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Mike Braun | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2019 | |
| 52ndGovernor of Indiana | |
| Assumed office January 13, 2025 | |
| Lieutenant | Micah Beckwith |
| Preceded by | Eric Holcomb |
| Ranking Member of theSenate Aging Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2023 – January 3, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Tim Scott |
| Succeeded by | Kirsten Gillibrand |
| United States Senator fromIndiana | |
| In office January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Joe Donnelly |
| Succeeded by | Jim Banks |
| Member of theIndiana House of Representatives from the 63rd district | |
| In office November 5, 2014 – November 1, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Mark Messmer |
| Succeeded by | Shane Lindauer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Michael Kent Braun (1954-03-24)March 24, 1954 (age 71) Jasper, Indiana, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican (2012–present) |
| Other political affiliations | Democratic (before 2012)[1] |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Relatives | Steve Braun (brother) |
| Education | Wabash College (BA) Harvard University (MBA) |
| Website | Office website Campaign website |
Michael Kent Braun[2][3][4] (born March 24, 1954) is an American businessman and politician serving as the 52ndgovernor of Indiana since 2025. A member of theRepublican Party, he served from 2019 to 2025 as aUnited States senator fromIndiana and from 2014 to 2017 as the representative for the 63rd district in theIndiana House of Representatives.
Born inJasper, Indiana, Braun graduated fromWabash College with a degree in economics and subsequently earned aMBA fromHarvard Business School. After serving in theIndiana House of Representatives from 2014 to 2017, he was elected to theUnited States Senate in2018, defeatingDemocratic incumbentJoe Donnelly.[5] He was elected governor in2024, defeating Democratic nomineeJennifer McCormick andLibertarian nominee Donald Rainwater by a margin of 13.3%,[6] the highest margin in an open seat election for governor since 1980.[7]
Braun opposes theAffordable Care Act,same-sex marriage, abortion, and a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. He has called on the Republican Party to takeclimate change more seriously. He supported PresidentDonald Trump'strade and tariff policies, although he was previously an advocate offree trade. Braun voted to acquit Trump in the impeachment trial related to theTrump-Ukraine scandal.
Braun was born inJasper, Indiana, on March 24, 1954.[8] He graduated fromJasper High School. He attended the all-maleWabash College, where he was a member ofPhi Delta Theta fraternity and graduatedsumma cum laude with abachelor's degree in economics, andHarvard Business School, where he earned aMaster of Business Administration.[9][10]
After graduating from Harvard, Braun moved back to Indiana and joined his wife's family business manufacturing truck bodies for farmers. The business subsequently grew from 15 employees to more than 300.[11] In 1986, Braun and Daryl Rauscher acquired Meyer Body Inc., a manufacturer of truck bodies and distributor of truck parts and equipment.[12] Braun fully acquired the company in 1995 and renamed it Meyer Distributing in 1999. Braun is its president and CEO.[13] In 2018, Braun's personal finance disclosure listed assets worth between $35 million and $96 million.[14]
Braun was formerly registered as a member of theDemocratic Party, but switched to theRepublican Party in 2012. He said that he has always considered himself a conservative Republican, but voted in Democratic primaries for years because his home county,Dubois County, historically voted heavily Democratic downballot. According to Braun, until a massive Republican wave in 2016, even Republican-leaning voters voted in the Democratic primary to have a say in local elections.[15] He was a member of the Jasper School Board from 2004 to 2014.[16][17]
In 2014, Braun was elected to theIndiana House of Representatives, in the 63rd district.[9] He resigned from the state House on November 1, 2017, to focus on his U.S. Senate campaign.[18]
In July 2018, Braun called for theIndiana attorney general, RepublicanCurtis Hill, to resign amid allegations that Hill had drunkenly groped a lawmaker and three legislative staffers.[19]
