2024 Indiana Gubernatorial Race

[Muda69]

Let's start with this: 

Briggs: Mike Braun deserves every minute of his new political hell https://www.indystar.com/story/opinion/columnists/james-briggs/2024/06/17/micah-beckwith-isnt-here-to-play-no-2-to-the-next-indiana-governor/74117500007/

Quote

Mike Braun is going to spend his twilight years trapped in a political hell of his own making.

Braun, 70, is on path to become Indiana's next governor and he's already lost control of his impending administration. Christian nationalist pastor Micah Beckwith on Saturday defeated Braun's preferred running mate, Julie McGuire, in a convention vote to win the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor.

This campaign just became all about Beckwith from here to November, when Beckwith … err, I mean, Braun … is slated to face Democrat Jennifer McCormick in the general election, barring a surprise run-in from former Sen. Joe Donnelly.

Beckwith is not here to be subservient to Braun. He ran on a platform — tax cuts, pro-gun legislation and fighting the "woke agenda in our schools" — that falls entirely under the purview of the governor and Indiana General Assembly.

Does that sound like a No. 2 to you?

Welcome to the Micah Beckwith show

The Micah Beckwith show is just getting started. Beckwith is a master at drawing attention to himself, often for spouting deranged ideas. One video clip making the rounds over the weekend shows Beckwith claiming that, while in prayer, God told him he sent the rioters to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021.

That's just perfect, because, as I wrote on that infamous day, Braun also invited the rioters to Washington, posing for a photo to show he was “signing my objection to Arizona electors,” as he jockeyed with other Republicans to placate their man-toddler president who was seeking to overturn the election.

When the mob broke in, threatened to kill then-Vice President Mike Pence and forced all of Congress into hiding, things got a little too real for Braun. He dropped his objections to election certification, in contrast to other Republicans who were more committed to the bit.

Now, Braun marches toward the governor's office under the cattle prod of an enforcer who's there to ensure he remains committed to the bit … or else. Braun thought he could play voodoo with the forces of MAGA while reaping all rewards and no consequences.

It's time to pay the piper.

Mike Braun almost gets it

It's a befitting final chapter for a heretofore respectable man who put on the armor of nihilism and shape-shifted his way from Democratic-voting businessman to Trump toady, all for the sake of ego and power. Even now, Braun deludes himself into thinking he's taming the current that's sweeping him away.

"There's no doubt about this: I'm in charge," Braun told reporters Saturday, mere moments after 891 Republican delegates voted for Beckwith and sent a clear message that he is not in charge. "Micah is going to be someone that works with me. And, if he doesn't, I think that means that it will probably not be as fruitful in terms of what we can get done."

You see there? Beckwith has all the leverage and Braun has nothing. You think Beckwith cares whether Braun's time as governor is "fruitful," as defined by Braun?

Braun is processing his fate in real time and almost getting it. Let me spell it out. Braun's footsie with the dark arts summoned a MAGA high priest who just subsumed Braun's gubernatorial campaign, his dignity and any hope of successful governance.

Braun is not alone in his delusion. Just two years after Diego Morales executed a similar convention coup to become one of the most embarrassing statewide office holders in Indiana history, establishment-wing Republicans again approached Saturday's convention professing unearned confidence that their lieutenant governor pick, McGuire, would come out on top by a wide margin.

 

It's like they're not paying attention to their own party.

The Indiana Republican Party, like Braun, is blinded by hollow victories of the past eight years. The country club Republicans think they've harnessed MAGA to achieve their own ends, but MAGA has put the establishment's head on a pike. Even the most mild-mannered Republicans have spent the Trump years catastrophizing enemies, trading policy for cruelty, and embracing words and behaviors that no responsible parent would want their children to emulate.

Republicans' decade of moral and cognitive corrosion has put Morales atop the Secretary of State's Office that once fired him; sent Twitter troll Jim Banks on an unabated path to the Senate; and catapulted Beckwith toward statewide office and, possibly, frontrunner status to win the next Republican nomination for governor, maybe in as few as four years.

