Midwest
In Indiana, competition for GOP gubernatorial primary ramps up
In a state as solidly Republican as Indiana, the May primary is the real competition.
Four months out, five candidates are still jockeying for the GOP gubernatorial nomination in an unusually crowded field. Annual campaign finance reports filed Wednesday reflect a multimillion-dollar race that has become a competition of who can out-conservative the others for primary votes in a state with historically low turnout.
Two-term Gov. Eric Holcomb, a Republican, cannot run again because of term limits. Indiana’s primary is May 7.
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“In Indiana, we are not used to seeing competitive primaries,” said Gregory Shufeldt, a professor of political science at the University of Indianapolis.
Shufeldt said the crowded field could be a result of interest in state government roles, rather than a career in a Congress bogged with gridlock in the recent years. First-term U.S. Sen. Mike Braun’s decision to join the gubernatorial race opened up his seat, and many expect U.S. Rep Jim Banks, a Republican, to easily fill it.
Braun’s close allegiance to former President Donald Trump helped propel his Senate win in 2018 and has given him statewide name recognition. Braun ended 2023 with a healthy $4 million in the bank, according to finance reports, and has Trump’s endorsement again this year.
On Dec. 12, 2022 in Indianapolis, Republican Sen. Braun announced that he will run for Indiana governor in 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)
Touting similar name recognition is Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, whose ambitious plan to eliminate the state income tax is one of the most divisive subjects in the race so far. “Axe the Tax” has been decried by the other candidates to some degree as unrealistic and untimely.
Holcomb has not endorsed a successor, including Crouch. And Crouch has rarely evoked Holcomb, whose popularity took a hit over some COVID-19 restrictions such as a statewide mask mandate. Crouch has, rather, relied on her record of statewide and county service and pitched a focus on mental health and addiction services.
Her campaign reported ending 2023 with $3.7 million in the bank.
Shufeldt called Crouch’s politics “pragmatic” conservatism, similar to Indiana’s past two governors.
“It’s a contest between conservative, very conservative and extremely conservative,” he said of the race.
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Curtis Hill, the embattled former attorney general, has appealed to the Trump conservative base with his campaign rhetoric.
Hill lost the Republican nomination for reelection in 2020 following allegations that he drunkenly groped four women during a party. He denied the accusations, but the Indiana Supreme Court temporarily suspended his license after finding “by clear and convincing evidence that (Hill) committed the criminal act of battery” against three female legislative staffers and a state lawmaker.
He and Braun have been the most vocal on topics pertaining to issues contested in national elections, such as immigration and border security.
Shufeldt said Holcomb and former Gov. Mitchell Daniels, who served two terms before former Vice President Mike Pence, generally avoided stepping into “cultural issues” and focused more on school vouchers and economic development.
“I think a Braun or Hill governorship probably puts cultural issues more front and center,” he said.
However, Hill ended the year millions of dollars behind the competition, reporting about $123,000 in cash on hand.
The other Republican candidates, Brad Chambers and Eric Doden, have similar resumes. Both have led the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, a quasi-governmental agency, and have focused their campaigning on Indiana’s economic future.
Doden’s “Main Street Initiative” — focused on reviving and retaining the economy of Indiana’s small towns — is the backbone of his campaign. Chambers has repeatedly touted Indiana’s economic growth during his recent time as secretary of commerce. Both have directed messaging toward supporting law enforcement.
Chambers, who entered the race last of the bunch in August, raised over $8.5 million in 2023 and contributed $5 million himself. He ended the year with $2.91 million in the bank, according to records.
Doden threw his name in the ring as early as 2021 and reported over $1 million in cash on hand at the end of 2023. His campaign said he has raised $5 million to date.
While the race is expected to be the most expensive in Indiana history for the office, its unlikely to boost turnout, said Laura Wilson, professor of political science at the University of Indianapolis. Indiana historically has low voter turnout; 24% of those registered voted in the 2020 primary. Fundraising might matter the most to Doden and Chambers, who lack the name recognition of the other candidates.
On the Democratic side of the ballot, former Indiana schools Superintendent Jennifer McCormick is running a longshot bid to flip the state’s top office. McCormick split from the GOP over education policy and later changed her party affiliation after her term ended in early 2021. Libertarian Donald Rainwater and Republican Jamie Reitenour are also campaigning for the office.
Wilson expected the race to soon turn to more political topics including abortion and support for Trump.
“For some voters, I think, this race unfortunately is going to be somewhat of an afterthought because the focus nationally is going to be so heavy on the presidential,” Wilson said.
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Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield makes an endorsement for governor
Sheffield endorsed longtime colleague Jocelyn Benson at an event in Detroit.
