Indiana
A down-ballot candidate from the right throws a wrench into the Indiana governor's race
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Republican U.S. Sen. Mike Braun’s bid to become governor of Indiana seemed fairly straightforward until he got the running mate he didn’t want: a pastor and self-proclaimed Christian nationalist who finessed his way onto next month’s ballot.
Micah Beckwith, a podcaster from the Indianapolis suburb of Noblesville, where he leads Life Church, secured enough delegate support to upend the lieutenant governor nomination process at this year’s state GOP convention and become Braun’s running mate. His brand of conservatism has complicated the race by forcing Braun to discuss Beckwith’s views.
Friction between the running mates and a series of negative ads have given an unexpected boost to Democratic nominees Jennifer McCormick and Terry Goodin, the overwhelming underdogs in a state that hasn’t elected a Democrat to statewide office since 2012. The dynamics on the Republican ticket plus strong campaigns from the Democrats have caused forecasters to hedge on their certainty that both seats will stay Republican.
“The race is more competitive relative to expectations,” said Greg Shufeldt, a University of Indianapolis political science professor.
Who is Micah Beckwith?
Usually, gubernatorial candidates select who they want as running mates and count on party delegates to usher their choices in during party conventions. But Beckwith started courting delegates over a year in advance and pulled a major upset at the GOP convention in June. Delegates blessed his nomination and rejected Julie McGuire, a freshman state representative chosen by Braun, even after Braun helped her secure Donald Trump’s endorsement.
Beckwith, who did not respond to multiple requests for comment, has used his social media platform to air views that have stirred up trouble. In addition to declaring that God sent the people who rioted at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, he was criticized last month for saying his Democratic opponents have a “ Jezebel spirit.”
Braun has spent recent weeks fielding the fallout.
At a debate earlier this month between McCormick and Braun, she pressed Braun to apologize for the “Jezebel spirit” comment from his running mate.
“I don’t like that,” Braun replied. “You don’t see that out of me, and he’s been pretty good at avoiding that.”
Earlier this month, Beckwith was seen on video at a local Republican Party meeting saying he would fire any employee in his office or the agencies he oversees who lists their pronouns in emails. The story was first reported by the Advocate, an LGBTQ+ publication, and the video was uploaded by The Bloomingtonian.
“If you think that men can be women and women can be men and there’s pronouns needed when we’re talking to one another, you don’t understand the basics of even reality,” Beckwith said.
Braun denounced the statement, saying he would hire and fire employees based “solely on their merit and commitment to delivering efficient, effective state government to make life better and more affordable for Hoosiers, period.”
The lieutenant governor is first in the line of succession under Indiana law. Lieutenant governors oversee four state agencies but have no real legislative power. Those limits haven’t stopped Beckwith from wading into topics he likely wouldn’t encounter on the job.
Mike Murphy, a former Republican state lawmaker and political commentator, said Beckwith represents the socially conservative side of the party.
“I’d say that Micah Beckwith is a product and a symbol of a lot of unrest in the Indiana Republican Party,” Murphy said.
Braun, who led an auto parts distribution company and has run campaigns aligned with Trump, may be able to unite business-oriented Republicans and the social conservatives, Murphy said.
In an interview, Braun said all campaigns have their ups and downs. He believes voter turnout for Trump will have a positive impact down the ballot.
“When I ran for Senate six years ago — we’re in better shape now than we were then,” he said.
Who are Braun and Beckwith running against?
Braun, a one-term senator, has represented Indiana in Congress since 2018. His campaign has focused on high healthcare costs and property taxes, as well as criticizing the federal government on southern border policy.
Braun handily won a five-way gubernatorial primary in May with nearly 40% of the votes.
But that means 60% of the state’s primary voters didn’t back him. McCormick and Libertarian Donald Rainwater are looking to peel away some of those Republican voters.
McCormick has cited Beckwith’s views in labeling the GOP ticket as extremist. She’s built her appeal to moderate voters around the restoration of abortion rights in a state that enacted a near total ban in 2022.
The candidates themselves reflect some recent shifts in Indiana politics. Braun voted as a Democrat until 2012; McCormick switched parties in 2021 after breaking with Republicans over education policy when she was state school superintendent. A new ad released Monday depicts a Republican man vowing to support her.
“We’ve got great momentum, and that momentum is really Republicans and Democrats and independents,” McCormick said in an interview.
Indiana does not allow for citizen-led ballot initiatives like those in other red-leaning states that have abortion on the ballot this year. Even if McCormick defies the odds, Republicans hold a supermajority in both chambers of the legislature, and reversing the state’s ban would be difficult if not impossible.
