© 2025. The Trustees of Indiana University
Copyright Complaints
1229 East Seventh Street, Bloomington, Indiana 47405
News, Arts and Culture from WFIU Public Radio and WTIU Public Television
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Some web content from Indiana Public Media is unavailable during our transition to a new web publishing platform. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Indiana gubernatorial candidates meet in debates this week, with libertarian partially excluded

From left to right, Republican Mike Braun, Libertarian Donald Rainwater and Democrat Jennifer McCormick combined to spend more than $5 million in Indiana's gubernatorial race from July through September.
From left to right, Republican Mike Braun, Libertarian Donald Rainwater and Democrat Jennifer McCormick combined to spend more than $5 million in Indiana's gubernatorial race from July through September.

Indiana voters will get the chance to view two gubernatorial debates this week, Wednesday and Thursday evening.

Both of this week’s debates are on commercial television stations. The first, hosted by Fox59-CBS4 in Indianapolis, will only feature Republican Mike Braun and Democrat Jennifer McCormick. Nexstar, which owns the stations, uses a polling requirement for candidates to participate in debates, one it said Libertarian Donald Rainwater has not met.

Rainwater will be on stage alongside Braun and McCormick in the second debate, hosted by Indianapolis station WISH-TV. Both debates will be broadcast around the state on station affiliates.

READ MORE: What do I need on Election Day? The general election is Nov. 5

Join the conversation and sign up for the Indiana Two-Way. Text "Indiana" to 765-275-1120. Your comments and questions in response to our weekly text help us find the answers you need on statewide issues and the election, including our project  Civically, Indiana .

The three candidates will meet for a third debate later this month, Oct. 24, hosted by the nonpartisan Indiana Debate Commission.

Members of the public can submit questions for that debate on the commission’s website,  IndianaDebateCommission.com.

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at  bsmith@ipbs.org  or follow him on Twitter at  @brandonjsmith5 .

Brandon J. Smith has previously worked as a reporter and anchor for KBIA Radio in Columbia, MO. Prior to that, he worked for WSPY Radio in Plano, IL as a show host, reporter, producer and anchor. His first job in radio was in another state capitol, in Jefferson City, as a reporter for three radio stations around Missouri. Brandon graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor of Journalism in 2010, with minors in political science and history. He was born and raised in Chicago.