Mike Braun has to be feeling lonely. Braun out-spent several rivals & won May’s primary. In June as nominee for Gov of this iteration of the IN Republican Party [FN1] Braun could see the 6/15 State convention as a victory party. Oh, yeah. There was a formality:1/14

Braun’s pick of a running-mate. The Gov/Lt Gov ticket can’t be split. Braun had spent $, won the primary w > 236K votes and picked a woman from Indiana General Assembly. [FN2] There was a snag: Ham County preacher Micah Beckwith. [FN3] 2/14

Beckwith announced, in June, 2023, his candidacy for IN LT Gov, a nominee chosen at State convention by delegates, regardless of the primary’s winner. [FN4] Beckwith traveled the State to get support and to recruit people to be delegates to the convention. 3/14

Braun seemed surprised when Beckwith won. [FN5] Perhaps a greater surprise is that, with a year in which to do it and hardly any opposition, Beckwith won by only 63 votes. [FN6] Vibes were not good, immediately after the convention, for Beckwith. Example: 4/14

Jim Bopp, a Terre Haute lawyer, who signed as “incorporator” the Articles of Incorporation for magaGOP [FN7] said, in a June memo, that Beckwith poses a serious threat to Braun’s candidacy. [FN8] Some saw Beckwith as being pushed aside. As late as 9/27 5/14

an email described a fund raiser as the only event where Beckwith and Braun will appear together. Ah! Bopp might be correct about Beckwith being a threat to Braun’s candidacy. On Tuesday, Adam Wren reported in Importantville that Beckwith’s holding a fundraiser.... 6/14

for her/himself. Braun’s name is not on the invitation, but the names of IN’s State treasurer and State comptroller are. And, to tie this up w/a bow, also on the invitation is Jim Bopp [FN9] who knew, back in June, the threat Beckwith posed to Braun’s candidacy. 7/14

There’s a greater threat. Nearly a quarter-million primary voters chose Braun. Beckwith won only 891 delegates’ votes. That’s the ideal, one may surmise, of magaGOP. Fewer people make decisions. Hoosiers are being conditioned to doubt the legitimacy of elections. 8/14

Everyone should get out and vote. Also, someone should stop by Braun’s place to if Braun is okay. Beckwith wants power. If that ticket wins and Braun meets an early demise, Beckwith is Gov. Follow Cassie Jackson on Facebook! #BrainsNotBraun 9/14

Footnotes:
FN1. Sen Mike Braun won May’s primary w/236,649 votes/39.6% of the votes cast for six (6) candidates (AXIOS, Indianapolis) to be the nominee for Governor of what once had a legit claim to being called “the party of Lincoln.” 10/14

Footnotes:
FN2. Rep Julie McGuire.
FN3. Ham County preacher, lost 2020 GOP primary for INCD5; resigned, board member of Hamilton East Public Library (HEPL). 11/14

Footnotes:
FN4. Wren, “Confessions of an (Alleged) Book Banner, Importantville, 9/24/23.
FN5. Smith, Brandon, “Pastor Micah Beckwith is Indiana GOP nominee for lieutenant governor, beating Mike Braun's pick,” WFYI, 06/15/24. 12/14

Footnotes:
FN6. Indiana Republican State Committee, Inc., 10/21/05.
FN7. Wren, Adam, “Scoop: Beckwith holds fundraiser for independent political account,” Importantville, 10/15/24.
FN8. Id. 13/14

Footnotes:
FN9. Of 1,719 delegates at the State convention in June, 891 voted for Beckwith and 828 voted for Braun’s choice. [that’s a 63-vote margin] Bonilla Muniz, Leslie, “Hoosier GOP insiders spurn party establishment, nominate Beckwith for LG,” Indiana Capital, 6/15/24. 14/14