Source: (Photo by Brooks Kraft LLC/Corbis via Getty Images)
NOBLESVILLE, Ind. — We are just over a year away from the 2024 election in which Hoosiers will choose their next governor. We are less than a year away from the primary election.
The five Republican candidates for governor vying for the GOP nomination to take on whomever Democrats choose were gathered in Hamilton County on Monday for the annual Hamilton County GOP dinner.
Curtis Hill, Eric Doden, Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, Brad Chambers, and Sen. Mike Braun spoke in that order as each of them made their pitch to Republicans in Hamilton County on why they should vote for them.
Crouch was able to rile the crowd the most of the five candidates where she again touted her plan to eliminate the state’s income tax.
“Put me on a stage like tonight with my opponents and there is one difference that is obvious,” Crouch said referring to the fact she’s a woman. “But, when you look at the experience at the local and state executive and legislative levels, there is no comparison.
Crouch also took a jab at her opponents saying that she is not a “self-funded” campaign.
Chambers, who just entered the governor’s race last month, clapped back at Crouch after her speech saying “I did the math. Suzanne was talking about me.” Chambers acknowledged the fact that he is new to running for office.
“I am the new guy, a first-time candidate and political outsider,” he said. “But I know to win in 2024 Republicans must win Hamilton County.”
Chambers spoke about how he wants to streamline state government by reducing licensing fees for Hoosiers and “attack big tech’s intrusions on our youth.”
Sen. Mike Braun spoke last and again spoke about reducing wasteful spending, which is a talking point he has lived by in his time as a senator in Washington.
“If you like me as a senator, I think you’ll like me better as a governor,” Braun said.
Curtis Hill and Eric Doden were the first to speak on the night.
Hill took a very central Indiana approach to his speech talking about how he would not tolerate organizations, naming Black Lives Matter, conducting protests that turn into riots. He accused the Holcomb-Crouch administration of “watching Indianapolis burn” in 2020.
Hill also mocked Sen. Mitch McConnell, jokingly pausing for a long time to imitate McConnell’s recent “freezing moments” in front of reporters.
“You won’t see… you won’t see… a Mitch McConnell moment,” he said.
Businessman Eric Doden spoke about being a good servant to the crowd, saying that today’s politicians “lack a servant’s heart.”
“We have an obligation to lead with a servant’s heart. That’s when we are at our best,” Doden said. “That means to me that you have a bold vision for the people of Indiana.”
The primary election is May 7th next year.