Lansing — Two surveys from a longtime Michigan pollster set off a battle last week among campaigns for governor and U.S. Senate, with some factions claiming the results should be deemed misleading and untrustworthy.
The dispute centered on polls conducted by Mitchell Research & Communications, which attempted to examine voters’ feelings about the GOP primary race for governor and the Democratic primary race for the U.S. Senate.
However, some prominent political figures noted that Mitchell Research contacted participants through text messages that directed them to an online SurveyMonkey poll and the links could have been shared broadly with a particular candidate’s supporters.
In an interview, Steve Mitchell of Mitchell Research acknowledged the links were shareable but said some of the allegations against his polling methods were “bulls—.” He also defended his record as a pollster.
“Who was ranked 13th most accurate in U.S. in 2024 by ActiVote, a third party firm Higher than WAPO, ABC, CNN, NY Times, SurveyUSA?” Mitchell asked, referring to himself, on X amid a barrage of criticism Wednesday night.
In response, political consultant Adrian Hemond wrote, “Address the methodology flaw in your polls bro. You sent out shareable links. Casting bones or divination would be more legitimate.”
Mitchell released the gubernatorial poll on Monday. It showed U.S. Rep. John James of Shelby Township, former Attorney General Mike Cox of Livonia and businessman Perry Johnson of Bloomfield Hills in a close race.
Johnson’s adviser, John Yob, slammed the Mitchell poll as an “easily corrupted trash methodology.”
Despite the methodology questions, the results were covered by a number of news outlets in Michigan. Yob called on them to issue retractions.
The Capitol newsletter Michigan Information & Research Service (MIRS) News, which works with Mitchell on polling, reported that in the survey, the fourth GOP candidate, state Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt of Van Buren County, was getting 0% in west Michigan, close to his home territory that he represented for 14 years in the Legislature.
MIRS News covered the governor poll but declined to report on the U.S. Senate poll the following day, despite the fact that Mitchell initially said MIRS News had “sponsored” the polls.
In the interview, Mitchell told The Detroit News that he actually paid for the polls and simply provided them to MIRS News.
“I am curious,” Mitchell said. “I run a polling company. So I paid for the poll.”
His Senate poll showed Abdul El-Sayed of Ann Arbor with a lead over U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens of Birmingham and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow of Royal Oak in a distant third place at 6%. Most polls have had McMorrow much closer to Stevens and El-Sayed.
Kyle Melinn, the editor of MIRS News, acknowledged to Politico that he decided not to publish the poll, in part, because of pressure from McMorrow’s campaign.
“I told Steve (Mitchell) that the (McMorrow) campaign did raise issues with the poll, and that they were pressuring me to not run the poll,” Melinn told Politico.
Despite the basement-level showing for McMorrow, one of Stevens’ advisers even questioned the poll results.
“This methodology does seem pretty bad!” Stevens adviser Caitlin Legacki wrote on X.
Mitchell’s memo on the Senate primary credited left-wing commentator Hasan Piker as “probably a primary reason for El-Sayed’s movement upward.” A May Mitchell poll had El-Sayed at 28%, while the June poll had him at 42%.
However, Piker visited Michigan in April, before both polls.
The new poll also found El-Sayed getting 67% of the support in Detroit, much higher than people would expect. When he ran for governor in 2018 in another three-way primary race, he got 26% of the vote in Detroit.
House blocks Pride Month resolution; Hall says it’s ‘divisive’
House Democrats read a resolution Wednesday recognizing June 2026 as Pride Month from the front steps of the state Capitol after Republican House Speaker Matt Hall, for the second year running, would not hold a vote on the resolution.
“We would be thrilled if they would like to pass this resolution before the end of June,” said state Rep. Jason Morgan, D-Ann Arbor, a member of the LGBTQ+ Caucus. “That is still also an option we would welcome. But, so far, we’ve been met with silence as to whether this will be taken up or not.”
Hall told reporters Wednesday that he wasn’t taking the resolution up because he didn’t want to vote on divisive topics. He argued he also was not taking up a competing resolution for state Rep. Josh Shriver, R-Oxford, that recognized June as Nuclear Family Month.
“There’s divisive resolutions on the left and divisive resolutions on the right,” Hall said. “We’re not doing any of them. … What I’m trying to focus on is health care affordability, property tax cuts and getting the budget done.”
7th District Dems get ‘heavy’ Israel-Gaza question
Two of the three Democratic candidates seeking the 7th Congressional District seat did not directly answer a question Monday at a Latino community forum on whether Israel’s actions in Gaza amounted to genocide.
