With 2026 already underway, there are a few faces we are watching in state government. Will Indiana’s Senate Republican leader face pushback from his own caucus? Will Democrats break through in a statewide race?
Here are five Hoosier politicos who could have an interesting year:
Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray: The leader of the Senate has taken national heat for his role in the defeat of the redistricting bill. When the president of the United States is taking your name in vain, it’s not a great day. So, the question is what happens next? He isn’t up for re-election until 2028, so the primary threats are mitigated in his case. But does he still control his fractured caucus? Theoretically anyone could challenge him for his leadership post but if the redistricting vote is an indicator, Bray has the necessary support to remain. A bigger concern is his relationship with Gov. Mike Braun and House Speaker Todd Huston — both big supporters of the map redraw.
Braun has been especially upset that the Senate, at least initially, ignored his special session call. Bray reversed course and the public vote was a bit embarrassing for Braun given that Republicans have a supermajority in both legislative chambers. If Braun wants his legislative agenda to move, he will have to temper that anger. Meanwhile, Bray and Huston work closely on virtually every topic going through the General Assembly and must maintain that relationship to get past intraparty squabbles.
Speaking of Braun, he is our next person to watch. And he needs some solid wins.
In 2025, he did secure some property tax relief for Hoosiers — up to $300 for many — but the final product was far afield from his original proposal. And we all know how redistricting went.
So, what can we expect from Braun in 2026? It’s a little unclear. His office hasn’t unveiled a specific legislative agenda even as the session resumes. And it’s ending in late February, meaning there isn’t much time to get substantive proposals done.
Braun told the Indiana Capital Chronicle he wants to focus on health care costs but didn’t give any examples of how that would occur. Lawmakers have been working on health care for several years and have a bit of fatigue on the topic.
The governor will likely face an interstate tolling debate in 2026 as the state looks for more revenue to maintain and upgrade highways. One area he is poised for big wins is on the utility front. But only if the new regulators he has named to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission come through — blocking rate hikes and generally tapping the brakes on utility profits.
For the first time in a decade, Hoosiers will see the Bayh name back on a statewide ballot. But it’s not Evan Bayh — Indiana’s former governor and U.S. senator. Instead, it’s his son Beau Bayh, a lawyer and Marine Corps captain running for secretary of state.
The 30-year-old Democrat has been on the campaign trail for months, meeting with potential voters in diners and gyms around the state. And he’s been raising money — lots of it. Since he formally launched his campaign in October, he has already raised over $1 million in large donations.
He must get past Blythe Potter at the Democratic state convention in June — a small businesswoman with her own military service record — if he wants to take on Republican Diego Morales in November. If Beau Bayh doesn’t beat Morales, who has had numerous missteps in office, Indiana Democrats will be demoralized.
Beau Bayh does have one Achilles heel — while born in Indiana he has lived most of his life on the East Coast. That was due to his father serving in the U.S. Senate and then he attended college and law school at Harvard. Republicans will use that to label him an outsider.
The race I’m most interested in this year is that of Fort Wayne Republican Sen. Liz Brown. It’s a fascinating look at how GOP politics have split in Indiana — with longtime Republicans now considered not conservative enough if they buck the party line even a little.
Brown has been one of the most strident anti-abortion voices in the state and a reliable Republican since she came to the Indiana Senate in 2015. But she got crossways with a few GOP stalwarts — including U.S. Sen. Jim Banks and Attorney General Todd Rokita. That’s because she refused to hear an immigration crackdown bill last year that she thought needed too much work.
Before that she voted against a bill to eliminate firearm licensing requirement and another banning transgender Hoosiers from high school sports.
Banks and Rokita recruited a primary challenger — well-known Allen County politico Darren Vogt.
Brown was among the most vocal in support of the recent move to redistrict Indiana’s congressional districts, and resigned a Senate leadership post in frustration. Bray later took away her Judiciary Committee chairmanship.
The last B to watch for is Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith. That’s because he is always making news, but not necessarily for the best of reasons.
In 2025, he had his share of controversy. From buying a luxury SUV to firing an employee who later alleged some members of the staff watched an AI-generated-porn video in the office. His employees regularly closed the Statehouse office in the summer, too. And his close friend and pastor is facing a sex scandal at his church.
Plus, Beckwith said the three-fifths compromise was a good thing and received a reprimand from Senate leadership. He often butts heads with Braun — most recently saying the Trump administration threatened federal funding for Indiana before deleting the his tweet.
It’s unclear what to expect from Beckwith in 2026 because he doesn’t follow any government or political norms. Which is just the way he likes it.
Indiana Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Indiana Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Niki Kelly for questions: info@indianacapitalchronicle.com.
