Here's who's running for Indiana governor in 2024
March 25 update: This story has been updated to reflect the Indiana Election Commission's February meeting, in which major-party candidates survived potential challenges.
The Indiana governor's race is shaping up to be the most competitive in 20 years.
Six candidates have entered the Republican primary race. Three have raised multiple millions of dollars. The Democratic primary has one candidate, who recently switched parties.
They are vying for the spot being vacated by Gov. Eric Holcomb, who is term limited.
Elections: 2024 primaries look like 'tipping point' for Indiana Republican's future
Here are all the candidates officially running for governor, having satisfied Indiana's signature requirement or, in the case of the Libertarian party, earned their party's nomination.
Suzanne Crouch
Party: Republican
Hometown: Evansville
Occupation: Indiana's lieutenant governor under Holcomb since 2017
Campaign launch date: Dec. 12, 2022
Cash on hand as of June 30: $3.9 million
The skinny: Crouch has a long history working through the ranks of government, from county auditor to state representative to state auditor before Holcomb tapped her to be his lieutenant governor. She's been flexing those widespread connections by wracking up endorsements every day from elected officials across the state and levels of government. Voters haven't necessarily had a chance to get to know her personal positions on issues in her roles as auditor and Holcomb's No. 2, so on the campaign trail, she's trying to introduce herself as a pragmatic conservative who wants to see more investment in mental health and early childhood education and who also falls in line with the most conservative views on abortion and gender ideology in schools.
Website: crouchforindiana.com
Mike Braun
Party: Republican
Hometown: Jasper
Occupation: U.S. Senator for Indiana
Campaign launch date: Dec. 12, 2022
Cash on hand as of June 30: $4.6 million
The skinny: Mike Braun has always positioned himself as an entrepreneurial political "outsider," both now and when he defeated incumbent Democrat Joe Donnelly in the U.S. Senate race in 2018. Likening himself to former President Donald Trump, Braun leans heavily on his business background as the founder and former CEO of Meyer Distributing in his hometown of Jasper and says Washington D.C. needs the business perspective. Now he's returning to Indiana, saying he doesn't want to be a "career" D.C. politician. Braun is among the most conservative in the U.S. Senate, and voted against measures like the American Rescue Plan and the Respect for Marriage Act.
Website: mikebraunforindiana.com
Eric Doden
Party: Republican
Hometown: Fort Wayne
Occupation: President of Pago USA, a company that restores buildings in downtown areas; founding partner of Domo Development LLC and Domo Ventures LLC
Campaign launch date: May 6, 2021
Cash on hand as of June 30: $3.8 million
The skinny: Doden, the earliest entrant into the race, is perhaps most known as a former president of the Indiana Economic Development Corp. from 2013-15, under former Gov. Mike Pence. He also previously served as CEO of Greater Fort Wayne, Inc., Allen County's business chamber. His big pitch is to revitalize Indiana's main streets in rural communities as a way to bolster the state's economy, population and quality of life. An anti-abortion conservative, he also proposes a zero-cost adoption program and exempting school teachers from the state income tax. He has also pitched a vision for improving public safety in downtown Indianapolis that involves giving more control to state agencies.
Website: dodenforindiana.com
Curtis Hill
Party: Republican
Hometown: Elkhart
Occupation: Former Indiana Attorney General (2017-2020)
Campaign launch date: July 10, 2023
Cash on hand as of June 30: $19,000
The skinny: Hill comes from a legal and conservative background, having served as Elkhart County prosecutor for 14 years before becoming Indiana's attorney general. In that 2016 election, he received the most number of votes among any ballot race in Indiana, including the presidency. He, more than his predecessors, expanded that office into a national political stage by speaking out on controversial issues and forming a close relationship with former President Donald Trump. But his reputation is stained by allegations that he groped four women, including a state lawmaker, at a party in 2018. Though a special prosecutor declined to file criminal charges, the state Supreme Court later suspended Hill's law license for a month. At the time, prominent members of his party called for him to resign; now, part of Hill's platform positions himself against the "Indianapolis establishment" ― a juxtaposition supported by his track record of speaking out against Holcomb's administration.
Website: curtishill.com
Brad Chambers
Party: Republican
Hometown: Indianapolis
Occupation: Former commerce secretary and former president of the Indiana Economic Development Corp.
Campaign launch date: Aug. 17, 2023
The skinny: There's already a lot of money in this race, and another former IEDC president, and other candidates with arguably more name recognition among voters. So the key question facing a Chambers candidacy is how he will differentiate himself and attract voters away from other candidates who occupy similar lanes ― whether it's Doden and Braun in the business world or Crouch in the ranks of government. But while Chambers has a lot of ground to cover, he likely won't struggle to garner resources, as the four-decade founder and CEO of Indianapolis-based real estate investing firm Buckingham Companies. Gov. Eric Holcomb appointed Chambers to lead the IEDC, which he did for one term. This is his first political race.
Jennifer McCormick
Party: Democrat
Hometown: New Castle
Occupation: Former Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction (2017-2021)
Campaign launch date: May 4, 2023
Cash on hand as of June 30: $209,000
The skinny: McCormick comes from an education background and was a Republican until flipping parties at the end of her term as state schools superintendent. But the Indiana GOP has considered her a Democrat since 2020, when she started endorsing a slew of Democratic candidates ― including opponents to House Speaker Todd Huston and Holcomb. She entered the race criticizing the state Republican supermajority's "divisive politics," particularly when it comes to schools, where debates have centered around LGBTQ issues and "parental rights." She views these debates as a distraction from other "common sense" issues like ensuring quality public education and supporting rural communities. But she faces stiff odds: Indiana hasn't had a Democratic governor in 20 years.
Website: mccormickforgov.com
Donald Rainwater
Party: Libertarian
Hometown: Westfield
Occupation: Software engineer
Campaign launch date: April 28, 2023
Cash on hand as of June 30: $7,000
The skinny: Donald Rainwater appears to be riding the momentum created three years ago when he captured an unusually high 12% of the vote in the 2020 gubernatorial election, which is far greater than the Libertarian Party's typical 3-4% showing. The Navy veteran captured votes by campaigning on the resentment against Holcomb's COVID-19 lockdowns. Now campaigning for governor, Rainwater wants to abolish or roll back many taxes, legalize marijuana and expand school choice.
Website: Rainwaterforindiana.com
Jamie Reitenour
Party: Republican
Hometown: Indianapolis
Campaign launch date: Jan. 7, 2023
Cash on hand as of June 30: $4,500
The skinny: Reitenour is a mother of five whose platform is built upon her devout Christian faith. She believes in abolishing all abortions, giving parents more access to what their kids are learning in school, cutting taxes and spending, and preventing transgender people from playing on sports teams that are not associated with their sex assigned at birth.
Website: jamie4ingov.com
Contact the reporter at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana governor's race 2024: Who is running?
