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This rich guy could derail a GOP senator's plan to become Indiana's next governor [1]

['Daily Kos Staff']

Date: 2023-08-17  

Former Indiana Secretary of Commerce Brad Chambers announced Thursday that he was joining the race to succeed his old boss and fellow Republican, termed-out Gov. Eric Holcomb, and the first-time candidate's presence will likely make what's already a pricey May primary even more expensive. And while Sen. Mike Braun had long looked like the favorite to win the nomination, Chambers' decision to run could also be a sign that the senator's status is not secure.

Chambers spent nearly four decades running the Buckingham Companies, a prominent Indianapolis-based commercial real estate firm that he founded, before becoming both state commerce secretary and head of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation in 2021. Howey Politics wrote last month that Chambers, who at the time was about to step down from Holcomb's cabinet, would "likely" self-fund a campaign, though it's not clear how much money he's willing and able to throw down.

Some of the cash that Chambers long ago parted ways with, though, could give him trouble as he tries to win over conservatives. Journalist Adam Wren reported in March that Chambers has donated a total of $20,000 to state and federal Democrats, including a committee to support Barack Obama's 2008 presidential bid and to then-Sen. Joe Donnelly in 2015. (Braun unseated Donnelly three years later.) His most recent contribution to a Democrat came in 2020, when he gave $250 to support a state lawmaker.

Wren also noted at the time that some of Buckingham’s priorities could further leave Chambers vulnerable to attack on his right flank. "[W]e aim to fully integrate environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices that are aligned with our business strategy and stakeholder interests," according to a company statement. "Our ESG strategy is informed by industry best practices and intended to reduce our carbon footprint, preserve communities, increase value, and reduce risk."

Needless to say, these are not popular positions in the GOP: Earlier this year, Braun enlisted his entire caucus in support of a resolution bashing the Biden administration over these corporate governance practices. The senator, however, might be the wrong person to make Chambers' past donations an issue: CNN reported in 2018 that Braun had a long history of voting in Democratic primaries that continued through 2008, something he claims he did because he lived in a blue county and wanted to have a say in local politics.

The senator announced in December that he'd run for governor rather than seek a second term, and he released an internal poll around that time showing him beating Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch in a 47-10 landslide, with self-funding businessman Eric Doden at 5%. (Only Doden had announced when that survey was conducted, while Braun and Crouch entered a short time later.) No one, though, has released any reliable numbers since then of what's now a much more crowded race.

The field grew last month when former Attorney General Curtis Hill, a one-time rising star who lost renomination in 2020 after multiple women accused him of sexual assault, launched a comeback effort. Hill echoed Donald Trump's own protestations of innocence by claiming to the Indiana Capitol Chronicle that, as soon as he was elected in 2016, "there was a target because I was a proven, conservative leader but also someone that would stand up to the status quo." Doden, who also ran the state's Economic Development Corporation under then-Gov. Mike Pence, meanwhile beat everyone else to TV this month when he launched a $2 million media buy.

Whoever wins the GOP nod will likely face former state education superintendent Jennifer McCormick, a former Republican who so far has the Democratic primary to herself. McCormick, who like Crouch would be the first woman to lead the state, has gone after her old party for pushing an ultra-conservative agenda, including a near-total abortion ban, while arguing that schools and the economy have suffered. Democrats will face a tough task next year, though, as they last won Indiana's governorship in 2000, when incumbent Frank O'Bannon secured reelection.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/8/17/2187872/-This-rich-guy-could-derail-a-GOP-senator-s-plan-to-become-Indiana-s-next-governor

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