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Request a DemoTelevised debates coming in Republican governor’s race
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The six Republican candidates for governor have spent months traveling the state while campaigning before small crowds and speaking at local GOP functions.
A series of televised debates on the horizon will give the broader public a chance to see the candidates in bursts longer than the 30-second commercials flashing ever more frequently on TV screens to capture voters’ attention ahead of the May primary.
What’s happening
At least five of the Republican candidates are on tap to participate in two televised debates set for consecutive nights in late March — about two weeks before the start of early voting for the primary.
The campaign calendar has:
The first debate, on March 26, is being organized by Fox 59 (WXIN-TV) in Indianapolis, with plans for broadcast also on fellow Nexstar-owned stations WANE-TV in Fort Wayne, WTWO-TV in Terre Haute and WEHT-TV in Evansville, according to CJ Hoyt, the Fox 59 news director.
The second debate, on March 27, will be hosted by WISH-TV of Indianapolis. Five of the Republican campaigns told State Affairs their candidate will participate. The station’s news director hasn’t replied to messages seeking confirmation.
A third televised debate is planned for April 23 — two weeks before the May 7 primary day — by the nonprofit Indiana Debate Commission.
That debate is set to happen before an audience at Hine Hall Auditorium on the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis campus. It will be available to television and radio stations statewide for broadcast, with several stations having aired debates sponsored by the commission since its first one in 2008.
Why it matters
U.S. Sen. Mike Braun has been touting his endorsement from Donald Trump and working to build on the perception he’s the front-runner for the Republican nomination to replace Gov. Eric Holcomb, who can’t run again because of term limits.
Joining Braun in the crowded field is Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, former state Commerce Secretary Brad Chambers, Fort Wayne businessman Eric Doden, former state Attorney General Curtis Hill and conservative activist Jamie Reitenour.
With less than three months before primary voting ends, those five are working to stand out as top challengers to Braun.
Braun hasn’t been on the campaign trail in Indiana as much as the other candidates because U.S. Senate business has often kept him in Washington.
But he’s not following the Trump playbook of skipping debates against challengers. That’s no surprise to Mike Murphy, a former Marion County Republican chair and state legislator.
“He's pretty direct in his views and he’s got a lot of confidence,” Murphy said. “He’s been a U.S. senator and he’s a very wealthy guy, so why should he hide?”
Campaign officials for Braun, Crouch, Chambers, Doden and Hill have confirmed their debate participation to State Affairs. The Reitenour campaign hasn’t responded to messages seeking comment.
What’s coming up?
The flurry of debates starts with an untelevised session on March 11 sponsored by Current Publishing at The Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel.
Crouch, Chambers, Doden, Hill and Reitenour are scheduled to participate, with Braun not taking part because the Senate is scheduled to be meeting that week in Washington.
April 8 is the voter registration deadline to cast a primary ballot. Early in-person voting will start April 9 and continue on various schedules set by county election officials over the following four weeks.
The primary day is May 7, after which attention will turn to the general Election Day on Nov. 5.
What about the Democrats?
The Republican primary winner will seek to extend the party’s 20-year hold on the governor’s office.
That candidate will likely face Democratic nominee Jennifer McCormick, who was a Republican when she won election as state superintendent of public instruction in 2016.
But she broke with Statehouse Republicans over education policies, such as the use of standardized testing to rate schools and teachers, as well as her support for increased scrutiny of charter schools and the state’s private school voucher program.
Tamie Dixon-Tatum of Anderson, an unsuccessful state Senate candidate in 2022, was the only other person filing to seek the Democratic nomination for governor. The state Election Commission, however, will likely remove her from the ballot for failing to collect the required number of petition signatures.
Tom Davies is a Statehouse reporter for State Affairs Pro Indiana. Reach him at [email protected] or on X at @TomDaviesIND.
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How McCormick, Braun view abortion, taxes and other key issues
A Democrat-turned-Republican and Republican-turned-Democrat will soon face off in the race to become Indiana’s next governor.
Sen. Mike Braun, who voted as a Democrat prior to 2012, captured the Republican nomination in Tuesday’s primary. Jennifer McCormick, formerly a Republican Superintendent of Public Instruction, will represent the Democrats.
Voters will decide the state’s next chief executive in November.
