Right-wing candidate down ballot disrupts Indiana governor’s race

INDIANAPOLIS — Republican U.S. Sen. Mike Braun’s bid for governor of Indiana seemed simple enough until he got a vice presidential candidate he didn’t want: a pastor and self-described Christian nationalist who managed to make his way onto the ballot next month.

Micah Beckwith, a podcaster from Noblesville, a suburb of Indianapolis where he leads the Church of Life, has secured enough delegate support to flip the lieutenant governor nomination process at this year’s state GOP convention and become Brown’s running mate. His conservatism complicated the race, forcing Brown to debate Beckwith’s views.

Controversy between the vice presidential candidates and a series of negative ads gave an unexpected boost to Democratic candidates Jennifer McCormick and Terry Goodin, overwhelming outsiders in a state that hasn’t elected a Democrat to statewide office since 2012. The dynamics of the Republican ticket plus active Democratic campaigning have forecasters hedging their bets that both seats will remain Republican.

“The race is more competitive than expected,” said Greg Shufeldt, a political science professor at the University of Indianapolis.

Who is Micah Beckwith?

Typically, gubernatorial candidates choose who they want as their vice presidential candidate and rely on party delegates to announce their choice during party conventions. But Beckwith had begun wooing delegates the year before and greatly upset the GOP convention in June. Delegates blessed his candidacy and rejected Julie McGuire, Brown’s freshman state representative, even after Brown helped her secure Donald Trump’s endorsement.

Beckwith, who did not respond to multiple requests for comment, has used his social media platform to voice opinions that have caused trouble. In addition to claiming that God sent the men who rioted at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, he was criticized last month for saying his Democratic opponents had a “Jezebel spirit.”

Brown has spent recent weeks dealing with the fallout.

During a debate between McCormick and Brown earlier this month, she demanded Brown apologize for a “Jezebel spirit” comment his running mate made.

“I don’t like it,” Brown responded. “You don’t see that in me, and he’s pretty good at avoiding that.”

Earlier this month, Beckwith was seen on video at a local GOP meeting where he said he would fire any employee in his office or at the agencies he oversees who listed their pronouns in emails. The story was first reported by the Advocate, an LGBTQ+ publication, and the video was posted by The Bloomingtonian.

“If you think that men can be women and women can be men and that we need pronouns when we talk to each other, you don’t even understand the basics of reality,” Beckwith said.

Brown denounced the statement, saying he would hire and fire employees based “solely on merit and a commitment to running the state efficiently and effectively to make life better and more affordable for Hoosiers, period.”

The Lieutenant Governor is first in line of succession under the laws of the State of Indiana. Lieutenant governors control four state agencies but have no real legislative power. These restrictions haven’t stopped Beckwith from tackling topics he probably wouldn’t encounter on the job.

Mike Murphy, a former Republican state legislator and political commentator, said Beckwith represents the socially conservative side of the party.

“I would say Micah Beckwith is a product and symbol of a lot of excitement in the Indiana Republican Party,” Murphy said.

Murphy said Brown, who ran an auto parts distribution company and campaigned for Trump, may be able to unite business-minded Republicans and social conservatives.

In an interview, Brown said every campaign has its ups and downs. He believes that voter turnout in support of Trump will have a positive impact on the vote.

“When I ran for Senate six years ago, we are in better shape now than we were then,” he said.

Who are Brown and Beckwith competing against?

Brown, a one-term senator, has represented Indiana in Congress since 2018. His campaign has focused on high health care costs and property taxes and criticism of the federal government’s policies at the southern border.

In May, Brown easily won a five-way gubernatorial primary with nearly 40% of the vote.

But that means 60% of the state’s primary voters didn’t support him. McCormick and Libertarian Donald Rainwater are aiming to take away some Republican voters.

McCormick cited Beckwith’s views, calling the GOP ticket extremist. She built her appeal to moderate voters on restoring abortion rights in a state that enacted a near-total ban in 2022.

The candidates themselves reflect some of the recent shifts in Indiana politics. Brown voted as a Democrat until 2012; McCormick switched parties in 2021 after breaking with Republicans over education policy when she was a public school superintendent. The new ad, released Monday, features a Republican pledging to support her.

“We have great momentum, and that momentum really belongs to Republicans, Democrats and independents,” McCormick said in an interview.

Indiana does not allow citizen-led ballot initiatives like other red-leaning states that have abortion on the ballot this year. Even if McCormick beats the odds, Republicans have supermajorities in both chambers of the Legislature and repealing the state’s ban will be difficult, if not impossible.

But Brown’s campaign response shows he doesn’t expect to win. Earlier this month, Brown aired an ad attacking McCormick as a liberal and linking her to Hillary Clinton and President Joe Biden. The ad attracted attention both for its negative attitude towards a race that was supposed to be easy for Brown and for its use of a doctored image.

The ad claims McCormick supported banning gas stoves, an idea that has become a culture war flashpoint in 2023. The ad showed an image that was altered to show people standing behind McCormick holding signs that read “No Gas Stoves.” This was a digitally altered version. photograph taken by a South Bend Tribune journalist in May 2023.

Indiana lawmakers this year passed a law banning the use of artificial intelligence in election materials without qualifications. Brown’s campaign says the ad was mistakenly given to TV networks.

According to the Indiana Capitol Chronicle, Rainwater, a Libertarian candidate who is running again, has so worried the state Republican Party that they sent out a letter criticizing him. He won 11.4% of the vote when he ran for governor in 2020 after pandemic lockdowns angered Indiana voters. A similar turnout in his favor could take votes away from Brown.

“I think people are very unhappy with the status quo from both the federal and state governments and local governments,” Rainwater said in an interview.

Brown has outspent McCormick in advertising overall, spending more than $13 million on ads this year, including the GOP primary period, according to AdImpact, which tracks campaign spending. He spent more than three times as much on advertising as McCormick.

From July to September, Brown raised nearly $4.87 million, according to campaign finance reports. McCormick lagged behind but has made strides since the start of the year, raising more than $2 million during the same period.

McCormick received $1.65 million from the Democratic Governors Association in October, according to campaign finance reports. It’s the first significant investment in Indiana’s governor’s race since 2016, when Mike Pence resigned to run for vice president.

The Republican Governors Association responded quickly, giving Brown $1.5 million this month — a clear sign that the race has their attention.

Shufeldt, the University of Indianapolis professor, said the DGA money could help Democrats rebuild Indiana even if McCormick fails and “could pay dividends in the future.”

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Volmert reported from Lansing, Michigan.