INDIANAPOLIS — The majority of the Republican candidates running for Indiana Governor are expected in a Tuesday evening debate hosted by the Indiana Debate Commission, the last one before next month’s primary.

The debate will begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday and be streamed out of this story. The debate will be moderated by Jon Schwantes, the host of PBS’s “Indiana Lawmakers,” and will feature:

  • Brad Chambers, Indiana’s former secretary of commerce
  • Suzanne Crouch, Indiana’s current lieutenant governor
  • Eric Doden, the former head of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation
  • Curtis Hill, Indiana’s former attorney general
  • Jamie Reitenour

U.S. Senator Mike Braun (R-Ind), an additional Republican candidate for Indiana Governor, previously said that he would not participate in Tuesday’s debate because he will be participating in a U.S. Senate vote.

In a statement from Braun on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, Braun said:

I was looking forward to sharing my vision with Hoosiers at tonight’s debate but Chuck Schumer has called the Senate into session. Tonight, I am in D.C. voting ‘no’ on a bill to send $95 billion of your money overseas instead of securing our open southern border, which puts Hoosier families in danger every day. I’m proud to stand up for you and vote against the Biden spending spree making life unaffordable for so many Hoosiers.

I am proud to be the only candidate in this race endorsed by President Trump, the Indiana State Police Alliance and National Troopers Coalition because they know I reject the woke agenda and will put Hoosiers’ safety and security first.

Braun

In a statement from the Chambers campaign, Chambers’ team criticized Braun’s decision.

“Career politician U.S. Senator Mike Braun continues to insult Hoosiers and put himself first,” the campaign said. “He’ll skip votes in D.C. to collect checks at a campaign fundraiser but then use votes to skip a debate and hide from voters and his record. It’s no wonder why his poll numbers keep dropping — Hoosiers have had enough.”

In response to Braun’s decision, Crouch said that if she is elected governor, she “promises to spend more time in Washington, Indiana than in Washington D.C.”

In a post on X, Reitenour provided the following statement on Braun’s decision to miss Tuesday’s debate:

A few short weeks ago, a Braun campaign fundraiser was important enough to miss a major US Senate Vote. Since then? A historic campaign violation fine, and zero new ideas. He’s trusting that his $7M campaign spending will trump his disrespect for the voter!

Reitenour