Gov. Mike Braun’s HOPE Super PAC is going to spend $500,000 against incumbent Republican senators this primary season.
Braun is not mad that senators would not play ball on property tax reform or a litany of issues that could have improved the lives of Hoosiers. The governor is mad they refused to go along with his ill-fated mid-cycle redistricting plan that was wildly unpopular across the state.
Braun desperately wanted redistricting. Not because it would have made Indiana government any more effective, more efficient or less costly for the middle class. Braun simply wanted to make President Trump happy. That’s why he may actually keep his promise to spend big this time around.
Braun promised to spend big campaigning for property tax reform
I first heard of the supposed power of Braun’s Super PAC in 2024. That summer, Braun was desperately courting my endorsement. He had become convinced he needed the support of my radio audience to boost his sluggish campaign.
Knowing Braun wanted the endorsement, I decided to have some fun with the process and turned it into an on-air bit. For months I publicly questioned who I should support for governor. In the days before I was set to make the announcement, I was summoned to the Indiana Republican Party’s headquarters. In the room were Braun, Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith and Braun’s chief of staff, Josh Kelley.
The trio made a hard sales pitch. They knew my top issue was property tax reform. Braun told me that he would deliver on fixing property taxes, which had skyrocketed in recent years.
When I asked how he intended to do that, he told me about his vaunted PAC. He pledged his allies were going to spend big money to pressure Republican senators who were hesitant to go along with his plan to reduce their property tax bills.
The group ran about one day’s worth of digital ads targeting senators at the start of the 2025 session. Then the ads stopped. They quickly pivoted to thanking senators who had supported Braun’s health care reform plan.
When I inquired what happened, I was told Braun could not risk angering senators who controlled every part of his agenda. To my knowledge, not a single ad was run after that day to pressure senators on property tax reform. Ultimately, taxpayers received legislation almost everyone seems to hate.
Braun will spend big for Trump, but not Indiana taxpayers
This time, I am certain Braun will follow through because he is trying to appease Trump. As the redistricting saga proved, the governor will do whatever Trump says, no matter how unpopular a policy may be back home.
Numerous polls showed the public did not want redistricting in Indiana. The opposition spanned ideologies across the political spectrum. Braun plowed ahead over pleas from Senate President Pro Tempore Rod Bray begging him to stop.
Bray repeatedly said the votes were not there to pass the plan. Braun refused to listen and ultimately suffered an incredibly embarrassing defeat. Redistricting proved to be so unpopular that most Republican senators voted it down.
When he had the opportunity to deliver on the promise he made me and spend big on an issue that would have put hundreds of dollars back in Hoosier pockets annually, he folded.
When it comes to spending big to support an issue rejected by most of the state, he cannot open his wallet fast enough.
To Braun, like many Republican officeholders, appeasing Trump is far more important than fighting for Indiana taxpayers.
Braun will likely lose (again) but will not learn
No matter how much Braun, Turning Point USA, Club for Growth, Hoosier Leadership for America or any other outside group spends, most incumbents are going to win. The challengers are primarily ineffective candidates and are not running their campaigns around issues that might move voters at the polls.
The challengers, many of them running solely on Trump’s endorsement, have missed an opportunity to resonate with voters and enter the Statehouse with a mandate for meaningful change.
When Trump tells Braun to jump, his Super PAC asks how high. When it came time to help Indiana taxpayers afford to stay in their home, Braun took his campaign pledge and told them to get lost.
Rob Kendall is the host of The Rob Kendall Show, which broadcasts 10 a.m. to noon weekdays on YouTube and is available on-demand on most major podcast platforms.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Braun spends big for Trump, not Indiana taxpayers | Opinion
Reporting by Rob Kendall, Contributing Columnist / Indianapolis Star
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