Trump makes surprise endorsement for lieutenant governor ahead of contested GOP convention
Former President Donald Trump has endorsed Sen. Mike Braun's pick for lieutenant governor days before Indiana Republican insiders are poised to vote on who will accompany Braun on the November ballot as he runs for Indiana governor.
The Trump endorsement is a sign that state Rep. Julie McGuire, Braun's pick, was by no means a shoo-in among the 1,800 elected Republican delegates who will vote for Braun's running mate at the state GOP convention Saturday. McGuire faces Micah Beckwith, a conservative pastor who is running an unprecedented campaign for lieutenant governor.
Usually, delegates defer to the gubernatorial nominee, voting for whomever the candidate chooses to run along side. Beckwith threw out that status quo when he announced he was running in June 2023 to be a check on the governor should Republicans win in November.
More: Indiana's GOP convention is Saturday. Delegates have one major decision to make.
Trump made his endorsement announcement on Truth Social on Thursday, which Braun later shared on X.
"Julie is a conservative Fighter who will strongly advocatefor our Great Farmers and American Agriculture, Supportour Military / Veterans, Defend the Second Amendment and Provide our Children with Excellent Education," Trump said in his post with typos. "Julie McGuire has my Complete and Total Endorsement!"
Trump's endorsement of McGuire makes Beckwith's victory more unlikely in a state where Trump still holds considerable sway. Trump easily won the 2020 election, beating President Joe Biden by 16 percentage points. Plus, a March poll from Emerson College Polling found that 55% of registered Indiana voters said they support Trump, compared to just 34% who said they support Biden. Plus, the very portion of the Republican party Beckwith has been courting are likely Trump voters.
More: This top elected Republican won't attend the state party convention. Here's why.
Trump also endorsed Braun late last year, helping him win a six-way Republican primary with multiple credible candidates. Braun faces Democrat Jennifer McCormick and Libertarian Donald Rainwater on the November ballot.
When sharing the post on X, Braun thanked Trump for endorsing McGuire.
"The Trump/Braun/McGuire team will put America First and deliver for Hoosiers!" Braun posted.
While a Trump endorsement for a lieutenant governor is rare, it's not unheard of. He endorsed Georgia state Sen. Burt Jones in a Republican primary to fill an open Georgia lieutenant governor seat in 2022 and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's reelection bid in Texas in 2021. In both cases, though, Trump was trying to sway primary voters, not a small number of convention delegates.
Contact IndyStar government and politics editor Kaitlin Lange at [email protected] or follow her on X @Kaitlin_Lange.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Donald Trump endorses Mike Braun's lieutenant governor pick