significant fundraising advantage, was unopposed in the GOP primary after egg farmer John Rust was disqualified from the ballot.

The intrigue: More than $3.6 million in outside money has been spent in the race — all in support of Banks, Indiana Capital Chronicle reported.

• That included more than $3 million from Defend American Jobs PAC and at least half appears to have been spent after Rust exited the race.

This is a developing story.