Sen. Mike Braun leads Indiana GOP primary for governor: Poll

Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) boasts a substantial lead in Indiana’s Republican gubernatorial primary, polling released Thursday shows, weeks out from the state’s May contest.

The Emerson College Polling/The Hill survey of Indiana voters found Braun the clear leader in the gubernatorial GOP race, with 34 percent support among likely primary voters. 

His rivals — including Indiana Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch; former Indiana Commerce Secretary Brad Chambers and Eric Doden, a former appointee of ex-Gov. Mike Pence — each got 7 percent or less.

Notably, a plurality of voters, or 43 percent, are still undecided. 

Braun’s primary support is roughly 10 points higher among men than women, noted Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling — and 51 percent of women are undecided.

Republican primary voters who think immigration is the top issue facing the state break for Braun at 48 percent, Kimball said. 

After just one term in the Senate, Braun is looking to succeed Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb, who is term-limited. The GOP has controlled the governor’s mansion in the Hoosier State for nearly two decades.

The Indiana senator’s gubernatorial bid leaves his upper chamber seat open in 2024, and he’s endorsed Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) to replace him.

At the top of the ticket, President Biden and former President Trump are leading their respective parties — and GOP candidate Nikki Haley dropped out Wednesday, after the poll was conducted, to set Trump on a clear path to the nomination. 

In a hypothetical general election match-up, 55 percent of registered voters in Indiana back Trump, while just 34 percent pick Biden — and another 12 percent are undecided. 

Braun last month said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) should “bite his tongue” and endorse Trump’s reelection bid, which the GOP leader did Wednesday.

“Donald Trump is the GOP nominee to defeat Biden and save America – there is no third option and if you are a Republican elected official who refuses to support Trump then you are helping Joe Biden and hurting America,” Braun wrote in a recent social media post.

Trump has endorsed Braun for governor.

The Indiana poll was conducted March 2-5 among 1,000 registered voters, with a credibility interval, similar to a poll’s margin of error, of plus or minus 3 percentage points. Among the subgroup of 526 likely Republican primary voters, the credibility interval was plus or minus 4.2 percentage points.