Indiana
Q&A from 'All Indiana Politics Special: The Governor’s Debate'
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The three candidates in November’s election for governor debated in a live broadcast Thursday night at WISH-TV studios.
“All Indiana Politics Special: The Governor’s Debate” featured Republican Mike Braun, Democrat Jennifer McCormick, and Libertarian Donald Rainwater.
Here are the questions they were asked followed with their answers. Answers are paraphrased until in quotation marks. This story will be updated as new questions are added.
Raise your hand if you support cutting or reducing Indiana’s property taxes as governor?
All three raised their hands.
What specifically would you cut, and how would you replace funding for schools and local police and fire services?
BRAUN: People are complaining about property taxes. Circuit breakers put in place by Gov. Mitch Daniels are no longer working. He would reset property taxes to where they were before they went out of control. He wants to assure local governments and school districts have enough to keep going.
McCORMICK: She knows property taxes are weighing on everyone. She put out a property tax plan to give savings to all Hoosiers in a bipartisan way. It’ll be ready on Day 1 and particular help elderly Hoosiers and veterans. The plan would save $660 million; it’s been well-received. She says Braun keeps revising his plan.
RAINWATER: In 2020, he suggested property taxes should be capped at 1% of the value of the property over seven years. He’s done planning — looking at tax-increment finance districts and 10-year tax abatements — on how to fund local government amid a tax cap.
In the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border a crisis, and what should be the role of Indiana government in addressing it?
McCORMICK: Braun, while in Congress as a U.S. senator, has opposed legislation that would have helped. Braun voted against the legislation for political reasons alone. Indiana needs to consider legal immigration’s positive role in helping Indiana’s economy.
RAINWATER: The governor should enforce the rule of law. The federal government has failed to enforce its mandate to manage immigration. Why Braun hasn’t solved the immigration problem while a U.S. senator? Would he do better as Indiana governor?
BRAUN: Former President Donald Trump protected the borders; President Joe Biden has not. He declined to list the crimes that come to Indiana. “I don’t think any Hoosier would be for making it legal that you could have 5,000 illegal immigrants coming across the border daily.”
Do you believe Indiana should add additional restrictions on abortion, repeal the law, or keep things as they are now?
RAINWATER: If changes need to be made to the current law, then the judiciary needs to determine that. Legislators can listen to constituents and make changes. Additional things: Many lifelong Hoosiers are pro-choice; I’ve never seen in the state constitution where Indiana is declared a pro-life state, as Braun has said; many women, lifelong Hoosiers, are pro-live.
BRAUN: Indiana’s abortion has held up through the courts, and Hoosiers have supported it because Indiana as a pro-life state. He says Indiana’s legislature vetted its law carefully, and that held up in the courts, and “it reflects the majority of Hoosiers in the state.”
McCORMICK: I trust women and health care providers. Let’s put the question to the voters in a ballot initiative. Sixty percent of Hoosiers believe in allowing women control the decisions for their health care. Braun says he thinks he got it right, but we need to go back to standards of Roe v. Wade and trust our women. “Hoosiers, I have your back on this.”
Do you believe the school voucher system is helping or hurting the education of Indiana’s children?
BRAUN: Indiana has a leading edge on choice and competition, and also puts the parents as the main stakeholders in their children’s education. “When you have one size fits all, it’s a monopoly.” If you’re not for choice, competition, and vouchers to make it doable, it’s not a zero-sum game. Indiana’s money follows the kids, as was established years ago.
He says Pike County once had mismanagement within a school district, and had to shut down one with the best performance. “If it had not been for the availability of a charter school, you would’ve had to bus those kids 20 to 30 minutes additionally. They are thriving now because they had the option, and the parents went for it.”
Braun says McCormick was in charge for four years as a state schools superintendent and that “results never got any better. I think you’ve got to be held accountable when that’s the one thing you did in state government.”
McCORMICK: I believe in fiscal responsibility. Indiana puts $1.6 billion into private education, and the results haven’t been good. “Make no mistake, this isn’t about parents choosing, this is about a school choosing. The admission policies need to be looked at. If I should up with a child and the school doesn’t like the academy performance, or the color of their skin, or how they identify LGBTQ, or their religious belief, they do not have to take them. … Public dollars need to go to public schools. That whole program needs to be reviewed.” The threshold of eligibility is $220,000 family of four, and how many Hoosier families make that much?