Former Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink of Lansing said she looks at the situation in terms of what is in the U.S.’s best interest, which is peace and security in the Middle East. To attain that, she said, a secure and democratic Israel must live side by side with a democratic Palestinian state free from terrorist influence.
“We should be very clear with our friends, we should be very clear with our partners in the region, that this is our goal and we’re going to work to ensure that we do that, for the stability of the region, for the people of Israel, for the Palestinian people, but also for the people of the United States,” Brink said.
Brink’s campaign did not respond this week when asked for a more direct answer to the question.
Former U.S. Navy SEAL Matt Maasdam of Ann Arbor Township noted it was a “heavy question” and argued the U.S. makes “tremendous” effort to avoid humanitarian crises or the loss of civilian life.
“When we work with another country, I expect our partners to do the same and hold themselves to the same standards that we hold ourselves,” Maasdam said, before describing the state of Israel as a partner that has a right to exist and right to defend itself.
Later in the week, Maasdam clarified in a statement that he did not believe Benjamin Netanyahu’s government had met those standards, but also did not think genocide was the right word “to describe the grave humanitarian disaster in Gaza.” Too much of politics had come become an “endless debate over labels instead of a serious effort to solve problems,” he said. He indicated he supported a two-state solution.
Community activist Will Lawrence of Lansing observed during the forum Monday that his competitors had failed to directly answer the question on whether Israel’s actions constituted genocide; the answer, he said, is “obviously yes.”
“When you have a state that has refused every other form of accountability and we continue to arm them, I don’t know how we can call ourselves a just nation if we continue to participate in this atrocity,” Lawrence said. He added he supports a lasting peace for all Palestinians and Israelis.
Heated moment at MI-10 GOP debate
Four candidates vying for a suburban Detroit U.S. House seat took the stage Tuesday at the Shelby Banquet Center for a Republican primary debate.
The event featured attorney Robert Lulgjuraj of Sterling Heights, Army veteran Michael Bouchard of Rochester Hills, attorney Justin Kirk of Clinton Township and Army veteran Steffan Demetropoulos of Macomb. They are running to replace outgoing Republican U.S. Rep. John James in Michigan’s only competitive GOP primary contest this year.
One of the more heated moments of the night came in a back-and-forth between Lulgjuraj and Bouchard, the contest’s two leading fundraisers.
Lulgjuraj called out Bouchard for his family’s political connections and cast himself — as he often does on the campaign trail — as the more “grassroots” option.
“If you want the son of a career 40-year politician who never endorsed Trump but endorsed Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush, your candidate’s there — or whose sister works at CNN, then this is your candidate,” Lulgjuraj said of Bouchard, referencing his father, longtime Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard, and his sister, Mikayla Bouchard, who works for CNN as a senior director of editorial product strategy.
“But if you want to elect me, I knocked doors in this county for President Trump. I’m from this county,” Lulgjuraj added. “I’m gonna be a MAGA, grassroots warrior when I go to Congress. And I’m never gonna let you down.”
Bouchard took issue with those comments and fired back with allegations that Lulgjuraj lied about his residence on official campaign filings and committed tax fraud by accepting a property tax discount on a home he wasn’t living in.
“He attacked my sister. I’m gonna defend my family. If someone’s gonna go after my family, I’m gonna defend them. If someone goes after this country, I’m gonna defend you. He keeps getting up here and lying,” Bouchard said.
“He lied about where he lives. He committed tax fraud — there’s allegations he committed tax fraud. He admitted to it in The Detroit News,” the candidate added, referencing an interview Lulgjuraj gave regarding his residency and tax status. A challenge by Lulgjuraj’s opponents to get him off the ballot was ultimately unsuccessful.
The crowd booed Bouchard’s comments.
Cook bumps Huizenga seat in Dems’ favor
The nonpartisan Cook Political Report on Thursday shifted its rating for Michigan’s 4th District from “likely” to “lean” Republican in a nod to the poor environment that Republicans are facing in the fall midterm elections.
The seat is held by long-time U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, who ran ahead of President Donald Trump by more than 6 percentage points in 2024 when he won election to an eighth term.
Cook notes that Huizenga’s west Michigan district along the lakeshore has been inching to the left, with Ottawa County representing one of the few Michigan counties where Kamala Harris improved on Joe Biden’s margin.
The likely Democratic nominee, state Sen. Sean McCann of Kalamazoo, outraised Huizenga in the first quarter, and “… Republicans admit that they’re preparing for a close race.”
“But Huizenga, a senior member on the Financial Services Committee, should be able to turn on the fundraising spigot,” Cook’s Erin Covey wrote in her analysis. “He’s also a close ally of the cryptocurrency industry, which could have an incentive to spend for him this fall.”