Hell, as I mentioned, Braun is 70 and has a habit of giving up when things get hard. We might not even have to wait four years to see Beckwith as governor. If you hadn't considered that prospect yet, well, you're welcome.

Republicans think their base is stupid

So many Republicans fooled themselves into thinking they could contain a duality, performing for the unwashed masses in public and playing businesslike leaders in private. Establishment Republicans think Trump supporters are too simplistic and stupid to see who's with them and who isn't.

Convention delegates saw through it. They saw Beckwith, an unhinged pastor who's unqualified to lead most mainstream churches, as one of their own and correctly identified Braun and McGuire as fakers.

Braun tried everything. He tried reverse psychology, saying nice things about Beckwith to show he's cool and of the people, while also cajoling statewide officeholders (even Morales!) to endorse McGuire. Braun got the big gun, Trump himself, to fire off an endorsement at the last minute.

Hopeful delegates thought the Trump endorsement sealed the deal for McGuire. I didn't. Neither did Beckwith, who noted Trump doesn't even know McGuire and correctly viewed the endorsement as a sign of how close he was to winning.

Establishment Republicans refused to believe Beckwith had the votes and, after he won, they blamed their defeat on McGuire supporters for failing to show up to the convention. It's a turnout problem, you see, and not a party problem.

No. It's a party problem. Republicans put their true faith in Trump, a showman who tricked them all into thinking he is a great and powerful wizard. MAGA is not only about Trump, the person, though. It's a movement powered by airing grievances, finding scapegoats and taking vengeance against them. Beckwith is the man for this moment, with or without a Trump endorsement.

Beckwith is the new conservative movement leader in Indiana. Braun must answer to that movement every step of the way from here on out. He deserves every minute of this oncoming dumpster fire. So do state Republican Party leaders. They brought it on themselves.

Unfortunately for the rest of us, we'll pay the price for Republicans' education in MAGA.

It appears the political left is really afraid of this Beckwith character, and to some extent parts of the Indiana GOP as well.  Can Mr. Braun control him if he wins the election?  Does having a Christian Nationalist like Mr. Beckwith holding a political office move Indiana just a sliver closer to the reality depicted in The Handmaid's Tale?

 

[Muda69]

Beckwith poses a ‘serious threat’ to Braun’s campaign, says GOP powerhouse lawyer: https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2024/06/17/beckwith-poses-a-serious-threat-to-brauns-campaign-says-gop-powerhouse-lawyer-jim-bopp/?emci=89bb8f6a-d52c-ef11-86d2-6045bdd9e096&emdi=8937d408-672d-ef11-86d2-6045bdd9e096&ceid=577105

Quote

Republican gubernatorial nominee Mike Braun faces a “serious threat” to his candidacy after Noblesville pastor Micah Beckwith was selected as his running mate, according to an internal campaign memo penned by prominent conservative attorney Jim Bopp.

The five-page report, obtained by the Indiana Capital Chronicle Sunday evening, outlines “several negative effects” of Beckwith’s nomination, including concerns that Beckwith will cause “division and chaos” and “undermine” Braun’s leadership.

Chief among Bopp’s worries, however, is the possibility that Beckwith could keep Braun out of the Statehouse altogether.

“Beckwith’s nomination as Lt. Gov poses a serious threat to the Braun candidacy, election and administration,” Bopp wrote, later saying in the memo that “the Democrats have a real opportunity to launch a serious campaign in the fall because of Beckwith’s nomination, and it has already begun.”

 

The Terre Haute-based lawyer and staunch anti-abortion advocate theorized that current Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jennifer McCormick could be swapped out with Joe Donnelly, a former U.S. senator from Indiana, and she would be moved to the lieutenant governor spot on the ticket. 