A State Affairs analysis of the candidates’ campaign platforms and public statements found key differences — and a few similarities — in their planned approaches to a variety of issues impacting Hoosier voters.
Here is how they match up.
Abortion
Braun: As a senator, Braun has long supported abortion restrictions.
In 2020, he called for the Supreme Court to re-examine Roe v. Wade.
In 2023, he proposed federal legislation that would have required parental notification before any unemancipated minor could seek an abortion. He said at the time: “Hoosiers put their trust in me to stand up for the unborn, and that’s what I’ve been proud to do every day in the Senate.”
He has since signaled support for the state’s abortion ban. His platform reads: “State lawmakers must work to ensure the gains we have made to protect life are secured and strengthened.”
McCormick: In a Tuesday interview with State Affairs, McCormick said her candidacy represented a referendum on reproductive rights.
“I’m going to fight to restore those rights under any authority I can, working in a bipartisan fashion, using our committees, board and our agencies. I also know, too, what everybody’s fear is: that they’re [Republicans] not going to restore those rights and will take [restrictions] further.”
From her platform: “Indiana’s Republican-led extreme abortion ban has taken away the right of women to make deeply personal decisions regarding their own health care.”
Marijuana
Braun: At a March 26 Republican primary debate, Braun suggested an openness to legalizing medicinal marijuana.
“It’s gonna hit all of us. I’m gonna listen to law enforcement — they have to put up with the brunt of it,” he said. “Medical marijuana is where I think the case is best made that maybe something needs to change. But I’ll take my cue from law enforcement there as well. … I hear a lot of input where [medical marijuana is] helpful, and I think that you need to listen and see what makes sense.”
McCormick: The Democrat’s platform also addresses medical marijuana legalization, while speculating on possible recreational use.
“We will fight for the legalization of medical marijuana as a source of state revenue established on a well-regulated marketplace and monitored by a Cannabis Task Force in order to study the issues, opportunities and potential obstructions associated with recreational marijuana legalization.”
McCormick said she would also support expunging low-level marijuana-related convictions.
Taxes
Braun: At a March 19 National Federation of Independent Business forum, Braun said the state’s property tax system “went out of whack because it couldn’t respond to inflation like we’ve never seen before.”
“The way you finance any lower taxes would be to bank on the government being run more efficiently,” he said.
His platform also calls for government spending cuts to finance lower taxes: “Reducing the size of government is the key to cutting taxes, and Mike Braun will work through every state agency to find ways to save money while delivering high-quality services to taxpayers.”
McCormick: McCormick also spoke about taxes at the March 19 forum.
“I agree with a revamp of our taxing system,” she said. “But also it’s about not just how we’re getting our revenue, it’s about our expenditures. Yes, we need to fix our gas tax. Yes, we need to look at the income tax. But here’s the thing: There are hidden taxes we’re not having a conversation about.”
Her platform also references the possibility of combining state agencies as a way to save money.
Education
Braun: In his platform, Braun supports broadening school choice and parental rights.
“As a former school board member, Mike Braun knows parents are the primary stakeholders in their children’s education and every family, regardless of income or zip code, should be able to enroll in a school of their choice and pursue a curriculum that prepares them for a career, college or the military,” the platform reads.
Braun also pledged to ensure critical race theory and discussions about gender are banned in public schools.
McCormick: Education is one of McCormick’s primary issues, according to her platform.
She calls for the elimination of statewide testing, increased early childhood reading and child care options and a minimum base salary of $60,000 for all K-12 teachers.
McCormick also addresses the state’s school choice movement.
“We will call for a pause in the expansion of school privatization efforts while requiring fiscal and academic accountability and transparency for all of Indiana schools that receive public tax dollars,” her platform reads.
U.S.-Mexico border
Braun: Braun’s television ads have touched on border security, and his platform calls for increased focus on the area.
“Joe Biden and the left have created a humanitarian and national security crisis on our southern border,” the platform reads. “As governor, Mike will continue to support and enact the America First policies that were working. Otherwise, every town will become a border town.”
McCormick: McCormick’s border-related plans are more focused on facilitating legal immigration.
“We will work with local, state and federal officials in supporting an immigrant system that creates a safe, timely, orderly and humane pathway for those seeking legal immigration while keeping our communities and those responsible for border security safe,” her platform reads.
Contact Rory Appleton on X at @roryehappleton or email him at [email protected].
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