Will Mike Braun be a business-first governor of Indiana?

On January 14, 2025By Littum

What does a successful first term look like for Indiana Gov. Mike Braun?

I have written before that Mike Braun was a bad US Senator. I am pessimistic about the likelihood that he will perform better as Indiana governor.

But it’s a new year, a new job for Braun, and I’m willing to change my mind.

Before we can evaluate Braun, we need to set some basic expectations. I reached out to a mix of central Indiana leaders in both parties who have a stake in Braun’s performance—in other words, they benefit if Braun performs well—and asked one question: What does a successful first term look like for Brown?

The answers (no surprise here) suggest that Braun should operate as a business-minded leader who stays above the fray on social issues and makes Indiana more marketable for businesses and people alike. There is some hope that Braun is up for the job, but also fears that certain pitfalls will take him down before he can even get started.

Braun’s property tax pledge backed him into a corner

Braun’s adoption of property taxes as a central campaign issue set the table for a contentious start to his tenure.

Indiana Republicans generally fall into one of two camps: those who want comprehensive property tax reform, with noticeable savings for most Hoosiers, and those who want Braun to shepherd through a minimally invasive tweak so he can claim victory and move on.

These are mutually exclusive goals. It is not at all clear how Braun or competing factions within the Indiana General Assembly can bridge the gap.

As if that problem wasn’t already challenging enough, Braun faces the prospect of being rejected by Lt. Govt. Micah Beckwith. One Republican noted to me that Beckwith has presented himself as a team player in recent months, but added, “That will change Tuesday morning. As soon as he’s not happy, he’ll make that very clear.”

Another, more hopeful Republican said of Braun: “I think he’s fortunately almost cut off from Micah to irrelevance.”

We’ll see. Beckwith enters an office with diminishing control over government functions. But he will have the messaging power to make life difficult for Braun if Beckwith perceives the new governor as being above property taxes or any other issue.

Braun needs to fix his property tax problem or it could overshadow everything else.

Pragmatic, business-focused conservatism

A few months ago, it was much easier to find a Republican willing to dump Braun than one who would offer a hopeful vision for his future as governor. But Republicans’ once frozen feelings toward Braun are thawing, perhaps in large part because they have to work with him now, so they might as well adopt positive positions.

Braun critics from both parties told me that his team of advisers (not without detractors) signals that he is serious about good governance. An influential Republican who backed Brad Chambers in the gubernatorial primary and told me Braun “wasn’t very well-respected” in the Senate said he’s rooting for Braun.

“I think in some ways he might do more than (Gov. Eric Holcomb) did because I think he’ll take a business-like approach, so I’m a lot more positive than I might have been,” said the person. .

Some business-minded Republicans want to see Braun reform the Indiana Economic Development Corp. to a less powerful entity (especially in response to the much-mocked LEAP district) and reverse the state’s education decline.

Braun’s own problem page offers few concrete goals to score him on (examples: “Stand Up to Woke Corporations” and “Standing with Law Enforcement”), but it highlights education as a top priority. As Michael Hicks has written for IndyStar, educational outcomes and wages are deteriorating in Indiana. Braun’s record on these issues will be key to judging his success.

Indiana’s Chief Marketing Officer

Indiana is engaged in a constant struggle to define itself to outsiders. We’ve seen what it looks like when it’s going well (pick any number of successful events held in Indianapolis) and when it’s going badly (the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 2015).

Braun, Beckwith, legislative leaders, cities, corporate interests and others are being reset on the delicate dance. Braun has the largest platform to set the tone for messaging.

In some ways, the Indiana governor’s office is like a Chief Marketing Officer for the state. How the governor tells Indiana’s story matters — and it matters especially if the governor can get other interests behind him to present the best version of ourselves.

Despite my skepticism, I hope the optimists are right and that Braun turns out to be the right governor for the moment.

Contact James Briggs at 317-444-4732 or [email protected]. Follow him on X and Blue sky at @JamesEBriggs.