In a state as solidly Republican as Indiana, the May primary is the real contest.
With four months remaining, five candidates are still vying for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in an unusually crowded field. Annual campaign finance reports filed Wednesday reflect a multimillion-dollar campaign that has become a race to see who can outperform conservatives in the primary in a state with historically low voter turnout. There is.
Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb, who served two terms, cannot run for re-election due to term limits. Indiana's primary election is May 7th.
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“Indiana is not used to seeing competitive primaries,” said Gregory Shufelt, a political science professor at the University of Indianapolis.
Shufelt said the crowded field could be the result of an interest in the role of state government rather than a career in Congress, which has stalled in recent years. First-term U.S. Sen. Mike Braun's decision to enter the gubernatorial race will open up a seat that many predict will be easily filled by Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Banks.
Brown's close allegiance to former President Donald Trump helped fuel his 2018 Senate victory and raised his profile across the state. Mr. Brown finished 2023 with a healthy $4 million in the bank, according to his financial reports, and he has Mr. Trump's support this year as well.
On December 12, 2022, in Indianapolis, Republican Senator Brown announced his candidacy for the 2024 Indiana gubernatorial election. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)
Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch enjoys a similar profile, but her ambitious plan to eliminate the state income tax has been one of the most divisive issues of the campaign so far. The “tax ax” has been criticized to some extent by other candidates as unrealistic and premature.
Mr. Holcomb has not endorsed any successor, including Mr. Crouch. And Mr. Crouch rarely calls out Mr. Holcomb, whose popularity has been hit by some coronavirus restrictions, including a statewide mask mandate. Rather, Crouch focuses on mental health and addiction services, relying on his record of service throughout the state and county.
Her campaign reportedly ended in 2023 with $3.7 million in the bank.
Shufelt called Crouch's politics “pragmatic” conservative, similar to Indiana's past two governors.
“It's a battle between conservatives, very conservatives, and very conservatives,” he said of the race.
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Embattled former attorney general Curtis Hill appealed to Trump conservatives in his campaign comments.
Hill lost the Republican nomination for re-election in 2020 after he was accused of groping four women while drunk at a party. Although he denied the charges, the Indiana Supreme Court found “clear and convincing evidence that (Mr. Hill) committed criminal acts of assault” against three female elected officials and one state representative. He was found guilty and his license was suspended.
He and Brown have been the most vocal on national election issues, such as immigration and border security.
Shufelt said Holcomb and former Gov. Mitchell Daniels, who served for two terms with former Vice President Mike Pence, generally avoided delving into “cultural issues” and focused on school incentives and economic development. Ta.
“I think cultural issues will probably come to the fore more with Brown and Hill as governor,” he said.
But Mr. Hill ended the year millions of dollars behind his competitors, reporting about $123,000 in cash on hand.
Other Republican candidates, Brad Chambers and Eric Dowden, have similar resumes. Both men lead the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, a quasi-governmental agency, and have focused their campaigns on Indiana's economic future.
Dowden's Main Street Initiative, which focuses on reviving and sustaining the economy of Indiana's small towns, is the backbone of his campaign. Mr. Chambers has repeatedly touted Indiana's economic growth during his recent tenure as Commerce Secretary. Both send messages in the direction of supporting law enforcement.
Chambers, who last raced in August, has raised more than $8.5 million in 2023 and donated $5 million himself. Records show he had $2.91 million in the bank at the end of the year.
Dowden put his name in the ring as early as 2021 and reported having more than $1 million in cash on hand at the end of 2023. Doden's campaign has announced that it has raised $5 million so far.
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Laura Wilson, a political science professor at the University of Indianapolis, said the race is expected to be the most expensive for the president's office in Indiana history, but turnout is unlikely to increase. Indiana has historically had low voter turnout. 24% of registered voters voted in the 2020 primary. Fundraising may be the most important thing for Mr. Dowden and Mr. Chambers, who lack name recognition compared to other candidates.
On the Democratic side, former Indiana school superintendent Jennifer McCormick has an ambitious plan to flip the state's top job. McCormick split from the Republican Party over his education policies and changed his party affiliation after his term expired in early 2021. Liberal Donald Rainwater and Republican Jamie Lightner are also campaigning.
Wilson predicted the campaign would soon turn to more political topics, such as abortion and support for Trump.
“Unfortunately for some voters, I think this campaign is going to take a backseat because all the attention will be on the president nationally,” Wilson said.
