U.S. Sen. Mike Braun, a conservative Republican, still has a lead in the state’s gubernatorial race, but his lead among Indiana voters over Democrat Jennifer McCormick has narrowed in recent weeks.
Polls released this week by the Democratic Governors Association show Braun leading McCormick by just three points, 44% to 41%. That’s down from the September 17 results of an Emerson College Polling/The Hill voter survey, in which Braun received about 45% of the vote and McCormick 34. Libertarian candidate Donald Rainwater also received more support, but less dramatically, ranging from 5.8% to 8%.
Indiana has not elected a Democratic governor since 2000, and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has a comfortable lead of 14 percentage points, 57% to 43%, over Democrat Kamala Harris, according to an ActiVote poll released Tuesday.
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If elected to succeed Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb, Braun and his running mate, pastor, podcaster and far-right Christian nationalist Micah Beckwith, have promised universal school choice for every family in Indiana while focusing on parental rights and school safety.
McCormick, a career educator, was the last person elected superintendent of public instruction before it became an appointed position in 2021. She seeks to expand affordable child care, fight what she says is excessive state-mandated testing and call for an equitable school funding formula.
She also wants to put limits on the state’s private school voucher initiative: The program grew to serve more than 70,000 children in 2023-2024, a 31% increase from the previous year. The state awarded $439 million in tuition grants to private parochial or non-religious schools last year — up from nearly $312 million the year before.
McCormick said the program, which may have been aimed at lower-income children, is often used by white suburban families and is too expensive.
“We can’t afford it,” she told The 74, “and it’s sucking resources out of our traditional schools.”
Braun, 70, wants to expand school choice by eliminating the $220,000 annual household income cap from the voucher program, known as the Choice Scholarship Program, and doubling the $10 million allocated to the state’s Education Scholarship Account Program. The program, which is also seeing dramatic growth in participation, provides special education students and their siblings with funding for tuition and support services.
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Braun did not make himself available for an interview and attempts to reach various supporters were unsuccessful.
“School choice programs put parents in the driver’s seat, allowing them to choose schools that prioritize the needs of their children,” he states in his education plan. “Providing universal school choice will ensure that every Hoosier family has the same freedom to choose the best-suited education.”
Braun, a former school board member, also wants to create an Indiana Office of School Safety to streamline the efforts of various departments, including the state police, and implement age-appropriate cyber training for students regarding online safety. He also said the state should limit cell phone use on campus.
Braun wants to increase the base pay of Indiana teachers – and financially reward teachers whose students perform well.
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Keith Gambill, president of the Indiana State Teachers Association, said his group supported McCormick, 54, because of her commitment to funding traditional public schools.
He noted that she did not have the group’s support when she initially ran for the state auditor’s office as a Republican. But, Gambill said, after fulfilling the role and understanding the state’s educational needs, she changed parties and her values became more aligned with those of the union.
“She really stood up to the members of – at the time – her own party in pursuit of what was best for our schools,” he said, speaking of her time in office. “And as soon as they were challenged, of course they didn’t like it. She realized that if she wanted to make a difference in public education, she would have to go in a different direction.”
McCormick is targeting a minimum base salary of $60,000 for K-12 teachers, and adjusting salaries of experienced teachers to reflect their non-teacher peers. She wants to expand academic freedom, secure university tenure and protect the ability of teachers unions to collectively bargain over wages and benefits.
Her running mate, Terry Goodin, a former state representative, was a teacher, assistant principal and public school superintendent at Crothersville Community Schools.
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Braun said in his education plan that he wants schools to notify parents of their child’s request to change their name or use different pronouns on campus. He has denounced gender-affirming surgeries for minors and opposes transgender students playing on girls’ sports teams. Braun has the backing of Americans for Prosperity and CPAC – and maintains high ratings from the NRA.
Braun was endorsed by Trump in 2023 and won his party’s nomination for governor in May after defeating a crowded field of Republican candidates. He acknowledged last month, according to Axios, that Harris’ presence at the top of the presidential race was complicating presidential elections, including his own.
“I think that has had an impact,” he said, “but I’m going to plow through that because this is a lot of kitchen table issues when you’re running for governor.”