But the response from the Braun campaign shows he isn’t assuming he’ll win. Earlier this month, Braun aired an ad attacking McCormick as a liberal, tying her to Hillary Clinton and President Joe Biden. The ad drew attention both for its negativity in a race that was supposed to be easy for Braun and for its use of a doctored image.
The ad claims McCormick supported banning gas stoves, an idea that became a culture war flashpoint in 2023. It featured an image that had been manipulated to depict people standing behind McCormick holding signs that said “no gas stoves.” It was a digitally altered version of a photograph taken by a South Bend Tribune journalist in May 2023.
Indiana lawmakers passed a law this year banning the use of artificial intelligence in election materials without a disclaimer. Braun’s campaign said the ad was mistakenly given to TV stations.
Rainwater, the Libertarian candidate who is running again, has concerned the state Republican Party enough that they sent a mailer out criticizing him, according to the Indiana Capitol Chronicle. He won 11.4% of votes when he ran for governor in 2020 after pandemic lockdowns riled up Indiana voters. A similar turnout for him could siphon votes away from Braun.
“I think people are very dissatisfied with the status quo from both federal and state and really local government as well,” Rainwater said in an interview.
Braun has trumped McCormick in advertising overall, spending more than $13 million this year on ads, which includes the time period of the GOP primary, according to data from AdImpact, which tracks campaign spending. He’s spent more than three times what McCormick has on advertising.
According to campaign finance reports, Braun raised almost $4.87 million from July through September. McCormick lagged but has made gains since earlier in the year, raising over $2 million in the same period.
McCormick received $1.65 million from the Democratic Governor’s Association in October, according to campaign finance reports. That’s the first significant investment in an Indiana governor’s race since 2016, when Mike Pence stepped down to run for vice president.
The Republican Governor’s Association responded quickly, giving Braun $1.5 million this month — a clear sign the race has gotten their attention.
Shufeldt, the IU-Indianapolis professor, said the DGA money could help Democrats rebuild in Indiana even if McCormick falls short, and “might pay dividends down the road.”
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Volmert reported from Lansing, Mich.
The resort area of southwest Michigan along Lake Michigan is wildly popular with Chicagoans in summer and fall for good reason. The coastal stretch offers sophisticated dining and shops, breweries, wineries, beaches, sunsets on Lake Michigan and a vacation vibe wherever you go.
If you haven’t been in a couple of years, you’ll find Indiana’s coast, home of the Indiana Dunes National Park and Indiana Dunes State Park, is worth more than a hiking or gas-station stop.
Though the towns along the lake are small and don’t have centers of commerce, many exciting new places have sprung up on U.S. Route 12, the scenic drive that skirts the lake’s edge.
Beverly Shores and Michigan City, Ind.
Miles from Chicago: 54
Sadly, the orange Studebaker that for years served up excellent wood-fired pizza is no longer parked in Beverly Shores, a small lake community famous for its collection of historic homes from the 1933-34 Chicago World’s Fair. The only way to get a South Shore Ovenworks pie now is to reserve the food truck for a private event.
Console yourself with shopping. The founder and former owner of Cowboys and Astronauts, a men’s store in Andersonville, has opened Blanket Fort (1 E. Dunes Highway), a design studio and shop in Beverly Shores. Matthew Buccilla describes his style as “vintage modern meets-cozy cabin-meets Japanese wabi-sabi.” His bona fides include designing spaces around the world for furniture maker Herman Miller. Blanket Fort, located in a cool midcentury building, is open the first and third weekends of the month.
The Heron, a French restaurant in Michigan City, Ind.
Neighboring Michigan City has seen an explosion of new restaurants, including The Heron (522 Franklin St.) which thankfully has strayed from the usual New American/Italian playbook and instead focuses on French food. A great happy hour from 4-6 p.m. (even Fridays!) features $10 martinis and deeply discounted wine and beer.
Up the street is Rocco’s Tavern (827 Franklin St.) from the family who owns Cafe Farina next door and Farina’s Supper Club in Michiana. Rocco’s makes you feel like you’re in a Rush Street steakhouse.
Interior of Rocco’s Tavern in Michigan City, Ind.
A reservation-only 12-seat Lebanese restaurant, C.12, (132 E. 6th St.) just opened in the lower level of a 100-year-old Masonic Temple. It’s owned by longtime area restaurateur Momahed “Moe” Mroueh. Diners sit around a horseshoe-shaped counter with an open kitchen. There’s one seating a night, offering a prix-fixe tasting menu ($65).
Also below ground is The Nightingale (1108 Franklin St.), a moody spot with small lamp-lit tables, great old-school cocktails, and live music, mostly jazz and blues. It’s open only occasionally so check before you go.