Braun won the Republican primary for theUnited States Senate in the 2018 election, defeating U.S. representativesTodd Rokita andLuke Messer[20][21] by over 56,000 votes. He received 208,520 votes, or roughly 41% of the total.[5] Braun ran as an outsider, emphasizing his career in business.[22] He defeated Democratic incumbentJoe Donnelly in the November general election[23] with 51% of the vote to Donnelly's 45%; the Libertarian candidate, Lucy Brenton, tallied less than 4%.[24] In late 2019, theIndianapolis Star reported that Braun's 2018 campaign was the beneficiary of $2.8 million in spending by a political action committee with strong connections to indicted money laundererLev Parnas and one of his shell companies.[25] Parnas supplied photographs of him and Braun embracing at a 2018 campaign event to the House of Representatives as part of his cooperation with the impeachment of President Trump. They were made public in January 2020.[25]
On January 3, 2019, Braun was sworn in as thejuniorUnited States senator fromIndiana by Vice PresidentMike Pence.[26]
In May 2019, Braun was one of eight senators who voted against a $19.1 billion emergency aid package for states and territories that endured hurricanes, floods and fires. Braun said the disaster assistance process was "just another path for runaway spending on unrelated projects." Despite his opposition, the package was enacted with bipartisan support and President Trump's approval.[27]
Braun supported Trump's decision to withdraw American troops from northernSyria in October 2019.[28] As a result, in that month,Turkey launched a military offensive against the American-allied Kurds in that area. After that, Braun called Trump "smart"; questioned why the U.S. should "be in the crossfire" between Turkey and the Kurds; and called the idea that ISIS would recover strength as a result of the conflict "an assumption".[29]
In December 2019, Braun said that theimpeachment inquiry against Donald Trump had been a "disaster forDemocrats."[30]
In May 2020, SenatorChuck Schumer put forth a resolution to officially release the guidance by theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on how to safely lift restrictions related to theCOVID-19 pandemic in the United States. A leaked version of the guidance showed that it was more detailed and restrictive than the White House recommendations released in April 2020. Braun blocked Schumer's resolution, saying that the CDC's recommendations would hinder the economy.[31]
On October 26, 2020, Braun voted to confirmJudge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court,[32] and praised Barrett.[33]
AfterJoe Biden defeated Trump in the November 2020 election, Braunrefused to acknowledge Trump's defeat[34] and promotedTrump's false claims of election fraud.[35][36] Along with 10 other sitting and incoming Republican senators, Braun announced on January 2, 2021, that he wouldvote against counting the electoral votes from a number of states won by Biden four days later, seeking to subvert the election outcome.[35][36] He was participating in the joint session of Congress counting the electoral votes when amob of Trump supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol. In the wake of the attack, he tweeted, "Though I will continue to push for a thorough investigation into the election irregularities many Hoosiers are concerned with as my objection was intended, I have withdrawn that objection and will vote to get this ugly day behind us." He voted to count the electoral votes after Congress returned to session.[37] TheSouth Bend Tribune called Braun's flip-flop "a case of too little, too late."[38] TheDemocratic Party of Indiana called for Braun's resignation, saying he "incited violence to overturn the presidential election and end American democracy."[39]
In 2022, it was reported that rather than seeking reelection to the Senate, Braun would run forgovernor of Indiana in2024. Incumbent Republican governorEric Holcomb was term-limited.[40][41]
For the118th United States Congress, Braun was named to four Senate committees:[42]
On November 30, 2022, Braun filed papers with theSecretary of State of Indiana to run in the2024 Indiana gubernatorial election, following speculation since September that he would run for the office.[41][40]
Braun, who was endorsed by Donald Trump, won the Republican primary on May 7, 2024.[45] On May 8, he announced his choice forlieutenant governor, state representativeJulie McGuire. In June, delegates nominatedMicah Beckwith for lieutenant governor at the Republican state convention.[46][47]