Indiana schools have been under continuously changing standards and test before the exam results are in. Those changes, every time, cost $40 million. We don’t have good data to know what is and isn’t working.
McCormick, when she was a former state schools superintendent, didn’t have control over changing the test.
RAINWATER: I believe in universal school choice. Our public school system is failing; only 63% of children taking statewide tests in math and English. “We are spending almost 60% of our state budget on education.” The state constitution allows for the funding of public and private schools.
McCormick, when she was a former state schools superintendent, changed the test and wasted money.
Do you support Indiana legalizing marijuana use, either medicinal, recreational, or both?
McCORMICK: I’m aware 80% of Hoosiers support it. My cannabis plan calls for a conversation on medical use before a conversation on adult use.
On adult use, Indiana is losing out on $177 million in tax revenue and hundreds of thousands of jobs because surrounding states have legalized marijuana.
Indiana needs a commission on cannabis use.
RAINWATER: “We don’t need to expand government. We don’t need a new commission. We don’t need new regulations. We can make cannabis in all forms — medicinal and recreational — legal right now.”
“If legislators are not prepared, that is their fault, and we should probably replace them. We should make this legal now, and, as governor, I would make sure that all nonviolent criminal cannabis-related offenses are expunged.”
BRAUN: Marijuana use medicinally and recreationally is cascading across the county, and Indiana needs to address it seriously. He’d have to think about whether to allow adult use. On medical use, “We’re probably ready for it.” On both counts, he’s going to listen to law enforcement because they will have to enforce it and put up with any issues.
Indiana
After Surviving Northwestern, MSU Basketball looks ahead to Indiana
Michigan State narrowly escaped with a home win against the now 8–7 Northwestern Wildcats. The Spartans struggled mightily in the first half, entering the break down seven points after scoring just 28 points. Michigan State committed eight turnovers in the opening 20 minutes and went 6-of-11 from the free-throw line.
After a sluggish start, the Spartans regrouped and took control in the second half. Michigan State shot 14-of-27 from the field after halftime, playing with better pace and ball movement.
Jeremy Fears, who picked up two early fouls and began the game 0-of-4 from the field, responded with a strong second half. He finished the game shooting 4-of-7 from the field and a perfect 7-of-7 from the free-throw line.
Overall, Michigan State was far more composed in the second half against the Wildcats. However, with a matchup against Indiana looming, the Spartans will not be able to afford another slow start like the one they experienced against Northwestern.
Scouting Indiana
Indiana has undergone a similar offseason transformation to another Big Ten opponent Michigan State has already faced: the Iowa Hawkeyes. After parting ways with head coach Mike Woodson, the Hoosiers hired former West Virginia head coach Darian DeVries.
DeVries began his head coaching career at Drake, where he posted an impressive 150–55 record. Over his final four seasons with the Bulldogs, he led the program to 108 wins and three NCAA Tournament appearances.
DeVries also went 79–33 in Missouri Valley Conference play, captured three MVC titles, and guided Drake to six of the program’s 11 20-win seasons before leaving for West Virginia.
In his lone season with the Mountaineers, DeVries engineered a significant turnaround, improving West Virginia from a 10-win team to a 19-win team.
Now at Indiana, DeVries has continued that trend of rapid improvement. In Mike Woodson’s final season, the Hoosiers finished 19–13 and missed the NCAA Tournament. This season, Indiana has already reached 12 wins and appears firmly back in the postseason conversation.
The Hoosiers are led by senior guard Lamar Wilkerson, a transfer from Sam Houston. Wilkerson is averaging 19.5 points per game while shooting 46.2 percent from the field and 41.8 percent from three-point range.
Indiana has been strong on both ends of the floor. According to KenPom, the Hoosiers rank 30th nationally in offensive efficiency and 28th in defensive efficiency.
As Michigan State prepares to face Indiana, the Spartans will need to clean up their first-half execution to keep pace with one of the Big Ten’s more balanced teams. Indiana’s efficiency on both ends of the court, combined with DeVries’ proven ability to elevate programs quickly, makes this a difficult matchup. For Michigan State, a complete 40-minute performance will be essential if it hopes to build momentum in conference play.
