Braun gives last U.S. Senate speech before becoming Indiana governor
by: David Gay
Posted: Dec 11, 2024 / 03:02 PM EST
Updated: Dec 11, 2024 / 04:53 PM EST
INDIANAPOLIS — It was the “honor of [his] lifetime” to represent Indiana in the U.S. Senate. But, U.S. Senator Mike Braun, R-Ind. said he made the right choice to come home.
Braun, who was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2018, made his final speech on the Senate floor on Wednesday, as he prepares to take over as Indiana’s new Republican governor in January. Braun’s term in the U.S. Senate will end in early January 2025.
Braun won the Indiana governor’s race in November, receiving more than 56% of the vote. This comes after Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, the state’s current Republican governor, could not run for reelection based on state term limits laws.
Braun overcame five Republican candidates in May’s party primary and won the general election against Democratic challenger Jennifer McCormick and Libertarian challenger Donald Rainwater in November. Braun and Micah Beckwith, Braun’s lieutenant governor, are expected to be sworn in on Jan. 13, 2025.
During his remarks, Braun talked about the nearly 40 bills he helped pass into law, as well as the more than 13,000 constituent cases his office helped with. Braun said that during his term, the Center for Effective Lawmaking singled out his office as “the most effective on the issues of healthcare, education and agriculture.”
Braun said even though he was a first-term senator, he stressed that thinking outside the box can get a lot done in the U.S. Senate as far as legislation and constituent services go.
“You can get results if you stick your neck out,” he said.
As for the future of the U.S. Senate, Braun said he believes they need to focus on getting the national debt under control, something is impacting the American people. But ultimately, Braun said the innovation is happening within the states.
“The states are where the innovation is going to come from in the next decade, and I’m so excited to lead that charge in the great state of Indiana,” he said.
To end his remarks, Braun said he is “honored beyond belief” that Hoosiers elected him as the next governor.
“It’s a truly incredible state filled with the most goodhearted, hardworking people in the world,” Braun said in prepared remarks provided to FOX59/CBS4. “It was my honor to serve them here in this body, and I can’t wait to continue the adventure back home again in Indiana.”
In a statement from U.S. Senator Todd Young, R-Ind., he said that the U.S. Senate’s loss is Indiana’s gain.
“You have certainly served with distinction here, but I know you’ve always prided yourself – appropriately so – on your executive responsibilities and achievements over the years, and now the people of Indiana will benefit from a different type of service and we’re all very much looking forward to seeing what is next,” Young said in a statement about Braun.
For more information on Braun’s inauguration ceremony in January, click here.
