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Q&A from 'All Indiana Politics Special: The Governor’s Debate'

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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.

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.



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Top-rated freshman focused on one big thing before Indiana basketball season

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Top-rated freshman focused on one big thing before Indiana basketball season


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  • Indiana freshman Vaughn Karvala is focused on adding weight and strength to his 6-foot-7 frame.
  • Karvala was a highly-ranked recruit who averaged 26.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in his junior season in high school.
  • He believes his athleticism and shooting ability will allow him to contribute to the team immediately.
  • Karvala is preparing for the physicality of college basketball by challenging himself against bigger teammates.

BLOOMINGTON — Whatever he can.

That’s the answer. The question — one prompted by an urgency to add strength to his game — is what Vaughn Karvala, Indiana basketball’s athletic freshman wing, is doing to add weight. IU’s highest-ranked signee in the 2026 class, it’s not hard to envision a role for Karvala in Darian DeVries’ second season in Bloomington. The player himself knows that starts with meeting the physical demands of the college game.

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Which starts with building onto to his 6-foot-7, 190-pound frame.

“The biggest thing for me is just putting on weight,” Karvala told reporters after practice Thursday. “That’s my biggest thing, getting stronger, trying to play with these guys that are three, four years older than me. I have to get stronger, I have to get faster, everything.”

A three-year letter winner at Oregon (Wisconsin) High School, Karvala spent his senior season at Bella Vista Prep in Arizona, bolstering a profile that saw him ranked No. 62 nationally per the 247Sports Composite.

Karvala averaged 26.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game in his final season with Oregon, shooting close to 42% from behind the 3-point line. He averaged another 14.7 points per game with Team Herro on the EYBL circuit.

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He handed DeVries a major recruiting win last fall, when Karvala picked the Hoosiers over Xavier and Cal. Now, both at the rim and behind the arc, Karvala looks like a player who can contribute meaningfully in his first year in college.

“I know my athleticism catches the eye, but I can still shoot it,” Karvala said. “But another thing is just working on rebounding, trying to get extra possessions for us.”

Whether on the glass or elsewhere, embracing the physical challenge of college basketball has been an emphasis for Karvala since he arrived in Bloomington earlier this summer.

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That manifests itself offensively, when he tries to push the ball downhill and leverage that athleticism to attack the rim. It shows up defensively, where Karvala said he’s comfortable guarding the two, the three and, matchup depending, the four.

It even plays out on the glass, battling bigs up to including 7-2 teammate Samet Yigitoglu, who Karvala described with a smile as “the biggest guy I’ve ever seen.”

“Physicality, 100%,” Karvala said, when asked where he’s challenging himself. “Just playing with all these guys that have 20, 30, 40 pounds on me.”

Which starts with the physical demand of more weight. Karvala said he’ll eat chicken, steak or “whatever we have in the locker room” that can help him in that effort. His focus, he said, is simply to “eat a lot, and work out every day.”

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As that weight and strength begin to build, Karvala knows the next step — to mentally prepare for the rough-and-tumble nature of life on the floor in the Big Ten — is just as important. Preparing his body comes first. Challenging himself to toughen up once it’s required follows quickly after.

“Just getting fully there, mentally,” he said. “You’re going to have to push your body to get through this.”

Want more Hoosiers coverage? Sign up for IndyStar’s Hoosiers newsletter. Listen to Mind Your Banners, our IU Athletics-centric podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the latest on IndyStar TV: Hoosiers.



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Indiana Fever President Addresses Player Safety After Alyssa Thomas' Suspension

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Indiana Fever President Addresses Player Safety After Alyssa Thomas' Suspension


Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever fell to 10-8 on the 2026 WNBA season after suffering a 111-109 loss to Alyssa Thomas and the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday night. The Fever finished the mini series against the Mercury with a 1-1 overall record, taking Phoenix down 86-77 just two nights before. Clark finished the game with 19 points on 5-of-9 shooting, eight assists and four turnovers, but was limited to just 20 minutes after leaving the game in the third quarter due to her lingering back injury.



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New law allows alcohol at participating county fairs in Indiana

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New law allows alcohol at participating county fairs in Indiana


It’s fair season and a new law uncorks adult beverage sales!

The new Indiana law will go into effect July 1st, making it legal to sell alcohol at county fairs.

The Kosciusko County Fair is set to kick off in just a few weeks and Indiana is officially allowing alcohol to be sold.

The law is bringing back something that’s not necessarily new to this fair.

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Here’s what you need to know

The new law will go into effect on July 1st. It officially allows county fairs to apply for fee-free permits to sell alcohol.

Officials with the Kosciusko County Fair say they are participating this year. They are implementing the same guidelines they used when they sold alcohol just at grandstand events.

The difference now is, you can walk around the grounds with your drink. But strict guidelines will be in place for purchasing a drink.

“Actually, we’ve never had any issues. Because we card everybody, so we take that seriously. We also got the ID guides so we can identify the different types of IDs,” said Sheal Dirck, Treasurer of Kosciusko County Fair.

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The Kosciusko County Fair already have guidelines in place, so this was an easy transition for the fair.

They will be the only vendors selling alcohol, which will make it easier to control distribution.

The sales will also bring in more revenue.

“Hopefully it allows to keep our ticket prices where they are because right now, insurance, utilities and everything else is going sky high and it’s hard to make ends meet,” said Dirck.

However, some fairs cannot participate because of the July 1st start date, like the Pulaski County Fair, which is going on right now. Pulaski County officials said it is on the agenda for next year. Whereas other fairs are choosing to sit this year out.

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“We wanted not spend some time to, to see what that really means for us. It was not a decision we wanted to rush into. But we are happy for the option of it,” said Shelly Steury, GM of Elkhart County 4H Fairgrounds.

Leaders at the St. Joseph County and Elkhart County Fairs said neither of them are selling alcohol.

The Kosciusko County Fair is the only fair that will sell alcohol in our area this year.



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