Bopp said the Democrats’ campaign “would focus almost exclusively” on Beckwith and his “radical” views. He pointed specifically to a video Beckwith made after the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, in which he said the assault was “divinely inspired.”

Bopp predicted “tens of millions would be spent” on “endless ads quoting and featuring” the radical pastor’s statements on that issue and others, forcing Braun to begrudgingly support or distance himself from Beckwith — either of which could sacrifice votes.

“Braun will be asked, and held in account, for every statement Beckwith has ever made. So how does Braun respond? If he is viewed to be repudiating Beckwith or even distancing himself from him, he loses support from hardcore Beckwith supporters and if he embassies Beckwith, he feeds into the Democrat campaign,” Bopp wrote. “And since Beckwith wins if Braun wins, how can Braun really separate himself from Beckwith if he tried? And does saying ‘I am in charge’ really work when the convention has just nominated Beckwith to hold Braun in account(?) (A)nd it is obvious that Beckwith has no interest in following Braun’s lead if he does not want to.”

 

“By running against Beckwith, the Democrats will be able to (raise) unlimited funds from their left wing allies and billionaire liberal supporters,” Bopp continued. “In taking down Beckwith, they take down Braun. And they will paint the whole ticket, including Todd (Rokita), with this brush.”

When asked about the memo, Bopp said in a statement to the Capital Chronicle that, “I do not discuss confidential communications with others. And I think it was despicable that someone leaked it.”

Josh Kelley, a senior advisor to Braun, separately told the Capital Chronicle that Bopp’s memo “represented his personal views, and there was no way that he implied otherwise.”

“Mike Braun is excited to lead the Indiana Republican Party with Micah Beckwith to historic victories in November,” Kelley said in a statement. “Braun remains focused on enacting a bold conservative agenda as governor and is excited to have Micah Beckwith as his partner to get the job done.”

A ‘serious threat’

Indiana’s GOP delegates narrowly named Beckwith as the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor in a shocking vote at the party’s convention Saturday, rebuffing first-term Rep. Julie McGuire — Braun’s handpicked choice for the role — who had received a last-minute endorsement from former President Donald Trump.

Beckwith ran an unorthodox solo campaign for the number two spot, publicly pitching himself as both the prospective governor’s cheerleader and a check on his power.

 

Bopp noted he ran a campaign to the right of Braun, and that his agenda to “hold the Republican Establishment in account” includes Braun, “most particularly.”

“He will do so with the bully pulpit of Lt. Gov. and endorsement of the Indiana Republican Party at our convention. He has been very active in public speaking over the years, expressing his views on numerous subject(s), and has explicitly run as a Pastor and Christian who will bring that to state government,” Bopp said. “Since both Braun and Beckwith are voted on together as a team, this poses special challenges to the Braun campaign.”

Beckwith is the pastor at Life Church’s Noblesville campus and co-hosts a podcast called “Jesus, Sex and Politics” with another pastor. He also operates a small business — a music school — and remains involved in his family’s dairy company. 

He has additionally spent about five years doing policy work with the Indiana Family Institute and was prominent in a Hamilton County public library effort to relocate allegedly inappropriate books.

In his assessment of Hoosier voters, Bopp looked to the 2022 general election to surmise that 25% is the “default Republican margin” expected this November. 

He looked, too, at Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales, who in 2022 won by 15%, despite facing a “modest” counter-campaign that detoured some “soft/moderate Republican voters.”

A door opening for Democrats?

Bopp cautioned that Braun might not fare so well against campaign attacks, however.

The memo highlights Trump’s May primary results in Indiana, which suggest 10% of GOP voters were “not convinced to support” the former president. Bopp further noted Braun “only got 40% of the Republican primary vote,” and that Libertarian nominee Donald Rainwater will be on the ballot “to drain off some conservative votes,” as well.

“ … it is perfectly plausible that 8% of Diego’s general election vote could be (peeled) away by a vigorous campaign by the Democrats targeting Beckwith …” Bopp said. “This makes the general election very dicey.”