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Indiana
Oregon OC Will Stein blames turnovers for CFP loss to Indiana Hoosiers
The Oregon Ducks’ season has ended in heartbreak for the second-straight season. They advanced farther than they did last year, reaching the College Football Playoff semifinals before they succumbed to the red-hot Indiana Hoosiers.
In the days leading up to the rematch, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning spoke about what needed to change from the last matchup, and the turnover battle was one of the things he spoke most passionately about. There is no way he can be happy after the Ducks lost the turnover battle 3-0, with each one leading to easy points for the Hoosiers.
Offensive coordinator Will Stein was asked to reflect on this aspect after the game, and he had this to say, “We just spotted these guys 21 points. You know, it’s hard to win when you turn the ball over three times in your own territory, plus a pick six.”
Oregon’s defense wasn’t great in this game either, but a lot of their struggles were the result of being asked to shut down an Indiana offense that was often set up in or near the red zone. Stein acknowledged this in his answer, telling reporters, “You don’t do anything good for your defense in that aspect. So obviously, poor job by us taking care of the ball, and it was obviously the big difference in the game.
The Hoosiers scored 28 points off Ducks turnovers, which ended up being the key difference in the 34-point loss. It also doesn’t feel farfetched to believe that Oregon would have played with much more fire if the turnovers didn’t put the game out of reach.
This game will leave a sour taste in this group’s mouth because they know things will never be the same. Stein and Tosh Lupoi are going off to lead their own teams now, along with a ton of uncertainty about which players will remain in Eugene after this loss.
The Ducks had a prime opportunity to achieve glory, but they came up just short yet again thanks to a slew of giveaways.
Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
Indiana
Why Indiana football regretted one Fernando Mendoza play
ATLANTA — Indiana football quarterback Fernando Mendoza has burned teams throughout the College Football Playoff with his scrambling ability.
Mendoza was lights out through the air in a 56-22 win over Oregon in the Peach Bowl on Friday night, but he made a handful of plays with his legs again starting with a 21-yard gain early in the second quarter that helped the No. 1 Hoosiers (15-0) flip the field.
Mendoza’s sneaky athleticism has put pressure on defenses already struggling to contain IU’s impressive arsenal of skill players, but there came a time in the CFP semifinals where the coaching staff asked him to put that scrambling ability in his back pocket and keep it there.
“Coach (Chandler) Whitmer was in his ear about getting down as quickly as possible,” Indiana offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan told The Herald-Times.
Re-live IU’s 2025 season
The Heisman winner had the large contingent of IU fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium holding their breath while he was weaving through defenders and taking hits with his team up by four possessions coming out of halftime.
Mendoza lost the ball in the third quarter while getting tripped up from behind on a run up the middle after busting out a spin move on the play to gain extra yards.
While the coaching staff appreciates Mendoza’s competitiveness, they didn’t want him putting himself at risk with the team less than two quarters away from playing in the national title game.
“We were very conscious (of the situation),” Shanahan said after the game.
Mendoza had one more carry after that off an RPO near the goal line right after IU blocked a punt. It was a play call that Shanahan immediately regretted with Oregon loading up the box.
“That wasn’t the best position to put him in,” he said.
Mendoza closed out the game for the Hoosiers under center by simply handing the ball off while the Hoosiers put the finishing touches on another lopsided win. He threw for 177 yards (17 of 20) and finished the game with more passing touchdowns (five) than incompletions (three) for the sixth time this season.
Oregon’s Dan Lanning had high praise for Mendoza’s overall performance after the game, but he became the latest in a long line of opposing coaches to mention his scrambling ability in the same breath as his arm talent.
“The guy makes the right decisions,” Lanning said. “You consistently see if he sees the right coverage, you know, he takes the ball where it’s supposed to go, dictated by coverage. I think he did a great job again on the scrambles early. I thought we had him boxed up in the third down early in the game, which was critical and was able to scramble for a first down.”
Shanahan underlined Mendoza’s decision-making as well in talking about the growth he’s seen from the quarterback this season and his improvisational skills (and when to use them) are a big part of that.
“He makes my life and my job so much easier,” Shanahan said. “I think he’s playing his best ball right now. I don’t know if that was the confidence he got from winning Heisman or beating Ohio State, I feel like we are on the right path. We got one more to go.”
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
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