Governor-elect Mike Braun greets supporters at the JW Marriott in downtown Indianapolis on Nov. 5, 2024. (Whitney Downard/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
Will incoming Gov. Mike Braun look more like Gov. Mitch Daniels or Gov. Eric Holcomb? Despite Indiana’s one-party rule, Daniels and Holcomb could not offer a more stark contrast in style and policy. Gov. Mike Pence is not being ignored, but his agenda was more social than fiscal and doesn’t seem germane to this analysis.
Two months before Daniels was elected Governor, the Fiscal Policy Institute called Indiana’s financial problems “staggering” and said the next governor would have to increase tax revenues by at least $2 billion just to meet existing budgetary obligations. Beyond this existed billions more in unfunded pension obligations and a deteriorating infrastructure that threatened Indiana’s international logistics leadership.