Bopp also expressed concern for incumbent Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, who could still face additional charges from the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission.

“… if disciplinary charges are brought against Todd during the general election, this will add an additional threat to Todd that he will have to meet. And those charges will also be used to smear the whole team,” Bopp wrote.

 

Donnelly did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the suggestion he could be tapped to run.

The only way this could happen is if McCormick withdraws from the ballot.

The Indiana Democratic Party has so far excoriated Beckwith’s positions as “extreme,” and in a statement, Democratic Party Chairman Mike Schmuhl told the Capital Chronicle that Beckwith’s “absurd views have Republicans scrambling, and rightfully so.”

“The Bopp memo shows that even the lawyer who wrote Indiana’s draconian abortion ban thinks that Micah Beckwith’s views are out of the mainstream,” Schmuhl said. “(Beckwith’s) presence on the ticket shows how far the Indiana GOP has gone to appease the most extreme members of its base at the expense of the majority of Hoosiers.”

 

“As we move toward November, Hoosiers deserve to hear and see all of the outlandish claims Beckwith has made and his views on the issues of the day,” he continued. “He is not remotely qualified to step into the Statehouse, let alone be next in line to be governor, and the Bopp memo outlines the real danger he poses to their ticket and our state’s future.”

Jennifer McCormick has the experience to be a leader for all Hoosiers from day one, and her administration will put Hoosiers’ freedoms and their hard work first. She’ll support our local schools, and reject divisive extremism.”

A spokesperson for McCormick’s campaign told the Capital Chronicle late Monday that “she has not been asked to step aside, nor would she consider doing so.” The campaign said in an announcement last week that McCormick’s lieutenant governor pick is expected soon.

“Jennifer is in this race to win it. Hoosiers deserve better than what they have now and certainly better than a radical, extreme Braun-Beckwith administration,” said Kelly Wittman, McCormick’s campaign manager. “It is time for a return to common sense, bipartisanship, and civility. Indiana does not need nor want more chaos and fear. Hoosiers want optimism and opportunity, and that is exactly what a McCormick administration will bring.”

 

[temptation]

On 6/17/2024 at 8:15 AM, Muda69 said:

Let's start with this: 

Briggs: Mike Braun deserves every minute of his new political hell https://www.indystar.com/story/opinion/columnists/james-briggs/2024/06/17/micah-beckwith-isnt-here-to-play-no-2-to-the-next-indiana-governor/74117500007/

It appears the political left is really afraid of this Beckwith character, and to some extent parts of the Indiana GOP as well.  Can Mr. Braun control him if he wins the election?  Does having a Christian Nationalist like Mr. Beckwith holding a political office move Indiana just a sliver closer to the reality depicted in The Handmaid's Tale?

 

“Christian nationalist” lol.

[Muda69]

1 hour ago, temptation said:

“Christian nationalist” lol.

You don't believe Mr. Beckwith is a Christian Nationalist?

 

[temptation]

Just now, Muda69 said:

You don't believe Mr. Beckwith is a Christian Nationalist?

 

I think the term is hysterical.

[Muda69]

Just now, temptation said:

I think the term is hysterical.

Why?  Mr. Beckwith has described himself as such.

 

 

Edited June 18 by Muda69

[temptation]

1 minute ago, Muda69 said:

Why?  Mr. Beckwith has described himself as such.

 

 

Cool.  Still ridiculous that this is perceived as a bad thing.

[Muda69]

1 minute ago, temptation said:

Still ridiculous that this is perceived as a bad thing.

Why?  Do you believe the USA should officially be a Christian Nation, that the federal or a state government should make Christianity the official religion?

[temptation]

13 minutes ago, Muda69 said:

Why?  Do you believe the USA should officially be a Christian Nation, that the federal or a state government should make Christianity the official religion?

Nah.