Cowell: Some thoughts on the Indiana primary election

Despite all those millions some of the contenders spent in Indiana’s most expensive primary election race in history, nobody came close to beating Sen. Mike Braun for the Republican nomination for governor. He was among the well-funded, but he had something beyond that — the endorsement of Donald Trump.

As I’ve noted before, the race probably was over on Feb. 9, when filing for the primary ended.

It ended with Braun challenged by Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and two wealthy candidates, Brad Chambers and Eric Doden, both willing to spend their own money or family money for a torrent of TV ads. Two other candidates, Jamie Reitenour and Curtis Hill, never got any substantial statewide support.

Braun had his own barrage of TV ads, with the most significant message: “I’m proudly endorsed by President Trump.”

So, Braun was going to get about 40%, with the other three serious candidates splitting the remainder. Braun did get 40 per cent. Next in percentages as they split the opposition to Braun were Crouch, 22; Chambers, 17, Doden, 12; Reitenour, 5; Hill, 4.

Chambers kept pouring in money until campaign close, hitting the $10 million mark in self-funding.

Doden got an additional $2 million in contributions from his parents, who already had given $4.7 million.

Money isn’t always decisive, especially when it’s not spent effectively. Chambers, once thought to have the best chance to somehow catch Braun, spent big to claim he was an “outsider.” He wasn’t. And it didn’t catch on, with voters more interested in what he would do if inside the governor’s office.

Money didn’t help the challengers in the final debate. Braun wasn’t there because of an important Senate vote. The others spent more time complaining about questions from the moderator than in giving sharp answers to attract voters. But the race really was over by then.

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In St. Joseph County, the most closely watched and nastiest race was won by state Sen. David Niezgodski, who easily won Democratic re-nomination by 24 percentage points over Tim Swager, the county treasurer.

Swager waged personal attacks over allegations that Niezgodski had been involved in sexual harassment in 2017. Niezgodski supporters questioned the source and legality of Swager’s funding of campaign material.

The bitter campaign split Democratic ranks. Some in the party said Niezgodski should step aside. Others deplored Swager’s personal attacks over a situation where no criminal charge ever was filed.

More: Democratic Party split over how to respond to Niezgodski sexual harassment settlement

Niezgodski had strong support in endorsements from Mayor James Mueller and state Rep. Maureen Bauer in TV ads. They urged voters to focus on Niezgodski’s record in the Senate, which they praised.

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While the presidential primary meant nothing in terms of selecting the nominees, there was interest in what percentage of the Republican primary vote would go to Nikki Haley. She qualified for the ballot before dropping out of the campaign a month ago.

Votes for her now in Republican primaries are seen as expressions of dissatisfaction with Trump and possible indication of defections in November.

Haley got 22 percent of the vote, higher than seemed likely in a state where Trump has done so well.

There was national attention to Haley getting 16.5% of the Republican turnout in Pennsylvania. Doing even better, 22 percent in “very red” Indiana, will be analyzed in terms of Trump strength in segments of Republican voters.

Haley got over 30% — basically a third of the Republican vote — in three major Indiana counties.

In Democratic-tending Marion County, the state’s largest, 35% of Republican voters picked Haley. In Hamilton County, a growing suburban area long a Republican bastion, Haley got 34%. In Tippecanoe County, home of Purdue University, it was 31%.

Haley’s got 23 percent in St. Joseph County. Surprisingly, Haley was selected by 20% in Kosciusko County, one of the strongest Republican counties in the state.

Jack Colwell is a columnist for The Tribune. Write to him in care of The Tribune or by email at jcolwell@comcast.net.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: A look at the Indiana primary results