Indiana voters to pick party candidates in competitive, multimillion dollar primaries

INDIANAPOLIS — In deep-red Indiana, where Republicans hold supermajorities in both chambers of the state legislature and most top positions are held by Republican politicians, the May 7 primary will determine the outcome of the general election in many races.

The most watched is the Republican Party’s race for governor, a contest of six candidates who have all positioned themselves as outsiders in an appeal to conservative voters.

Indiana will also send at least three new representatives to the U.S. House after a series of retirements.

Here is an overview of the main races:

Six Republicans are vying for the seat being vacated by outgoing term-limited Governor Eric Holcomb. Holcomb has not endorsed a candidate.

The race is the most expensive primary in Indiana history, with about $20 million spent in the first three months of 2024 alone.

The winner of the Republican primary will face long bids in November from the lone Democratic candidate, Jennifer McCormick, and the Libertarian nominee, Donald Rainwater.

All six Republican candidates have cast themselves as outsiders, yet five are establishment figures who hold or previously held statewide office.

US Senator Mike Braun has been endorsed by Republican former President Donald Trump. Trump won the state by 16 percentage points in the 2020 general election.

Braun has name recognition and money; His campaign spent more than $6 million in 2024, according to the latest summary report. He is also known for flipping a Democratic Senate seat when he defeated Joe Donnelly in 2018.

Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, who is known for running alongside Holcomb twice, has campaigned to cut the state’s income tax and boost addiction and mental health care. She ended the most recent fundraising period with the most cash of any candidate: $3 million on April 1, but spent less ($2.1 million) in the first three months of the year.

A Crouch victory would likely give Indiana its first female governor. McCormick, the Democratic candidate, is uncontested in her primary.

Businessman and former Commerce Secretary Brad Chambers has spent $6.7 million this year and reports indicate he has contributed $9.6 million to his campaign. Chambers’ reporting was relatively more muted, focusing on the economy and support for law enforcement. He has avoided criticizing Holcomb where other candidates have attacked his administration over policies in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eric Doden has a similar resume, with a stint as the state’s commerce secretary. His top priorities include a plan to invest in Indiana’s “Main Street,” or small towns. He spent $5.2 million in the first three months of this year and most recently reported having about $250,000 in cash on hand.

Once seen as a likely Hoosier governor, former Attorney General Curtis Hill has struggled to compete. Hill lost the 2020 Republican delegation nomination following allegations that he groped four women at a party in 2018. Jamie Reitenour is also running, with support from Hamilton County Moms For Liberty, and has said she would appoint its leader to head the state education department.

Braun’s decision to leave the Senate and run for governor created a domino effect in Indiana’s congressional delegation. U.S. Rep. Jim Banks is the lone Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, leaving office in Indiana’s third congressional district.

A series of legal battles ultimately removed egg farmer John Rust from the Republican ballot.

Banks, an outspoken supporter of Trump, will face either Marc Carmichael or Valerie McCray as the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in November.

Indiana will send at least three new representatives to the U.S. House.

Congressmen Greg Pence, brother of former Vice President Mike Pence, and Larry Bucshon both announced earlier this year that they would not seek re-election.

Eight Republican candidates are vying for Banks’ former seat in northeast Indiana. The matchup includes former U.S. Rep. Marlin Stutzman, Sen. Andy Zay, former Allen Circuit Court Judge Wendy Davis and a well-funded but relatively unknown nonprofit executive, Tim Smith.

Voters in Pence’s sixth district in eastern Indiana are the target of an expensive battle between Mike Speedy, the staunchly conservative Second Amendment state representative, and Jefferson Shreve, a businessman who spent $13 million in a failed campaign for the House last year. mayor of Indianapolis was pumping.

Shreve has loaned $4.5 million to his congressional campaign and entered the final campaign weeks with $1.49 million in cash, while Speedy came in with just over $153,000 in the bank, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

In southern Indiana’s Bucshon district, eight candidates are seeking to replace the congressman who took office in 2011.

The Republican Jewish Coalition has spent $1 million to attack former U.S. Rep. John Hostettler, who has long opposed the U.S. alliance with Israel. A spokesperson said the group is pushing for support for Sen. Mark Messmer.

Messmer entered the final weeks with about $121,000 in cash on hand, far more than Hostettler’s, about $29,000.

In central Indiana’s 5th District, U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz faces a tough primary after reversing her plan to leave Congress.

Spartaz’s main competitor, state Sen. Chuck Goodrich, has surpassed her in spending this year by millions of dollars.