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Republican Mike Braun declared winner of Indiana governor race

Kayla Dwyer, USA TODAY
·1 min read

Republican Mike Braun has won the Indiana governor's race.

Braun, who left a U.S. Senate seat to run for governor, had about 58% of the votes when the Associated Press declared the winner at 7 p.m. with about 12% of the votes counted. Democrat Jennifer McCormick had about 38% of the votes and Libertarian Donald Rainwater had 4%. The former GOP senator will replace Gov. Eric Holcomb who completed two terms.

The race has been thought of as Braun's to lose. Indiana hasn't elected a Democrat to the position in more than two decades. The state is heavily rural and conservative.

Braun faced a unique set of challenges that made the race less straightforward for him. His running mate Micah Beckwith has dominated the news cycle ― and Democrat talking points ― with his divisive comments about women, pronouns and immigrants. Meanwhile, his Democratic opponents included a former Republican in McCormick and a rural farmer in former state Rep. Terry Goodin.

Presidential election 2024 results: Election Day live updates as Hoosiers head to the polls to vote for president, governor

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

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Republican Mike Braun declared winner of Indiana governor race

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