Indiana Sen. Mike Braun will become the state’s next governor after outdueling Democratic challenger Jennifer McCormick, NBC News projects.
Braun, who opted to run to replace incumbent Gov. Eric Holcomb in the 2024 election, also defeated Libertarian nominee Donald Rainwater to win election to the governor’s mansion. He and his running mate Micah Beckwith will be sworn in early January.
The senator, a Jasper native, was elected to the Senate in 2018, defeating incumbent Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly. According to his campaign website, he helped push nearly three dozen pieces of legislation into law during his term in the Senate, and he touted his conservative credentials throughout the campaign, earning endorsements from Americans for Prosperity and CPAC.
Braun was criticized for his refusal to acknowledge former President Donald Trump’s defeat in the 2020 election, having promised to vote against certification of that election prior to the Jan. 6 riots, after which he dropped his objections.
He also has been subject of criticism for his support of Indiana’s near-total ban on abortion, with McCormick pushing him hard on the issue.
The former superintendent of public instruction in the state, McCormick opted to run as a Democrat for governor in the 2024 election. She switched parties largely because of her support of access to reproductive care, and also pushed hard for increased investment in public education and support of workers to unionize during the election cycle.
The two candidates were both vying to replace Holcomb, who was term-limited after serving two terms in the governor’s mansion.
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