Top Indiana CEOs drop $650K on PACs, races
An IBJ analysis of political giving this election by CEOs of Indiana’s biggest companies found 56 executives donated $650,000 to nearly 92 organizations and candidates seeking federal office.
U.S. Senate
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U.S. Senate candidates meet in relatively calm final debate
The candidates—Joe Donnelly, Mike Braun and Lucy Brenton—were asked about foreign policy, climate change, sexual assault and immigration, but health care seemed to be the main topic Donnelly and Braun wanted to address.
Indiana becomes epicenter of campaign battles over Trump trade policies
Tariffs are weighing heavily on the tossup U.S. Senate contest between Democratic incumbent Joe Donnelly and Republican Mike Braun.
Outside groups have spent nearly $28M on Indiana Senate race this month
It’s a big jump from the end of August, when only 13 outside super PACs had spent money in Indiana to try to influence the nationally watched race.
New poll shows U.S. Senate race too close to call
The new poll of likely voters from SurveyUSA and the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics shows Democratic incumbent Joe Donnelly and Republican challenger Mike Braun in a tight race.
IBJ Podcast: Breaking down Indiana’s Senate race
Host Mason King talks to IBJ political reporter Lindsey Erdody about the race, her experience on the campaign trail with the candidates, and what we know about early voting.
Donald Trump Jr. coming to Indiana to campaign for Braun
Trump Jr., who took over the Trump Organization with his brother Eric after Trump won the 2016 election, has been campaigning for Republican candidates in close races across the country.
Biden, Pence rally Indiana voters in fierce Senate race
Former Vice President Joe Biden headlined an event for Sen. Joe Donnelly in Hammond on Friday night, while current Vice President Mike Pence supported Republican challenger Mike Braun in Indianapolis.
Braun built wealth, then turned to politics
Mike Braun is worth tens of millions of dollars, but his supporters say he carries himself like a regular, down-to-earth guy.
After early political losses, Donnelly hits stride
Joe Donnelly, a Democrat seeking re-election to the U.S. Senate, distances himself from Washington, D.C., but not from President Donald Trump.
Senate confirms Brett Kavanaugh as a Supreme Court justice
The bitterly polarized U.S. Senate narrowly confirmed Brett Kavanaugh to join the Supreme Court, a decision that could swing the court rightward for a generation.
Indiana senators split on moving Kavanaugh’s confirmation forward
A deeply divided Senate pushed Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination past a key procedural hurdle Friday, setting up a likely final showdown this weekend.
IU school renamed for political powerhouses Hamilton, Lugar
The announcement Wednesday afternoon kicked off a $25 million fundraising campaign, the proceeds of which will help establish a scholarship program and endowed faculty positions.
UPDATE: GOP agrees to FBI probe of Kavanaugh, delaying Senate vote
After a dramatic flurry of last-minute negotiations, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh cleared a key procedural hurdle Friday, but his confirmation prospects were still deeply uncertain as Republicans agreed to ask for a new FBI investigation into sexual assault allegations.
Donnelly says he opposes Kavanaugh nomination
U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly’s stance on Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court differs widely from those expressed by Sen. Todd Young from Indiana and Senate candidate Mike Braun.
Some in GOP worried that Braun might be coasting in close race
The criticism of Mike Braun’s performance reflects a sudden sense among the GOP that Senate contests in several states President Trump carried may be tougher than expected and that control of the Republican-led chamber could be at stake.
New poll in U.S. Senate race shows Donnelly slightly ahead
An NBC News/Marist Poll released Wednesday shows 49 percent of likely voters supporting Joe Donnelly and 43 percent backing Mike Braun in a head-to-head race, with a margin of error of 5 percentage points.
Donnelly tries to keep party base happy while appealing to right-leaning voters
As a Democratic U.S. senator in a state Trump won by about 20 points in 2016, Donnelly has to court all voters if he wants to win re-election against Republican Mike Braun.
Secretive PACs key source of funds in U.S. Senate race
The money flowing into a competitive U.S. Senate race can weave an intricate web of sources.
Braun leans heavily on Trump campaign’s ad firm in U.S. Senate battle
No one has paid ad-firm Jamestown Associates more during this election cycle than Republican Mike Braun, who is challenging incumbent Sen. Joe Donnelly, a Democrat.