McCann is on the ballot in the Democratic primary with Diop Harris, a Battle Creek native and former Capitol Hill staffer for former Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio.
Covey said McCann’s major vulnerability could be his voting record in the Democratic-controlled state Senate, and Republicans have dubbed him ‘tax man McCann’ for voting for a new gas tax system and against property tax relief.
Democrats are expected to hit Huizenga for his votes on health care, including against extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits and cutting Medicaid in the One Big Beautiful Bill, Covey added.
Slotkin bill would keep troops from polls
U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, introduced legislation Thursday that aims to keep the U.S. military or federal law enforcement from intervening in elections, she said.
The legislation requires a president to come to Congress to get approval before deploying uniformed military to the polls, cuts off funding for the military or federal law enforcement to seize ballots or voting machines and, thirdly, protects members of the military from “illegal orders” to do so, Slotkin said.
“We’re here doing this as swing states because we think the most important thing we need to do as senators is protect our polls, protect our democracy in this election year,” Slotkin said at a news conference at the Capitol.
Her co-sponsors on the bill are “purple” state senators, including Sens. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly of Arizona, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Jacky Rosen of Nevada and Raphael Warnock of Georgia.
Slotkin pointed to remarks by President Donald Trump, who in the last six months has claimed over 100 times that the 2020 elections were rigged, mused to a journalist that he wished he had sent the military to collect ballots in 2020, and regretted that he didn’t sign a draft executive order in 2020 sending the National Guard to seize ballots and voting machines.
“I, personally, have asked five different cabinet officials whether they would rule this out, whether it was OK to deploy the uniformed military or federal law enforcement to our polls, from Secretary Hegseth to Secretary Mullin,” Slotkin said. “None of them would unilaterally rule it out.”
Pro-Rogers group goes on air
A group called the Great Lakes Conservative Fund has launched a $1 million, comic-book-themed ad campaign in support of Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers of White Lake Township.
“Mike Rogers is a military veteran and Michigan auto-factory worker,” said Andy Surabian, president of the fund. “He understands what Michigan families are dealing with after decades of Democrats gutting manufacturing jobs and killing the economy with their left-wing policy agenda.”
Tlaib bill seeks ICE detainee locator
U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, last week dropped legislation that would require the Department of Homeland Security to maintain an accurate online detainee locator system for those individuals detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Customs and Border Protection.
The bill directs the creation of a system that shows “timely” information on arrests, detention locations, and transfers that are not available in the current ICE locator system, which is often not up to date.
Tlaib noted that lawyers and families are often unable to find their clients in the system, leaving them unclear if the individual is even still in the country.
“ICE and CBP are abducting our neighbors in the middle of the night, locking them in cages, and concealing their location from their families and legal counsel,” Tlaib said in a statement.
“We must equip our communities with every tool we can to help free our immigrant neighbors from this cruel and immoral system of detention.”
A summary of the bill said it also creates compliance mechanisms and penalties for non-compliant facilities and contractors, and requires ICE and CBP to inform family members and legal counsel when a detained individual is transferred for urgent medical care.
Tweet of the Week
The Insider report’s “Tweet of the Week,” recognizing a social media post that was worthy of attention or, possibly from the previous week goes to Republican political consultant John Yob.
Yob dove into the debate over polling done by Mitchell Research on Thursday, calling for widespread retractions by the media.
cmauger@detroitnews.com
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Eagan, MN – Minnesota Aurora FC clinched a fifth straight Heartland Division title and a spot in the USL W League playoffs with a 4-1 win over River Light FC on Saturday at TCO Stadium.
Aurora improved to 10-0-0 on the season and finished its home schedule unbeaten.
Ai Kitagawa scored twice and added an assist, increasing her season total to 11 goals. Flavie Dubé had a goal and an assist, and Amelia Brown scored her first goal of the season.
***Click video box at the top of the page for postgame interviews***
Kitagawa opened the scoring in the 14th minute off a through ball from Dubé. River Light tied it in the 27th on a header from Victoria Adams — the first goal allowed by Aurora this season.
Minnesota regained the lead in first-half stoppage time on Dubé’s breakaway finish and extended it in the 51st minute when Kitagawa scored again on a cross from Gracie Dunaway. Brown added a late goal in the 81st minute.
Aurora will play its final two regular-season games on the road before the playoffs begin the weekend of July 3-5.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — “It’s difficult to call the Battle Line Rivalry a true rivalry when Arkansas has won just twice since Missouri joined the SEC.”
Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz has made this one matter even more for the Tigers during his time in Columbia due to his Natural State roots.
The Alma native is 5-1 against his home-state with three victories coming by seven points or less.
Silverfield has watched the Razorbacks from just across the river in Memphis, and has noticed a pattern in most of the losses over the years. Turnovers have been a major issue in this series through the years.
Whether it was the Alex Collins fumble in 2014, a blown 24-7 halftime lead in 2016, a 48-45 shootout loss in 2017, allowing Missouri to drive 60 yards in 43 seconds for a walk-off field goal by Harrison Mevis in 2020, or letting Brady Cook sprint 30 yards untouched during the Snowmaggedon game in 2024, the Razorbacks have been allergic to holding onto fourth quarter leads against the Tigers.
The biggest curse of all was Arkansas’ game against Missouri was scheduled for Thanksgiving weekend, which effectively replaced the Battle of the Golden Boot against LSU. Despite not playing on an annual basis prior to joining the SEC, this game became quite the underrated rivalry not only in the SEC, but nationally with eight games coming down to the final possession from 2005-2013.
Talent Advantage: Missouri
When it comes to talent on the field, this might be Drinkwitz’s deepest team since his arrival at Missouri in 2020. The Tigers have a total of 43 former 4-star prospects and 25 who were rated as 3-stars during their recruitment, according to the Razorbacks on SI offseason Tracker.
Between Austin Simmons at quarterback, Ahmad Hardy in the backfield, Ben Norfleet at tight end and wide receiver Donovan Olugbode there is plenty of firepower to create mismatches in space. Then, Missouri’s defense is fairly deep with linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez, safety Santana Banner and defensive lineman Darris Smith.
The Tigers can bring the heat to opposing backfields, field a standout secondary and always seem to have instinctive, hard hitting linebackers. Drinkwitz’s best year came in 2023 with an 11-3 overall record but have yet to officially breakthrough in the SEC.
And with this roster, it’s either time for the Tigers to solidify its place among SEC brethren in 2026 season, or continue its slow path back to mediocrity within the league.
A talent advantage alone won’t always win teams ball games, but one that plays disciplined and understands how to control momentum throughout a game can find ways to win.
The Razorbacks have held the talent edge several times over the years, but still suffered defeat in 2016, 2017 and 2022. Since Missouri joined the SEC, their teams have played with confidence that kept them in games they had no business winning.
Former National Championship winning coach Urban Meyer once said, “Leave no doubt” when it comes to winning at the Power Conference level. Maybe it’s Arkansas’ turn to have a coach whose players are ready to run through a wall for in Silverfield this fall.
The Silverfield Mindset
There’s something to be said about a coach who can motivate his team for the biggest of challenges and overcoming talent deficiencies.
Any team can have the Jimmys and Joes but it all comes down to execution, and that’s something that Arkansas has struggled with over the past several years. Silverfield believes a lot of Arkansas’ struggles came down to a culture of losing, which is something he’ll have to cleanse it of this offseason.
“We’ve had one Power Four win at home the last three years,” Silverfield said in an appearance on McElroy And Cubelic In The Morning radio show earlier this spring. “We have to play more disciplined football. Arkansas has not done a great job with penalties, pre-snap, post-snap, dead ball. Taking care of the football, ball security. That’s been part of some of the failures here.”
Silverfield understands Arkansas’ quickest path to improvement begins with eliminating self-inflicted mistakes. After all, the program is just 17-49 in one possession games since 2012.
Arkansas was close last season to being a very good team last year, but weren’t able to do the small things needed to win games.
The Razorbacks finished last season ranked No. 125 in turnover margin (-11), No. 121 in third down defense (45%), No. 99 in sacks allowed, No. 126 in penalties (7.8 per game) and No. 112 in total penalties showed that a change in leadership was sorely needed.
And the truth is, the Razorbacks might’ve found the right man for the job going into 2026. Arkansas has been close time and time again.
With this game being played on Halloween this fall, it’s possible Arkansas can practice its Houdini act and put the struggles against Missouri behind them once and for all.
Hogs on SI Season Preview Series
North Alabama: Why Week One Matters More Than It Should
Utah: Silverfield Doesn’t Know What Razorbacks Are, Utes Will Provide Answers
Georgia: Razorbacks Might Not Beat Georgia, But Offer Test Kirby Smart Didn’t Expect
Texas A&M: Can Hogs’ Rebuilt Defense Slow Down Marcel Reed?
Tennessee: Razorbacks Must Reclaim Homefield Advantage Against Tennessee
Vanderbilt: Arkansas Might Be Catching Vanderbilt at Right Time in 2026
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