by: David Gay Posted: Nov 6, 2024 / 11:44 AM EST
INDIANAPOLIS — “I’m in it to actually get some things done.”
That’s the message that was given by U.S. Senator Mike Braun, R-Ind., Indiana’s governor-elect on Wednesday after Tuesday’s election results. According to projected results from the Associated Press, Braun received nearly 55% of the vote in Tuesday’s election.
Braun’s Democratic challenger, Jennifer McCormick, the state’s former superintendent of public instruction, received almost 41% of the vote while Donald Rainwater, the Libertarian gubernatorial candidate, received around 4.6% of the vote.
According to previous reports, Braun first announced his run for governor in December 2022. Since then, Braun overcame a crowded Republican primary to be named the nominee.
Since then, Braun, and Micah Beckwith, his lieutenant governor, advocated for several issues throughout the campaign, including public safety, inflation, education and agriculture.
In a news conference with members of the media on Wednesday afternoon, Braun said he sees being the state’s governor as a “platter of opportunity,” focusing on issues including healthcare reform, education investment, as well as investment in rural broadband and affordable housing.
Braun’s goal is to focus on these “kitchen-table” issues in an entrepreneurial way, while approaching them with fiscal responsibility.
As Indiana’s governor, Braun said he will bring his collective experience in public service, from his school board and state legislature experience to his six years in the U.S. Senate, and pair it with his business experience.
When asked about Beckwith’s role in the administration, Braun said that Beckwith’s addition was beneficial in helping unify the Republican Party, bringing with him the passion of the conservative movement.
Braun said Beckwith will have input as the state’s lieutenant governor, but stressed that he will have his own duties. Braun emphasized that he himself will be the one setting the overall agenda for the state, with the public’s help.
Braun spent some time talking about reforming health care in the state of Indiana. While he said it has some political risk to it, it’s an issue where the state of Indiana can perform better in. Braun specifically highlighted Indiana’s “shameful” infant and maternal mortality rates.
“Those percentages are shameful. Our general health as a state and the cost of it is something that if we get that correct, that will singly be better than what we’ve done collectively over many generations of past governors,” Braun said.
At the end of the day, Braun said that social issues are ones that create division and change over time. Freedom and opportunity issues, along with the kitchen table issues, are the ones that are important to prioritize. which he cited as one of the reasons he was victorious on Tuesday.
Braun said he would face those issues without borrowing money that would impact future Hoosier generations.
“I’ve been clear. I’ve laid out seven or eight particular things,” he said. “Everyone will have an opinion on the issues that divide us… Everyone should be interested in making sure that we are spending our education dollars correctly, or we have our healthcare done correctly.
“There’s plenty of stuff to get busy with,” Braun said. ”I’m going to be focusing on what I bring to the table, experience, problem-solving and making Hoosiers’ lives better across the board.”
Braun’s transition team announced
On Wednesday, Braun also announced his transition and inaugural leadership team. This team will lead Braun’s transition from candidate to governor early next year. Braun will be taking over the position from current Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, who was unable to run for reelection because of state term limits laws.
The transition team and inaugural committee will focus on key priorities, according to a news release from Braun’s team, as well as policy development, agency reviews and the planning of inaugural events and celebrations.
“I think whoever we have on the transition team will be people who understand that it’s going to be my vision of being an entrepreneurial governor that’s going to be conservative on the financial side, but very entrepreneurial on the problem-fixing side,” Braun said. “And when it comes to how I’ve run my business or my Senate office, it’s going to be the same thing.”
Victor Smith, a partner in the business services and governmental services groups at Bose McKinney & Evans LLP and a principal of Bose Public Affairs, will lead Braun’s transition team. The release said that Smith previously served as the Indiana Secretary of Commerce under former Indiana Gov. Mike Pence.
Joshua Kelley, Braun’s chief of staff in the United States Senate, will serve as the transition director, according to the release. Anne Hathaway, the chairwoman of the 2024 Republican National Convention, will serve as the chairwoman of the inaugural committee while Emily Daniels Spaulding will serve as the inaugural director.
The vice chairs of Braun’s transition team also include:
- Betsy Wiley, president and CEO of Hoosiers for Quality Education, and the former chief of staff for Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels.
- Jim Bopp, a Terre Haute-based attorney
- Ryan Kitchell, chairman of the Governor’s workforce cabinet under Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb and the former director of the Indiana Office of Management and Budget under Gov. Daniels.
- James Purucker, president of John Frick & Associates
- Brad Rateike, former deputy press secretary for Gov. Daniels and former director of cabinet communications for former President Donald J. Trump.
- Randy Head, a Logansport-based former state senator, attorney and current chairman of the Indiana State Republican Committee.
- Matt Bell, a former state representative from Fort Wayne
- Dan Dumezich, a former state representative from Northwest Indiana and retired partner and tax attorney
“Now is the time when the real work begins, where we can show Hoosiers the type of stewards we will be with all the trust placed in us,” Braun said in the release. “I am honored to have assembled such an exceptional team of individuals who bring a wealth of experience, expertise, and a shared commitment to serving the people of Indiana.”