On September 30, 2024, the Braun for Governor campaign released an ad that contained an image altered to show Democratic opponent Jennifer McCormick leading a rally with people holding signs stating "No Gas Stoves."[48] The image actually showed people holding "McCormick for Governor" signs. Running an ad with an altered image may be illegal under Indiana State Law HEA 1133.[49] Later that day, the Braun campaign released an updated version of the ad with a disclaimer noting the use of an altered image which complies with the law.[50]
On November 5, Braun won Indiana's gubernatorial election by the largest margin for an open governor's seat since 1980.[7] He ran on a campaign of "Freedom and Opportunity", promising to address rising property taxes, make healthcare more obtainable and affordable, and implement universal school choice.[51]
Braun became governor on January 13, 2025, sworn in byIndiana Supreme CourtChief JusticeLoretta Rush.[52]
Braunopposesabortion.[53] Hetweeted in support of the2022 overturning ofRoe v. Wade.[54]
According toFiveThirtyEight, Braun voted with Donald Trump's position 90.9% of the time between Braun's inauguration and Trump's departure from office two years later.[55]
DuringTrump's first impeachment andimpeachment trial, regarding theTrump–Ukraine scandal, Braun became one of Trump's most prominent defenders, defending him in many media appearances.[56] He voted to acquit Trump, and when asked whether it is acceptable for Trump to withhold U.S. foreign aid to coerce a foreign leader to investigateJoe Biden, he said that he did not believe that such behavior was proper but that "it didn't happen."[57] Braun also said that Trump did what he did out of a desire to reduce corruption in Ukraine.[58] After Trump was acquitted, Braun said that Trump "hopefully" learned something from the trial.[59][60]
Braun opposesearmarks. He introduced an amendment to theConsolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 to remove all earmarks from the bill, saying: "Earmarks give representatives, give senators the incentive to be big spenders. We should cut every earmark out of this bill and ban them permanently and quit loading up our kids and grandkids with the debt to pay for all this." The amendment failed.[61]
After Biden won the2020 presidential election, Trump refused to concede and made baseless claims of election fraud. Braun defended, and joined in, Trump's attempt to overturn the election results.[62] He wrote aWashington Examiner editorial criticizing the media for not taking accusations of voter fraud seriously.[63] Along with 10 other Republican senators, Braun initially pledged to object to thecounting of the electoral votes in several key states.[62] After thestorming of the Capitol by violent pro-Trump rioters, Braun reversed himself and voted against objections to the election results, saying that he "didn't feel comfortable with today's events."[64]
In Trump'ssecond impeachment trial, on charges ofincitement of insurrection, Braun voted to acquit Trump.[65]
On May 28, 2021, Braun abstained from voting on the creation of anindependent commission to investigate the January 6 storming of the Capitol.[66]
Braun supported theRepublican Party's tax legislation in 2017.[53] When asked "The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says the tax cuts are increasing U.S. debt. Would you vote to cut spending on some programs in order to pay for them?", Braun replied, "Tax cuts are a revenue-neutral way to get our economy roaring again, but the federal government doesn't have a revenue problem; it has a spending problem."[53]
Braun was among the 31 Senate Republicans who voted against final passage of theFiscal Responsibility Act of 2023.[67]
In June 2025, Braun worked to increase his control overIndiana University by removing members of the Board of Trustees elected by alumni and replacing them with his own appointees. A month earlier, he had said he would not do so.[68]
Braun is a self-described conservationist.[69] He has called Swedish climate activistGreta Thunberg an "inspiration" and advocated that the Republican Party be more aggressive incombating climate change. He opposed the 2015Paris climate change agreement, but supports usingreforestation,carbon pricing, andcarbon capture to reduce or mitigate carbon dioxide emissions.[69] He also serves as the chair of the bipartisanClimate Solutions Caucus, which was founded in October 2019.[70][69] Braun sponsored the Growing Climate Solutions Act, a bill that would make it simpler for farmers to sell carbon credits on existing carbon trading markets in California and in the Northeast.[71]
