Indiana Republican governor nominee Mike Braun makes lieutenant governor endorsement

U.S. Sen. Mike Braun, who on Tuesday became Indiana's Republican nominee for governor, revealed his endorsement for lieutenant governor on Wednesday in an interview with IndyStar.

Should Republican delegates vote Braun's way at the state GOP convention this summer, one-term state Rep. Julie McGuire, R-Indianapolis, will be Braun's running mate in the fall.

"I'm excited about him being the governor," McGuire told IndyStar Wednesday. "I'm excited about him not being afraid to be bold. And that's what we need. We need courage and to do the right thing for Indiana, and I'm excited and humbled to be part of it."

Braun won the primary handily on Tuesday, earning 40% of the vote in a six-way race that included the sitting Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, former commerce Secretary Brad Chambers, Fort Wayne entrepreneur Eric Doden, former Attorney General Curtis Hill and Indianapolis mother Jamie Reitenour.

McGuire, by comparison, is a newcomer to elected office: Following a two-year stint as a legislative policy analyst for the Indiana Senate Republicans, she waged her first campaign against an incumbent for her Statehouse seat, which represents a southeast portion of Marion County, in 2022. With the backing of House Republican leadership, she unseated Rep. John Jacob, who routinely butted heads with House leadership over his no-compromise anti-abortion stance.

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But Braun's choice had primarily to do with his policy objectives, he said: His top priority is addressing health care, and McGuire has, in his eyes, proven herself a policy wonk in that topic. (Her bill last session introducing changes to state employee health plans that would have saved the state $84 million a year made it to the House floor.)

"(There were a) lot of people that might have had political interest," Braun said of potential running mates. "I was looking for somebody that had legislative chops to come in and do that, because I intend to be active in that arena."

Any other political calculations ― like her connection to central Indiana, balancing out Braun's rural roots ― are merely a bonus, he said.

McGuire ran unopposed in Tuesday's Republican primary for reelection to her Statehouse seat. Per Indiana law, McGuire would not be allowed to be a state representative if she becomes lieutenant governor.

But the two have an unusual challenge to face at the Republican convention: Micah Beckwith, a conservative pastor from Noblesville, announced his own campaign for lieutenant governor last summer and has been courting delegates ever since.

Beckwith said he wanted to give delegates an actual choice at the convention. Typically, the party's gubernatorial nominee endorses a person as their running mate, and the delegates ceremoniously vote that person through.

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Braun will still have his say in recommending McGuire, but now the question of how much sway he has is left to the delegates.

He's not too worried about it. He said he's been building relationships with delegates in all 92 counties over the last six years of his Senate term.

"You'll find that we'll we know how to run campaigns, obviously," he said. "And one of the campaigns is going to be to get delegates on board. And I think we'll do that. I don't mind the competition at all."

Whomever the delegates choose in June will join Braun on the November ballot where he'll face Democrat Jennifer McCormick and Libertarian Donald Rainwater.

As a freshman representative this past legislative session, McGuire was most known for her bill that sought to undo the special taxing district in downtown Indianapolis that lawmakers slipped into the state budget the prior year. By session's end, the General Assembly worked out a compromise, allowing Indianapolis to have the tax district but with certain groups exempted and only after the city goes through the ordinance process again. McGuire was removed as a bill author by that time and voted against the final bill, saying she doesn't support adding property taxes for businesses.

She successfully passed a different bill last session adding new guidelines for when the Department of Child Services can terminate parental rights for the sake of a child's safety. House Enrolled Act 1369 got unanimous support.

McGuire is also the secretary of the Perry Township GOP Club and is on the board of directors for Roncalli High School, a Catholic school in Indianapolis. She's a mother of four who was born and raised in Indianapolis.

Running for lieutenant governor hadn't been on her radar at all, she said. When she got a phone call from the Braun campaign, she assumed at first it was to take on a policy role.

"So I'm beyond honored and humbled that there are people that put my name out there," she said. "It's quite an honor."

Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Kayla Dwyer at kdwyer@indystar.com or follow her on Twitter @kayla_dwyer17.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Mike Braun endorses Julie McGuire for Indiana lieutenant governor