Gov. Mike Braun raised more than $1.1 million through the first half of this year for his anticipated 2028 reelection campaign.
At the same time, Braun’s political operation directed $750,000 toward the Republican primary defeats of several state senators who defied President Donald Trump over congressional redistricting.
State and federal campaign reports filed last week also show that three of Indiana’s U.S. House members and the company owned by Braun’s new state commerce secretary also pitched in sizable amounts for the political retribution campaign.
Braun builds bulging campaign account
Braun’s campaign reported ending June with about $3.1 million in the bank just shy of 18 months after he took office.
Campaign cash
What selected Indiana candidates reported on federal and state reports as available cash on hand as of June 30:
U.S. House District 1
Democratic Rep. Frank Mrvan: $1,336,695
Republican Barb Regnitz: $1,800,688 ($2,140,000 in personal loans to campaign)
U.S. House District 5
Republican Rep. Victoria Spartz: $230,004
Democrat J.D. Ford: $314,652
U.S. House District 8
Republican Rep. Mark Messmer: $713,500
Democrat Mary Allen: $179,307
Up for election in 2028
Republican U.S. Sen. Todd Young: $7,205,565
Republican Gov. Mike Braun: $3,145,414
Republican Attorney General Todd Rokita: $1,634,291
Up for election in 2030
Republican U.S. Sen. Jim Banks: $3,120,254
That’s at least $500,000 more than Braun’s three immediate Republican predecessors — Eric Holcomb, Mike Pence and Mitch Daniels — had at the same point in their governorships.
Braun’s fundraising work comes despite no Democrats or Republicans making prominent moves yet to challenge him following his 2024 election win with 54% of the vote over Democrat Jennifer McCormick.
Braun spent about $20.5 million in all on his 2024 primary and general election campaigns, compared to McCormick’s $5.6 million.
Josh Kelley, Braun’s chief of staff and top political adviser, said Braun has built “the strongest war chest in Indiana history while raising millions more to supercharge the state Republican Party (and) back winning candidates in primaries.”
“Governor Braun’s leadership is putting Indiana Republicans in a strong position for the midterms and preparing him for a dominant reelection in 2028,” Kelley said in a statement to the Capital Chronicle.
Money sources for one pro-redistricting group
The Braun-supported Hoosiers for Opportunity, Prosperity and Enterprise Victory Fund was a top financial contributor to the campaign by pro-redistricting groups in which six Republican challengers endorsed by Trump defeated incumbent state senators in the May primary.
The new campaign reports show that a group affiliated with U.S. Jim Banks — Georgia-based American Leadership PAC — received $750,000 in April and March from HOPE.
Other contributions included $75,000 each from the campaigns of U.S. Reps. Erin Houchin, Mark Messmer and Rudy Yakym. A $300,000 infusion came from Indianapolis-based Gaylor Electric — whose CEO Chuck Goodrich was tapped by Braun to become state commerce secretary this month.
The bulk of American Leadership’s funding — $2.5 million — was from Serving American Greatness, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit group that doesn’t disclose its donors and has contributed to pro-Trump organizations.
Goodrich did not return a telephone message seeking comment.
Sen. Linda Rogers, who was among those defeated in the Republican primary, served in the state Senate alongside Houchin and Messmer before their elections to Congress and lives in the same South Bend suburb of Granger as Yakym.
Rogers said it was “very disappointing and disheartening” that she was targeted by fellow Republicans over the redistricting vote.
“I guess you kind of feel like you were stabbed in the back after you devoted your working time to help the people of the state,” Rogers told the Capital Chronicle.
American Leadership reported spending more than $3.5 million on advertising during the primary.
The ad-tracking firm AdImpact reported $13.5 million in total Indiana Senate broadcast advertising, which included $5.2 million by Hoosier Leadership for America. It is a Banks-linked nonprofit organization that is allowed to keep the sources of its money secret, which is why such groups are commonly referred to as dark-money groups.
Rogers said it was “very difficult to get my message across when this dark money really took over.”
“There was nothing I could do and I would see it constantly on TV, three and four times an hour, that I was a RINO loser and I allowed Chinese to buy our farmland,” Rogers said. “They were just false statements, but yet people are thinking, ‘Well, is it true?’ You know, once you hear it over and over again, you start to believe things.”
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.