Cellar Door (1901 Franklin St.) opened last year in an historic building that once housed Harmony Bar. Cellar Door is everything you want in a classic neighborhood tavern — friendly service, carved wooden bar, games (10-pin bowling! Vintage pinball!), patio — and then add good wine and creative food. The head bartender and chef came from the well-regarded Hummingbird Lounge in New Buffalo.
A few new shopping options have popped up in Michigan City, too: The Wren (410 Wabash St.), a gift shop with a focus on sustainable, natural products, is across from Lighthouse Place Outlet Mall. Abigail Hayden Interiors & Design (607 Franklin St.) is a charming shop in the Arts District, filled with home accessories and art, as well as the owner’s own line of upholstered furniture.
The Standard 1208 in Michigan City, Ind.
The Standard 1208 (1208 E. Second St. at U.S. 12), formerly called Unsalted No Sharks and located in downtown Michigan City, has opened in an old Standard Oil station across from Burn ’Em Brewing (1215 E. Second St.). In addition to cool gifts and souvenirs, The Standard serves Italian sub sandwiches, great for taking to the beach. A second location just opened in New Buffalo (19 N. Whittaker St.).
Michiana, Ind.
Miles from Chicago: 67
The bar at Tavern on Twelve in Michiana, Ind.
Heading north on Route 12, Swells: A Dive Bar (3201 U.S. 12), cooks up four kinds of pizza: tavern style, Detroit style, deep dish and hand-tossed (New York style) and manages to do it all extremely well. There are soups, salads and sandwiches, too. It’s the sort of place where groups come to watch their team on TV. A dive bar with Veuve Clicquot on the menu? Sign me up.
Just up the road is Tonelli’s Tavern on Twelve (3103 U.S. 12), from the owner of Michigan City’s popular Tonelli’s, which closed a few years ago. This property has hosted a few restaurants in recent years (Blind Pig, Trip’s Tree House), but Tonelli’s seems to have found a groove in its 12 months in business, serving up classic Italian red-sauce fare at decent prices.
New Buffalo and Union Pier, Mich.
Miles from Chicago: 70
Farmette, a provisions store on the outskirts of New Buffalo
Across the border in Michigan, you might think not much changes in the little towns along Red Arrow Highway save for the time change. But many new restaurants and shops have opened, and a couple of longtime favorites have shuttered.
Just past all the new cannabis dispensaries on Route 12 (some 18 or so with more on the way), Farmette (18439 U.S. 12) on the outskirts of New Buffalo has become an instant favorite, with an in-house bakery specializing in sourdough, a coffee and drinks bar, and specialty food shop with a well-stocked freezer and refrigerator case, as well as produce and flowers in season (much of it grown on site). The owner tended Rick Bayless’ garden in Chicago once upon a time.
New Buffalo is home to arguably the hottest restaurant along this coast: PostBoy (207 N. Whittaker St.), which opened in fall of 2024. Heading the kitchen is James Galbraith, who founded Benton Harbor’s foodie favorites Houndstooth and Anemel. Galbraith previously worked under Chicago chefs at Intro, Blackbird, Elske, S.K.Y., Bellemore, and Boka. There’s a hopping patio and indoor/outdoor bar; be sure to reserve ahead. This place gets jammed.
If you’re looking for food to take to your Airbnb or vacation home, Angela’s Provisions (225 N. Whittaker St.) has homemade soups, pastas, breakfast and lunch sandwiches and salads, made to order or stocked in the fridge/freezer case.
Bookshore in New Buffalo, Mich.
The perfect hostess gift for discerning hosts is at Bookshore, which features big, gorgeous art books meant for a coffee table — or any surface. It’s owned by the same family that runs the popular tourist draw Stray Dog restaurant.
Harbor Country’s biggest news lately was the closing of Greenbush Brewing Company in Sawyer, a popular spot for 12 years. But beer lovers have other options.
The newest of the lot, which opened last fall, is Mangata Beer Co. (15936 Red Arrow Highway) in Union Pier, a sister operation of the award-winning Transient Artisan Ales (4229 Lake St.) in Bridgman. This tasting room focuses on easy-drinking, lower-alcohol beers such as pilsners, lagers, saisons and Belgian ales, all created at Transient’s brewhouse.
Sawyer and Three Oaks, Mich.
Miles from Chicago: 80
Longstory, a restaurant in Three Oaks, Mich.
Fulcra Brewing Company (13400 Red Arrow Highway) opened last July in a two-room bungalow in Sawyer, the dream of two home brewers (one a Dark Matter Coffee alum.) Fulcra focuses on balanced, drinkable brews. A beer garden has just opened; look for live music, food trucks or restaurant pop-ups, the owners say.
