IBJ election roundup: Study up on top races before you head to the polls

With the 2018 general election right around the corner, IBJ is pulling together its best election coverage of the season for readers to have in one handy place before they head to the polls.

From the intense contest between U.S. Senate candidates Joe Donnelly and Mike Braun to a flurry of new women candidates running for office to questions about whether a “blue wave” will translate to Indiana to Indianapolis Public Schools’ big referendum ask, Indiana has been a hotspot for interesting election stories.

U.S. Senate race

U.S. Senate candidates meet in relatively calm final debate
October 30, 2018
The candidates—Joe Donnelly, Mike Braun and Lucy Brenton—were asked about foreign policy, climate change, sexual assault and immigration, but health care seemed to be the main topic Donnelly and Braun wanted to address.

Donnelly outraises Braun over first half of October
October 24, 2018
Democratic U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly raised more money than his opponent, Republican challenger Mike Braun, as the two campaigns hit the home stretch before the Nov. 6 general election.

IBJ Podcast: Breaking down Indiana’s Senate race
October 22, 2018
Host Mason King talks to IBJ political reporter Lindsey Erdody about the race, her experience on the campaign trail with the candidates, and what we know about early voting.

After early political losses, Donnelly hits stride
October 12, 2018
Joe Donnelly, a Democrat seeking re-election to the U.S. Senate, distances himself from Washington, D.C., but not from President Trump.

Braun built wealth, then turned to politics
October 12, 2018
Mike Braun is worth tens of millions of dollars, but his supporters say he carries himself like a regular, down-to-earth guy.

Donnelly tries to keep party base happy while appealing to right-leaning voters
September 7, 2018
As a Democratic U.S. senator in a state Trump won by about 20 points in 2016, Joe Donnelly has to court all voters if he wants to win re-election against Republican Mike Braun.

Secretive PACs key source of funds in U.S. Senate race
August 24, 2018
Tracing the money flowing into a competitive U.S. Senate race can weave an intricate web of sources.

Braun leans heavily on Trump campaign’s ad firm in U.S. Senate battle
August 10, 2018
No one has paid ad-firm Jamestown Associates more during this election cycle than Republican Mike Braun, who is challenging incumbent Sen. Joe Donnelly, a Democrat.

Braun appears to use finance ploy to free up more money for campaign
July 25, 2018
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Braun continues to pump his own money into his campaign, and appears to be engaging in the controversial but legal practice of using donations for retiring debt from his primary race to boost his general election campaign.

U.S. Senate candidate Mike Braun's assets worth $35M to $96M
May 25, 2018
Democratic U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly’s assets, on the other hand, are much lower and fall somewhere between $872,000 and $1.9 million.

Elections and campaigns

Early voting nears 2016 levels throughout Indiana
November 2, 2018
Across the state, a total of 518,891 ballots have been cast, as of Oct. 31. That’s more than double the number seen at this point in the last midterm election in 2014.

Experts aren't expecting watershed year for Hoosier Dems
October 26, 2018
But talk of a “blue wave” of support for Democratic candidates across the country this year has spread hope to even some of the reddest parts of Indiana.

Indiana sees spike in number of women on fall ballots
August 31, 2018
During the primary election season in the spring, Indiana saw a significant increase in the number of women running for state and federal offices, and the general election will see the same trend.

Constitutional amendment for balanced budgets on state ballot
October 17, 2018
The amendment would prohibit the Indiana General Assembly from adopting a budget that spends more than the state earns in revenue.

Political campaigns boost investment in social media ads
September 21, 2018
Candidates running at all levels of government have turned to cheaper and potentially more effective social media ads to reach voters.

Three of Indiana's congressional challengers raise more than GOP incumbents in latest quarter
October 19, 2018
The Indiana candidates are not alone: Republican incumbents in 92 U.S. House districts raised less than their Democratic challengers from July 1-Sept. 30, according to an analysis from Politico. That’s compared to only five Democratic House incumbents being out-raised.

Q&A with Liane Groth Hulka, chairwoman of Hoosier Women Forward
October 5, 2018
Liane Groth Hulka, 39, thought she needed to do more to help Democrats, so she spearheaded the launch of Hoosier Women Forward, a program designed to help Democratic women become better and stronger leaders in community and professional settings.

School referendums

IPS’ big ask: What a $220 million referendum means for the district and its taxpayers
August 24, 2018
The district says that, to keep its main priority on the table—raising money for salary increases for teachers and staff—it made tradeoffs that could leave it financially vulnerable down the road.

Two suburban school districts seek tax hikes for security reasons
November 2, 2018
Noblesville School Corp. and Clark-Pleasant Community School Corp. are asking voters to approve higher property taxes to pay for more safety and security efforts in their districts.