In January 2024, Braun voted against a resolution, proposed by SenatorBernie Sanders, to apply thehuman rights provisions of theForeign Assistance Act toU.S. aid to Israel's military. The proposal was defeated, 72 to 11.[72]
In 2018, Braun supported Trump's trade and tariff policies, saying that they have "yielded phenomenal results."[53][73] Previously, he supported free trade policies.[73]
Braun voted in support of theUnited States–Mexico–Canada Agreement.[55]
Braun opposes theAffordable Care Act (ACA), supportsefforts to repeal it, and supportsa lawsuit to strike down the entirety of the ACA.[74][75] Braun has called for "free-market competition" and "market-driven" solutions on health care.[53] During his 2018 Senate campaign, he criticized incumbent Democratic SenatorJoe Donnelly as a "defender of Obamacare."[74] Braun expressed support for keeping in place protections for individuals withpreexisting conditions (a popular provision of the ACA), although both House repeal efforts supported by Braun and the lawsuit supported by Braun would effectively end protections for individuals with preexisting conditions.[74][75]
Braun has said, "building the wall must be the first step to any solution" on illegal immigration.[53][76] He opposes a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as minors, known asDREAMers.[76]
Asked for his view on the legalization ofsame-sex marriage, Braun said, "I believe in traditional marriage."[53][77] He fought to keep marriage defined as "between a man and a woman" in the Indiana Republican Party platform.[77] In the Indiana state legislature, he supported theIndiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act and opposed amendments to the bill that would have banned discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.[77]
In June 2020, after the murder ofGeorge Floyd, Braun introduced legislation to reformqualified immunity, a legal doctrine that shields police officers from lawsuits over constitutional violations if the violated constitutional right has not been clearly established in a previous court decision. His legislation would have made it easier to sue police officers for rights violations.[78] But after an interview withTucker Carlson and backlash frompolice unions the next month, Braun dropped his bill.[79] In May 2021, he wrote, "I oppose any reform to the current doctrine of qualified immunity" and opposed federal efforts to reform local police departments.[80]
In September 2021, Braun opposed the plannedCOVID-19 vaccine mandate for companies with more than 100 employees, calling it the "biggest overreach by federal government I've seen".[81] He was the author of the Senate disapproval resolution challenging President Biden's OSHA vaccine mandate for businesses. The Senate passed the resolution under theCongressional Review Act in a bipartisan vote.[82] In October 2021, Braun invitedChicago police officers who were suspended for refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19 to work in Indiana, saying, "plenty of departments are hiring now".[83]
In a March 2022 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing for U.S. Supreme Court nomineeKetanji Brown Jackson, Braun said the Court's decisionRoe v. Wade was a case of "judicial activism" and "legislating from the bench". A reporter then asked if Braun applied the same reasoning to theLoving v. Virginia case that installed federal protections on interracial marriage. Braun responded, "many of the Supreme Court's civil rights decisions have improperly established federal rights that would be better handled on a state-by-state basis." He was then asked whether interracial marriage should be left to the states, and replied, "Yes." Later that day, Braun put out a statement saying he had misunderstood the question and that there was "no question that the Constitution prohibits discrimination of any kind based on race. That is not something that is even up for debate, and I condemn racism in any form, at all levels and by any states, entities, or individuals."[84]
In February 2025, Braun declined to support a state 50% match forDolly Parton's Imagination Library. Dollywood Foundation President Jeff Conyers said, "We are hopeful that Governor Braun and the Indiana Legislature will continue this vital investment by restoring the state's funding match for local Imagination Library programs."[85]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Braun Micah Beckwith | 1,566,081 | 54.38 | −2.13 | |
| Democratic | Jennifer McCormick Terry Goodin | 1,183,741 | 41.11 | +9.06 | |
| Libertarian | Donald Rainwater Tonya Hudson | 129,439 | 4.52 | −6.92 | |
