Indiana Republicans sweep statewide races
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Braun, far right, waves to the crowd at the Indiana GOP watch party Tuesday night. Photo: Arika Herron/Axios
Republicans cemented their control of Indiana politics on Tuesday night.
Why it matters: The slate of Mike Braun, Micah Beckwith and Todd Rokita almost certainly drives Indiana policy further to the right as the state begins its third decade of Republican rule.
State of play: Democrats had hoped that excitement for Vice President Harris and lingering frustration over Indiana's near-total abortion ban would bolster the campaign of their candidate, Jennifer McCormick.
- Some political watchers speculated that late support from the Democratic Governors Association and repeated off-message moments from far-right lieutenant governor candidate Beckwith would make the race more competitive.
- Braun, who gave up his Senate seat after one term to run for governor, was winning by more than 13 percentage points as of midnight Tuesday — the widest margin of victory for an open governor's seat in the state since 1980.
- Libertarian Donald Rainwater, who netted a historic 11.4% in 2020's gubernatorial contest, had received 4.6% of this year's vote.
What they're saying: "When you're an entrepreneur by trade … you know how to pick the best fork in the road," he said. "To me, it was coming back to lead our state, where you can set the agenda, where you're going to get along with the legislature. Imagine what you can do with that."
- Braun said he aspires to put Indiana on par with Texas, Florida and Tennessee.
The race for attorney general was also decided early in the evening, despite Democrats' hopes that Destiny Wells would be a rising star for the party.
- Rokita was flanked by supporters holding "This is Rokita Country" signs and shouts of "We love you Todd" from the crowd. He promised another four years of "keeping dangerous criminals behind bars," defending "Indiana's pro-life laws" and barring transgender children from playing school sports or receiving gender-affirming health care, and called Wells a far-left extremist.
- "The voters of this great state sent a clear message," he said. "No. 1, they want to end illegal immigration. They want to keep dangerous criminals out of their neighborhoods. They're tired of their hospitals and schools being overrun."
The other side: McCormick didn't initially concede when the AP called the race for Braun. A staffer told reporters it was too early.
- McCormick conceded the race around 10pm.
- "Hoosiers define the Hoosier State, not the governor," McCormick said in a statement. "For now, I'm confident the sun will come up tomorrow, as it has every day after the other 51 men were elected governor."