Braun’s win, Beckwith upset, harrassment allegations among year’s biggest political stories

This year, as both a presidential and gubernatorial election year for Indiana, provided no shortage of political news. And despite a pretty run-of-the-mill November with no big upsets for the Indiana Republicans in power, curveballs abounded.

Here’s what we think made up this year’s biggest stories in Indiana politics:

• Braun wins in crowded GOP primary then bests McCormick

U.S. Sen. Mike Braun won the race to succeed term-limited Gov. Eric Holcomb, beating out five GOP competitors in the May primary and dashing Democratic hopes of breaking nearly two decades of Republicans leading Indiana by defeating Jennifer McCormick in November.

Braun won easily—despite late assistance from the Democratic Governors Association, which donated $1.1 million to McCormick’s campaign to match the $1 million to Braun from the organization’s Republican counterpart, the former superintendent of education lost with 40% of the vote to Braun’s 55%. Libertarian Donald Rainwater had nearly 5%.

• Harassment allegations surface on both ends of Market Street

Women came forward with allegations of harassment against both Mayor Joe Hogsett’s former right-hand-man Thomas Cook and former Senate Minority Leader Greg Taylor this year. 

Both stories—which were first reported by The Indianapolis Star—incited calls for change by accusers and political staffers. Although Senate Democrats, a caucus of just 10 individuals, initially voted to retain Taylor, members later reversed that decision when additional allegations surfaced. 

Taylor has denied the allegations.

At the city level, the named accusers of Indianapolis’ chief deputy mayor—Lauren Roberts and Caroline Ellert—demanded reforms. The city responded by hiring a law firm with no ties to Indianapolis for an investigation and creating a new system for reporting allegations. In addition, the City-County Council launched an investigation of the city’s handling of the Cook allegations.

Cook has acknowledged consensual relationships that he acknowledged “violated a trust placed in me.” But he said he did not use his position to professional position to further those relationships.

In the fallout, one city employee was fired as part of a separate harassment investigation. Six harassment investigations were ongoing in September.

• Hogsett administration plans MLS bid, kills Indy Eleven stadium hopes

In late April, Mayor Joe Hogsett announced that the city would work with an undisclosed ownership group to pursue a Major League Soccer team, a move that derailed an effort by Indy Eleven owner Ersal Ozdemir to build a publicly financed stadium for his team, which plays in a lower-level league. Hogsett asked the City-County Council to redraw a sports tax zone that had previously been planned for a development to be called Eleven Park site to instead benefit a potential stadium on the east side of downtown, where the Indianapolis Downtown Heliport is now located.

The Eleven District site—the former Diamond Chain manufacturing site—had already been a source of controversy for over a year because it sits on the city’s earliest burial ground. Ozdemir had announced a $1 billion project for the site, but the Hogsett administration said the burial ground meant it wouldn’t approve construction there.

Councilors ultimately approved the tax district for the MLS bid, despite not knowing the makeup of the prospective ownership group. Movement on the project has been slow since then. The owners have not come forward, and the State Budget Committee has not scheduled a vote to give the district final approval.

• Micah Beckwith pulls off upset at GOP convention, adds controversy to Braun ticket

Micah Beckwith, a self-described Christian nationalist, started running for lieutenant governor long before Republicans chose their gubernatorial candidate. That’s unusual because voters don’t choose lieutenant governor candidates. Instead, they are chosen at party conventions to be running mates for gubernatorial nominees.

Braun asked the convention delegates to nominate state Rep. Julie McGuire of Indianapolis, to be his running mate. But Beckwith’s nontraditional campaign won out.

Just days later, an internal campaign memo penned by prominent conservative attorney Jim Bopp warned Beckwith would pose a “serious threat” to the Braun campaign in the November race for governor.

Beckwith raised eyebrows on the campaign trail for several controversial comments, including saying he would fire state employees who include pronouns in their email signature and calling the Democratic ticket a “Jezebel spirit.”

But Braun said repeatedly that he will set policy for the state, not his lieutenant governor.

• Trump wins big in Indiana but doesn’t get key state endorsements

President Donald Trump quickly and easily won Indiana over Democrat Kamala Harris, with the Associated Press calling the race as soon as polls closed. With all the votes counted, Trump won nearly 59% of Hoosier votes compared with nearly 40% for Harris.

His win came despite a lack of endorsements from three notable GOP leaders in Indiana: Gov. Eric Holcomb (who could not seek reelection after two terms), U.S. Sen. Todd Young (who was not on the ballot this year) and former Vice President Mike Pence (who had a falling out with Trump over the upheaval on inauguration day four years ago).

U.S. Sen. Mike Braun touted his Trump endorsement in the GOP primary for governor. But, a last-minute call from Trump to Indiana’s GOP convention delegates to urge support for Braun’s pick for lieutenant governor, Julie McGuire, proved ineffective. As noted above, the delegates picked Micah Beckwith at the June event.

Ultimately, Trump won all but four counties: Marion, St. Joseph, Lake and Monroe. The last time Indiana voters selected a Democrat was 2008, when voters chose Barack Obama over John McCain.

Cate Charron contributed reporting.