Indiana governor’s race takes center stage as candidates duel on abortion, marijuana

Voters in Indiana will choose a new governor this November, with Sen. Mike Braun and former School Superintendent Jennifer McCormick dueling in the race.

Braun is favored, but his lead has shrunk according to some polls, and Democrats see a potential opportunity for McCormick to score an upset.

McCormick, who switched party affiliation in recent years, is looking to push Indiana into rolling back new restrictions on abortion care enacted since the Supreme Court reversed the Roe v. Wade decision.

“Our polls show, as do our conversations (on a) bipartisan basis with our boots on the ground, that people are afraid, worried, scared, and angry about it,” she said. “My opponent is looking to take it even further.”

Braun says McCormick’s rhetoric is “disingenuous,” given the uphill climb required for lawmakers to roll back the laws.

“The legislature would have to be convinced that something needs to be changed,” he said. “I think that’s disingenuous on my opponent’s part to say that’s realistic. I’m not hearing from folks supporting me that this needs to be done.”

Indiana is also a hotbed for debate over legalizing cannabis. Medicinal marijuana is still not legal in the state, with both candidates weighing in on the subject.

“I have said all along that I’m going to take my cue from law enforcement,” Braun said. “They’ll be at the brunt of anything that occurs from it. In terms of medical marijuana, there’s a case to be made for it.”

“(I’d) start with a commission…and that we move into the space of medical marijuana,” McCormick said.

The candidates also commented on the idea of democracy being on the ballot, with former President Donald Trump continuing to sow doubt about the election process as he continues to deny the fact he lost in the 2020 presidential election.

“It’s on the ballot,” McCormick said. “It’s on the ballot at every level. When you allow that to happen, that’s where that extremism becomes even more extreme.”

Braun told NBC Chicago’s Mary Ann Ahern that Trump did lose the 2020 election, but emphasized that safeguards need to be in place to ensure votes are cast legally.

“I would hope that everyone agrees a legal ballot should be cast, and that a legal ballot should be counted,” he said.

In the latest poll released from ActiVote, with 400 likely voters surveyed in September, Braun held an eight-point lead over McCormick, according to a compilation of polls from FiveThirtyEight. A GBAO poll sponsored by the Democratic Governors Association found Braun’s lead to be just three points, while an Emerson College poll sponsored by The Hill found Braun with an 11-point lead in the race.