Mike Braun Wins Indiana Governor鈥檚 Race Against Career Educator

This article is part of 四虎影院鈥檚 EDlection 2024 coverage, which takes a look at candidates鈥� education policies and how they might impact the American education system after the 2024 election.

Sen. Mike Braun and his self-proclaimed Christian nationalist running mate easily defeated former state schools chief Jennifer McCormick in the Indiana governor鈥檚 race Tuesday.

McCormick, a Democrat and career educator who pledged to focus on school funding and academic freedom, lost by a wide margin 鈥� 鈥� with 92% of precincts reporting.

Braun, 70, will succeed Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb, who was unable to run again because of term limits.

A former school board member who cited faith, family and community as his central concerns, Braun said Tuesday that serving in government is far easier than running a business, as he had for decades: He was founder and CEO of Meyer Distributing, an auto parts and equipment company he built in his hometown of Jasper.

鈥淚n government, you just have to be smart enough to not spend more than you take in,鈥� he told supporters.

Braun served as a state representative from 2014 to 2017. He resigned in November 2017 to concentrate on his run for U.S. Senate.

His multi-point plan for education focused on expanding the state鈥檚 popular school voucher program, which grew to encompass more than 鈥� a 31% increase from the year before.

Braun is also a staunch supporter of parents鈥� rights and has, in the past, . He said parents should be informed if their child seeks to use a different name or pronouns and that transgender girls 鈥� whom he calls biological males 鈥� should not compete in girls鈥� sports.

His new lieutenant governor, pastor Micah Beckwith, co-hosts a podcast called “Jesus, Sex and Politics.” He raised ire when he said in 2021 that God had . Beckwith wasn鈥檛 Braun鈥檚 first choice: Indiana鈥檚 GOP delegates chose him in a stunning vote at the party鈥檚 convention in June, rejecting Braun鈥檚 pick, first-term .

Despite the shakeup, the pair trounced McCormick and running mate , a former school superintendent and state representative.

Among his many pledges, Braun has vowed to create an Indiana Office of School Safety to streamline several departments and implement age-appropriate cyber safety training for students.

He also said the state should limit cellphone use in schools and favors curtailing some speech in classrooms.

鈥淲e need to protect our children by making sure divisive theories like [critical race theory] or discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity have no place in our public schools,鈥� his campaign website said.

Braun also wants to increase the base salaries for Indiana鈥檚 public school teachers and financially reward educators whose students perform well.

Indiana has not elected since 2000. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump won the state handily over Democrat Kamala Harris 58.9% to 39.4%.

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Jo Napolitano is a senior reporter at 四虎影院.

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                <h2>Mike Braun Wins Indiana Governor鈥檚 Race Against Career Educator</h2>

                <h2>Senator and his running mate vow to guarantee universal school choice for all Hoosier families, expanding an already popular program</h2>

                <p class="sans">By <a rel="author" href="/contributor/jo-napolitano/">Jo Napolitano</a></p>

                <img src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/mike-braun-indiana-governor-2024.jpg">

                <p>This story first appeared at <a href="/">四虎影院</a>, a nonprofit news site covering education. <a href="/about/newsletters/?utm_source=republish-button&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=republish">Sign up for free newsletters from 四虎影院</a> to get more like this in your inbox.</p>
                
<p>Sen. Mike Braun and his self-proclaimed Christian nationalist running mate easily defeated former state schools chief Jennifer McCormick in the Indiana governor鈥檚 race Tuesday. </p>



<p>McCormick, a Democrat and career educator who pledged to focus on school funding and academic freedom, lost by a wide margin 鈥�  鈥� with 92% of precincts reporting. </p>



<p>Braun, 70, will succeed Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb, who was unable to run again because of term limits. </p>







<p>A former school board member who cited faith, family and community as his central concerns, Braun said Tuesday that serving in government is far easier than running a business, as he had for decades: He was founder and CEO of Meyer Distributing, an auto parts and equipment company he built in his hometown of Jasper. </p>



<p>鈥淚n government, you just have to be smart enough to not spend more than you take in,鈥� he told supporters. </p>



<p>Braun served as a state representative from 2014 to 2017. He resigned in November 2017 to concentrate on his run for U.S. Senate. </p>



<p>His multi-point plan for education focused on expanding the state鈥檚 popular school voucher program, which grew to encompass more than  鈥� a 31% increase from the year before.</p>



<aside class="inline_story shortcode simple"><a href="/article/indiana-governors-race-school-choice-and-parents-rights-vs-academic-freedom/"><figure style="background-image: url(/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/indiana-governor-race-indiana-Jennifer-McCormick-braun.jpg);"></figure><div><span class="sans related_tag">Related</span><h4 class="sans">Indiana Governor鈥檚 Race: School Choice and Parents鈥� Rights vs. Academic Freedom</h4></div></a></aside>



<p>Braun is also a staunch supporter of parents鈥� rights and has, in the past, . He said parents should be informed if their child seeks to use a different name or pronouns and that transgender girls 鈥� whom he calls biological males 鈥� should not compete in girls鈥� sports. </p>



<p>His new lieutenant governor, pastor Micah Beckwith, co-hosts a podcast called “Jesus, Sex and Politics.” He raised ire when he said in 2021 that God had . Beckwith wasn鈥檛 Braun鈥檚 first choice: Indiana鈥檚 GOP delegates chose him in a stunning vote at the party鈥檚 convention in June, rejecting Braun鈥檚 pick, first-term . </p>



<p>Despite the shakeup, the pair trounced McCormick and running mate , a former school superintendent and state representative. </p>



<p>Among his many pledges, Braun has vowed to create an Indiana Office of School Safety to streamline several departments and implement age-appropriate cyber safety training for students. </p>



<p>He also said the state should limit cellphone use in schools and favors curtailing some speech in classrooms.  </p>



<p>鈥淲e need to protect our children by making sure divisive theories like [critical race theory] or discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity have no place in our public schools,鈥� his campaign website said. </p>



<p>Braun also wants to increase the base salaries for Indiana鈥檚 public school teachers and financially reward educators whose students perform well. </p>



<p>Indiana has not elected  since 2000. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump won the state handily over Democrat Kamala Harris 58.9% to 39.4%. </p>

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