A right-wing candidate is throwing a wrench into Indiana’s governor’s race

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Republican U.S. Sen. Mike Braun’s bid to become governor of Indiana seemed simple enough until he got…

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Republican US Senator Mike Braun The bid to become governor of Indiana seemed simple enough until he got the candidate he didn’t want: a pastor and self-proclaimed Christian nationalist who made his way onto the ballot next month.

Micah Beckwitha podcaster from the Indianapolis suburb of Noblesville, where he leads Life Church, has secured enough delegate support to upset the lieutenant governor’s nominating process at this year’s state GOP convention and become Braun’s running mate. His brand of conservatism complicated the race by forcing Braun to debate Beckwith’s views.

The turnout among running mates and a slew of negative ads gave an unexpected boost to Democratic candidates Jennifer McCormick and Terry Goodin, the overwhelming upsets in a state that hasn’t elected a Democrat to state office since 2012. Dynamics on the Republican ticket plus strong Democratic campaigns led prognosticators to assume that both seats would remain Republican.

“The race is more competitive relative to expectations,” said Greg Shufeldt, a political science professor at the University of Indianapolis.

Who is Micah Beckwith?

Typically, gubernatorial candidates select who they want as their running mates and rely on party delegates to present their picks during party conventions. But Beckwith began courting delegates more than a year in advance and pulled out a major upset at the GOP convention in June. Delegates blessed her nomination and rejected Julie McGuire, a freshman state representative chosen by Braun, even after Braun helped her get Donald Trump’s endorsement.

Beckwith, who did not respond to multiple requests for comment, has used his social media platform to air views that have stirred up trouble. In addition to declaring that God sent the people who rioted at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, he was criticized last month for saying that his Democratic opponents have a ” The spirit of Jezebel.”

Braun spent the last few weeks dealing with the aftermath.

At a debate earlier this month between McCormick and Braun, she pressed Braun to apologize for the “Jezebel spirit” comment from his running mate.

“I don’t like that,” Braun replied. “You don’t see that in me, and he was pretty good at avoiding it.”

Earlier this month, Beckwith was spotted on video at a local Republican Party meeting, saying he would fire any employee in his office or the agencies he oversees who lists his first name in emails. The story was first reported by Lawyeran LGBTQ+ publication, and the video was uploaded by The Bloomingtonian.

“If you think that men can be women and women can be men and that pronouns are necessary when we talk to each other, you don’t even understand the basics of reality,” Beckwith said.

Braun denounced the statement, saying he would hire and fire employees based “solely on their merit and commitment to providing efficient and effective state government to make life better and more affordable for Hoosiers, period.”

The lieutenant governor is first in the line of succession under Indiana law. Lieutenant governors oversee four state agencies but have no real legislative power. These limitations didn’t stop Beckwith from delving into topics he probably wouldn’t encounter at work.

Mike Murphy, a former Republican congressman and political commentator, said Beckwith represents the social conservative side of the party.

“I would say that Micah Beckwith is a product and a symbol of a lot of turmoil in the Indiana Republican Party,” Murphy said.

Braun, who ran an auto parts distribution company and ran campaigns aligned with Trump, may be able to unite business-oriented Republicans and social conservatives, Murphy said.

In an interview, Braun said all campaigns have ups and downs. He believes turnout for Trump will have a positive impact following the vote.

“When I ran for the Senate six years ago — we’re in better shape now than we were then,” he said.

Who do Braun and Beckwith face?

Braun, a one-term senator, has represented Indiana in Congress since 2018. His campaign focused on high health care costs and property taxes, as well as criticism of the federal government’s southern border policy.

Braun easily earned a five government primaries in May with almost 40% of the votes.

But that means 60 percent of the state’s primary voters did not support him. McCormick and Libertarian Donald Rainwater are looking to unstick some of those Republican voters.

McCormick cited Beckwith’s views in labeling the GOP ticket as extremist. She built her appeal to moderate voters around restoring abortion rights in a state that enacted an almost total ban in 2022.

The candidates themselves reflect some recent changes in Indiana politics. Braun voted as a Democrat until 2012; McCormick switched parties in 2021 after breaking up with republicans on education policy when he was a state school principal. A new ad released Monday features a Republican man pledging to support her.

“We have tremendous momentum, and that momentum is really Republicans, Democrats and independents,” McCormick said in an interview.

Indiana doesn’t allow citizen-driven ballot initiatives like those in other red-leaning states that do abortion on the ballot this year. Even if McCormick defies the odds, Republicans hold a supermajority in both houses of the legislature, and overturning the state’s ban would be difficult, if not impossible.

But the response from the Braun campaign shows he doesn’t assume he will win. Earlier this month, Braun ran an ad attacking McCormick as a liberal, linking her to Hillary Clinton and President Joe Biden. The ad drew attention for both its negativity in what was supposed to be an easy race for Braun and its use of a fake image.

The ad claims McCormick claimed banning gas stovesan idea that became a flashpoint in the culture war in 2023. It featured an image that was manipulated to show people standing behind McCormick holding signs that read “no gas stoves.” It was a digitally altered version of a photo taken by a South Bend Tribune journalist in May 2023.

Indiana lawmakers passed a law this year banning the use of artificial intelligence in election materials without a disclaimer. Braun’s campaign said the ad was mistakenly given to TV stations.

Rainwater, the libertarian candidate who is running again, worried the state Republican Party, sending an email criticizing him, according to Indiana Capitol Chronicle. He won 11.4 percent of the vote when he ran for governor in 2020 after pandemic shutdowns angered Indiana voters. A similar presence for him could siphon votes away from Braun.

“I think people are very unhappy with the status quo from both federal and state and even local government,” Rainwater said in an interview.

Braun has outspent McCormick in advertising, spending more than $13 million on ads this year, which includes the GOP primary’s time frame, according to data from AdImpact, which tracks campaign spending. It has spent more than three times what McCormick has on advertising.

According to campaign finance reports, Braun raised nearly $4.87 million from July through September. McCormick has lagged behind, but has made year-to-date gains, raising more than $2 million over the same period.

McCormick received $1.65 million from the Democratic Governor’s Association in October, according to campaign finance reports. This is the first significant investment in an Indiana governor’s race since 2016, when Mike Pence resigned to run for vice president.

The Republican Governor’s Association quickly responded, giving Braun $1.5 million this month — a clear sign that the race has their attention.

Shufeldt, the IU-Indianapolis professor, said the DGA money could help Democrats rebuild in Indiana, even if McCormick won’t be out of trouble, and “could pay dividends down the road.”

Volmert reported from Lansing, Michigan.