Jennifer McCormick Well-positioned to Win in Indiana

Yesterday, Jennifer McCormick launched her first two TV ads of the cycle. “What’s Right” focuses on Jennifer’s history as an educator and statewide elected official who’s always put what’s best for Indiana above her partisan affiliation. “Places Like This” focuses on Jennifer’s lifelong connections to rural Indiana and how politicians like Mike Braun have outsourced jobs and only put their own interests ahead of Hoosiers.

• Jennifer McCormick is uniquely situated to win this year’s Indiana gubernatorial race. A former Republican, she was elected statewide in 2016 as the Superintendent of Public Instruction, a position Republicans abolished after she pushed reforms to help students, teachers, and schools. She has seen the far-right control up close and will bring common sense, balance, and change to Indiana. 

• Despite being a sitting U.S. Senator running for Governor, Mike Braun is under 50% support in multiple polls. The informed ballot brings the race to a tie, and voters are deeply unhappy with the status quo in Indiana politics. 

• Abortion is the salient issue, with nearly 60 percent of Hoosiers believing abortion should be legal in all or most cases, and the entire statewide Democratic ticket is led by women candidates for governor, U.S. senator, and attorney general who are pro-choice. The entire statewide GOP ticket is anti-choice, even extremely so. 

• After a divisive Republican primary, Mike Braun has less money than any recent GOP gubernatorial nominee. He and his three opponents spent over $40 million in the primary. A majority of Hoosiers view him as unlikable. 

• Mike Braun could not select his own LG running mate at the state GOP convention. Instead, Micah Beckwith, a Christian Nationalist pastor who celebrated the insurrection on January 6th and has his own political agenda, is his running mate (delegates supported him over Braun’s pick). 

• The same third-party Libertarian who ran in 2020 is running again this year. In 2020, he received 11.4% of the vote. Even if he underperforms 2020, McCormick’s win percentage is less than 50% for a win. 

• The enthusiasm and excitement around Kamala Harris becoming the nominee is palpable even in states like Indiana (carried by Obama in ’08), and we expect turnout to be higher in parts of Indiana where Democrats flipped several cities last year to install many new mayors.