| Write-in | Christopher Ryan Stried | 52 | 0.0% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 2,865,801 | 100.00 | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Braun | 236,641 | 39.6 | |
| Republican | Suzanne Crouch | 130,146 | 21.8 | |
| Republican | Brad Chambers | 104,653 | 17.5 | |
| Republican | Eric Doden | 71,135 | 11.9 | |
| Republican | Jamie Reitenour | 28,757 | 4.8 | |
| Republican | Curtis Hill | 26,837 | 4.5 | |
| Total votes | 598,169 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Braun | 1,158,000 | 50.73% | +6.45% | |
| Democratic | Joe Donnelly (incumbent) | 1,023,553 | 44.84% | −5.20% | |
| Libertarian | Lucy Brenton | 100,942 | 4.42% | −1.26% | |
| Write-in | 70 | <0.01% | N/A | ||
| Total votes | 2,282,565 | 100% | N/A | ||
| Republicangain fromDemocratic | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Braun | 208,497 | 41.18% | |
| Republican | Todd Rokita | 151,904 | 30.00% | |
| Republican | Luke Messer | 145,936 | 28.82% | |
| Total votes | 506,337 | 100% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Braun (incumbent) | 19,228 | 71.75 | ||
| Democratic | Andrea Hulsman | 7,570 | 28.25 | ||
| Total votes | 26,798 | 100.00 | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| Primary election | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
| Republican | Mike Braun | 4,611 | 66.80 | ||
| Republican | Richard Moss | 2,292 | 33.20 | ||
| Total votes | 6,903 | 100.00 | |||
| General election | |||||
| Republican | Mike Braun | 13,329 | 100.00 | ||
| Total votes | 13,329 | 100.00 | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
Braun and his wife, Maureen, have four children.[9] He isCatholic.[93] Braun's brother,Steve Braun, was also a politician in Indiana.[94]
One of the top candidates in Indiana's GOP primary was labeled in the Republican National Committee's voter files as a "hard Democrat" as recently as December. ... Braun's voting record shows Braun took a Democratic ballot in some of the highest-profile primary battles the party has had in Indiana in recent decades -- and skipped the most hotly contested GOP statewide races. Braun voted in the Democratic primaries in 1992, 1996, 1998, 2004, 2006 and 2008 -- which were largely solidly Democratic election years. He skipped the primary in 1994, 2000, 2002 and 2010 -- all strong Republican years.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)One of the top candidates in Indiana's GOP primary was labeled in the Republican National Committee's voter files as a "hard Democrat" as recently as December. ... Braun's voting record shows Braun took a Democratic ballot in some of the highest-profile primary battles the party has had in Indiana in recent decades -- and skipped the most hotly contested GOP statewide races. Braun voted in the Democratic primaries in 1992, 1996, 1998, 2004, 2006 and 2008 -- which were largely solidly Democratic election years. He skipped the primary in 1994, 2000, 2002 and 2010 -- all strong Republican years.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Sen. Mike Braun quickly vaulted from a self-described 'no name' to one of President Donald Trump's most prominent and prolific defenders during the Senate's impeachment trial. ... Just over a year into his term, Braun has become a prominent GOP voice on impeachment, joking that he spends more time on TV than probably any Republican senator beside Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), one of Trump's closest allies.
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forU.S. Senator fromIndiana (Class 1) 2018 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of Indiana 2024 | Most recent |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. Senator (Class 1) from Indiana 2019–2025 Served alongside:Todd Young | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ranking Member of theSenate Aging Committee 2023–2025 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of Indiana 2025–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byasVice President | Order of precedence of the United States Within Indiana | Succeeded by Mayor of city in which event is held |
| Succeeded by OtherwiseMike Johnson asSpeaker of the United States House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded byasGovernor of Louisiana | Order of precedence of the United States Outside Indiana | Succeeded byasGovernor of Mississippi |
| Class 1 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 3 | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
