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Indiana gubernatorial candidates optimistic ahead of Election Day – Indianapolis News | Weather Indiana | Indiana traffic

Indiana gubernatorial candidates optimistic ahead of Election Day – Indianapolis News | Weather Indiana | Indiana traffic

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – All three candidates told News 8 on Monday they are feeling optimistic heading into Election Day on Tuesday.

Voters will decide who will succeed Governor Eric Holcomb’s term-limited term and become Indiana’s 52nd governor. Sen. Mike Braun survived a six-member Republican primary, the most expensive primary in state history. Jennifer McCormick is carrying the Democratic flag after serving as the state’s last elected Superintendent of Public Instruction under the Republican label from 2017 to 2021. Libertarian Donald Rainwater is looking to surpass his 2020 vote total of more than 11%, the best performance of any third-party candidate in Indiana since before the Civil War.

Braun told News 8 he believes his campaign’s focus on economic issues and his record in the U.S. Senate and as a business owner have resonated with voters. He just completed a 12-county bus tour with other Republican candidates and elected officeholders. Braun said he wasn’t concerned about some polls showing the margin between him and McCormick being smaller than expected.

“I always run like it’s a close race,” he said. “I’ve put a lot of time into it, done a lot of walking, I stated that in December ’22, and I feel very good about the way we’ve done a comprehensive campaign on kitchen table issues.”

McCormick had five more campaign stops planned for the day when she stopped by the News 8 studios early Monday afternoon. She said she sees a lot of energy around her campaign and added that she has heard from some voters who are rooting for Donald Trump and her have voted. She said she believes voters want to restore balance in the Statehouse, where Republicans have controlled the governor’s seat for the past two decades.

“The real question is whether Hoosiers will vote,” she said. “We’re attracting a lot of Republican votes, which we need. We need Democrats to come out in a big way and we need those independents to make a decision and make sure they come our way.”

Rainwater said he continues to campaign in his spare time while working a full-time job. He said the campaign has proven that he is the only candidate in the race who truly supports smaller government and less regulation. Rainwater said everyone who casts a ballot, both during early voting and on Election Day, will be personally thanked for participating in the process.

“It doesn’t matter if we win tomorrow, if we come second or third, I think we ran a good race,” he said. “We presented the right policies, positions and perspective on how government should move forward in the state of Indiana.”

Early voting turnout was high in Indiana. After early voting concluded at noon, Marion County election officials reported 133,727 early ballots had been cast. Hamilton County recorded 98,093. The secretary of state’s office had counted a total of more than 1.5 million early ballots statewide as of Sunday. Statewide totals, including Monday’s voters, won’t be available until Tuesday. All candidates said they were encouraged by the turnout.

Tuesday voting runs from 6am to 6pm local time on Tuesday. Anyone standing in line to vote when the polls close is eligible to vote.