Three Oaks saw the closing of its popular pizza take-out, Patellie’s, last winter. But while pizza lovers mourned the loss, the owners used the space to expand their wine and beer store. P.+E. Bottle Shop (28 N. Elm St.) now carries cheese, bread, crackers, olives and prepared food — all the stuff that goes great with wine. And speaking of wine, there’s now a much-expanded selection of wine and craft beer.
For breakfast or lunch, two Chicago transplants have reopened the popular Viola Cafe (102 N. Elm St.), which was closed for a few years. Along with their chef, former Chopping Block owner Shelley Young, they’ve put a Southern twist on it. Think po’ boys, beignets, meat loaf, greens, fried green tomatoes and mac ’n’ cheese alongside breakfast classics.
Three Oaks had not had a stylish dinner spot for dinner until recently, with the opening of Longstory (8 Maple St.) in December 2024. The restaurant has had some bumps, with chef changes and the like, but is popular with locals, who gather for happy hours and order from the New-American-with-an-accent menu of chicken shawarma, Tuscan kale salad, polenta torte, grilled fish, New York strip, roasted beets and more.
Inside the popular boutique Goods & Heroes (7 Maple St.), a former clearance room has become a store within a store, GH Yarn Haus, which specializes in natural fibers and holds knitting get-togethers and classes.
Dreihart Winery, a wine tasting room, in Three Oaks, Mich.
A small wine tasting room (capacity: 25) opened in spring 2025 just off Three Oaks’ main drag. Dreihart Winery (6 Linden St. E.) is an offshoot of 6 Linden, which sells local meat, produce, eggs and cheeses, along with imported pastas and such. Winemaker Gottfried Hart, a charming man with a few stories to tell, is usually pouring. A former co-owner of Hickory Creek Winery in Buchanan, he’s one of several area winemakers who understands that Michigan can produce dry, complex wines similar to those from Austria and his native Germany. Grab some smoked trout rillette to pair with your wine.
Jan Parr, a former Chicago journalist, lives in the middle of the Indiana Dunes, in Beverly Shores. She writes about local happenings at DunesDiva.com.
Saturday, May 30, 2026 12:14AM
HIGHLAND, Ind. (WLS) — Police are searching for a missing man with autism who was last seen riding a bicycle near his home in Northwest Indiana.
Brody Shelton, 21, was last seen around noon Thursday near Laporte Street and Johnston Street in Highland, Indiana, officials said.
Indiana State Police have issued a Silver Alert as the the search for Shelton continues.
He is 5 feet 2 inches tall, 155 pounds, brown hair with brown eyes, and was last seen wearing a beige and green sweatshirt, and riding a blue/green Huffy mountain bike, police said.
Anyone with information has been asked to contact the Highland Police Department at 219-838-3184 or 911.
Copyright © 2026 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.
(The REPORTER) — The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, June 10, regarding a proposed corridor improvement project on State Road 32 in Hamilton County.
The hearing will provide an opportunity for the public to interact with the project team, review the features of the proposed roundabout project, and provide official public comment. Project documents are available for review at improvetomove32.com.
The project area is between East Street in Westfield and River Road in Noblesville. The proposed project includes adding lanes to accommodate two lanes in each direction, removing all traffic signals within the project limits, and constructing roundabouts at the following intersections with SR 32:
- Carey Road/Grassy Branch Road
- Gunther Boulevard
- Shady Nook Road
- Moontown Road/Gray Road
- Pebble Brook Boulevard
- Hazel Dell Road/Little Chicago Road
- Mill Creek Road
The hearing will take place at Prairie Waters Event Center, 4180 Westfield Road, Westfield. Doors will open at 5 p.m. to allow the public to view displays and talk with the project team. A presentation will be given at 5:30 p.m., with a public comment session held directly after. INDOT is offering livestreams of all public meetings and hearings. You must register here in order to participate in the livestream. Livestream audience comments will only be accepted in written electronic form, not verbally. A recording of the livestream presentation will be posted on the project webpage and INDOT YouTube page after the hearing and will be available for at least 90 days.
All verbal statements recorded during the public hearing and all written comments submitted prior to, during and for a period of two weeks following the hearing date, will be evaluated, considered, and addressed in subsequent environmental documentation.
Written comments may be submitted within the comment period to Nick Batta, CMT, 8790 Purdue Road, Indianapolis, IN 46268; or sent via email to SR32HamiltonCounty@cmtengr.com.
INDOT respectfully requests comments be submitted by June 26.
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