Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray is the latest entry into the redistricting-fueled dark money race to control the balance of power in his chamber with a new nonprofit he quietly formed in March.
The Indiana First Coalition, which Bray chairs, bought $86,000 in political ads this week, Federal Communication Commission filings show. The ads have already begun airing on Terre Haute-based radio and television stations, which have been inundated with purchases from groups looking to oust the senators who opposed mid-decade redistricting. With just days until the May 5 primary election, the spend signals that Bray views some of the Republican state senate challengers, armed with a presidential endorsement and backed by millions of dollars, as a genuine threat.
Bray, R-Martinsville, told IndyStar the group’s goal is to aid incumbent senators who are facing a flood of money against them from Washington, D.C. While the group is not considering a senator’s stance on redistricting when determining who gets money, Bray said, the coalition will target close races, both in terms of money and polling.
And while Bray himself is not on the ballot, the aims of those propping up the challengers is clear: they want a mutiny in the Senate.
The idea of removing Bray from his post as Senate leader isn’t just coming from President Donald Trump. Gov. Mike Braun, who lobbied for mid-decade redistricting and has endorsed Trump’s chosen challengers, has said publicly that he would support a change in leadership.
But Bray said he doesn’t dwell on the issue of keeping his position.
“I’ll go back to being the best senator I can be,” he said of a potential leadership change.
The pre-primary frenzy now appears to be pitting the governor against the Senate leader. Braun’s HOPE nonprofit reportedly planned to drop $500,000 backing challengers, a rare move for a majority-party governor. Even so, Braun told reporters April 30 that he didn’t view it as a proxy fight with Bray.
“Don’t look at it that way,” Braun said. “I’m looking at having enterprising legislators that are going to help me fix health care issues…not ones that are going to wrestle with you and not want to be aggressive on the affordability issues.”
Countering millions from D.C.
The Bray nonprofit, whose formation was first reported by the Indiana Capital Chronicle, has raised a “decent bit of money,” Bray said. Though he didn’t share how much the nonprofit has spent, he said it’s a much smaller piece of the $3.5 million effort, which includes $2,266,089 in spending from the Senate Majority Campaign Committee.
That’s far more than the committee, which is designed to support sitting senators, has spent in previous election cycles. Bray has also transferred $569,000 in funds from his state senate campaign to the targeted senators and the SMCC, according to campaign finance records.
In a normal year, a multimillion dollar spend on a few state senate primaries would blow challengers out of the water. But efforts from pro-redistricting groups like Hoosier Leadership for America, American Leadership PAC and the Win It Back PAC have made it nearly impossible for the state groups to match. They’ve spent more than $1.2 million on ads, FCC filings show, with millions more pledged.
Turning Point Action has been another key player in the mayhem, helping with events and flying in field operatives to canvass for Trump-endorsed challengers.
The efforts of outside groups, by Bray’s count, ring in at $9 million across just eight Senate races. It’s a different dynamic from the other primary races Bray has witnessed. While always a bit of a “family fight,” state legislative primary candidates are typically not courted and boosted by national groups. And it’s not clear if it’ll pay off, either: Several voters in these targeted districts appear skeptical of the national push and have expressed an affinity for their local senator.
“It’s been a strange and unique election year,” Bray said.
Though Bray chairs the group, the Indiana First Coalition was incorporated by Chris Marston of Election CFO, a Virginia-based political compliance firm. Marston, who did not return multiple requests for comment, worked as the assistant secretary of education under former President George W. Bush and currently serves as treasurer for Congressman Rudy Yakym’s campaign.
Contact breaking politics reporter Marissa Meador at mmeador@indystar.com or find her on X at @marissa_meador.
IndyStar Statehouse reporter Kayla Dwyer contributed reporting.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Bray’s new group quietly buys ads to counter D.C. dark money in Senate race
Reporting by Marissa Meador, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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