By WHITNEY
DOWNARD
Indiana Capital Chronicle
The Indiana Republican Party’s dominance in the state’s highest elected office remains intact following the election of Mike Braun as governor and his running mate Micah Beckwith as lieutenant governor.
“I’m going to make sure that all of us, as Hoosiers, prosper; I’m going to do it with everything I’ve learned in the real world,” Braun told an enthusiastic crowd at the JW Marriott in downtown Indianapolis just before 9 p.m.
“We’re going to take Indiana to places we’ve never seen before,” he vowed.
Associated Press called the race early. As of about 9:45 p.m., Braun had 55% of the vote. His opponents, Democrat Jennifer McCormick and Libertarian Donald Rainwater, had roughly 40% and 5% votes, respectively.
McCormick encouraged supporters to stay positive even though the results weren’t what they wanted.
“And although we’re small, we’re mighty. And we gave Sen. Braun a run that not many people thought we could do,” McCormick said. “… And so tonight, we congratulate Sen. Braun and a lot of other Republicans who won this evening. We will go into tomorrow knowing we still have work to do.”
Throughout the race, Braun relied on his business background as the owner of Meyer Distributing in Jasper, Indiana.
“I’ve always said, politics and government are a lot easier than running a business,” Braun said Tuesday night. “Hell, in government you just got to be smart enough to not spend more than you take in. In business, you’re signing the note (and) your livelihood is on the line.”
Braun, McCormick and Rainwater grew increasingly competitive as Election Day neared, battling it out in campaign mailers and warring attack advertisements. However, the business community rallied behind the Republican team, which saw a surge in contributions, while small donors flocked to Democrats.
The Republican Governors Association also gave Braun $2 million, which the Democratic counterpart nearly matched.
Beckwith encountered a fair number of controversies in recent weeks, making national headlines for saying he’d fire state employees using pronouns in their signatures and saying the Democratic ticket invoked a “Jezebel spirit,” a derogatory term used against women.
Braun said, under his leadership, Indiana would become “a place … where our kids and grandkids want to move back to” with Texas, Florida and Tennessee as the inspiration.
McCormick and her lieutenant governor nominee focused on a “commonsense” campaign, releasing several proposals across dozens of topics.
The Braun campaign’s foundation arm pitched its own ideas, wading into brewing health care fights in the Legislature and vowing to reform property taxes.
At 70, Braun is the oldest person ever to be elected as governor of Indiana.
Braun will still return to Washington D.C. to finish out his term in Congress, where he serves as a U.S. senator.
“I promised all of you, when I ran for Senate, I’d be the most accessible Senator we’ve ever had. I’m going to be the most entrepreneurial … and we’ve proven that in just six years,” Braun said. “Imagine what you can do when you set the agenda. When you get along with a legislature that believes in freedom and opportunity, faith, family and community.”
He is scheduled to be sworn into office as governor in January.
