Braun says he has ‘no interest' in White House bid
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun (R) sought to tamp down a report that he is interested in running for president, in remarks to reporters Thursday.
'That's had nothing to do with anything I've said,' Braun told the Indiana Capital Chronicle, a nonprofit news site covering state government, in response to a question about a potential presidential run. 'I'm concentrating on being governor, and have no interest in that.'
Politico reported in early June that Braun had discussed the idea of mounting his own presidential campaign, citing three unnamed Republicans close to the governor.
Braun previously served as a U.S. senator for one term, and in Indiana's statehouse from 2014 to 2017.
He maintained that his focus was on the governorship, the Indiana Capital Chronicle reported.
'I'm focused on being the most entrepreneurial governor we've got in this country,' Braun told the outlet. 'We've been doing things bolder than what most states would do and going after tough issues like health care, education, workforce.'
Braun recently appeared at an event with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., that announced that Arkansas, Idaho and Utah would no longer permit soda and candy to be purchased with food stamps.
As governor, he has also issued a number of executive orders, ranging from declaring there are only two genders to prohibiting collective bargaining among state employees.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
20 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Race for control of Georgia state House already in motion
ATLANTA — It's not even 2026, but the race to control the Georgia Houseof Representatives has begun. From a community center in LaGrange to the Chamber of Commerce in Macon to the waters of Lake Lanier, Democratic and Republican leaders are laying the groundwork forhigh stakes campaigning next year. 'For all practical purposes, the 2026 elections are underway,' said state Rep. Carolyn Hugley of Columbus, the Democratic leader in the Georgia House. It takes 91 seats in the House to win the majority. Republicans currently hold 100 seats and have controlled the chamber since the GOP flipped it in 2004. 'House Republicans are laser-focused on building on our success from 2024 and expanding our majority in 2026,' House Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington, saidin a statement. But Democrats are eyeing this next election cycle to make a comeback. In 2018, the last midterm election during a Donald Trump presidency, Georgia Democrats gained 11 seats in the House. If all 80 Democrats hold their seats, a similar showing would allow them to take control of the chamber. That may be easier said than done. Trump's approval rating has hovered around 45%, butit is higher than it was during his first term in office. Then there is the electoral map, which was drawn by Republicans to help them hold on to their majorities in both the state House and Senate. 'All of the easy seats have already been captured, so every seat that we have from here on out is going to be more and more difficult to win,' Hugley said. The strategy Leaders behind Greater Georgia, a conservative voter registration organization founded by former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler in 2021, traveled this June to Savannah and Macon to present Gov. Brian Kemp's No. 1 legislative priority: a bill that would limit the kinds of lawsuits people can bring and reduce the hefty verdicts. In Macon, Republican Senate Pro Tem John F. Kennedy explained how Republicans' narrow majority made the civil litigation legislation extremely difficult to pass. Thirty-three of the 56 Georgia senators are Republican, but 'we got a guy that votes no on everything, so we really got 32 on the best day,' Kennedy said, referring to Sen. Colton Moore, a Republican from Trenton. Three Republicans are plaintiff lawyers who had concerns about the ramifications of the legislation on their practice and their clients, and it takes 29 votes to pass a bill, he said. 'That's the challenge we had.' In the Georgia House, the vote was evencloser. Eight Republicans objected to the legislation, along with all but three Democrats. The bill passed by the requisite 91 votes. While Republicans control the maps determining district shapes, it's difficult to carve up metro areas and avoid pockets of Democrats while also meeting constitutional requirements: Each district must be connected, must have equal population under the 'one person, one vote' rule established by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1964, and cannot discriminate on the basis of race. Eager to chip away at Democrats' success with people of color, Greater Georgia also traveled to Stonecrest in DeKalb County, which voted for Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in 2024 with more than 90% of the vote and is 88% Black, according to census data. They met a skeptical audience, but organizers said the point was to build relationships where they historically had not been. Democrats are taking aim at more rural areas that have typically been Republican strongholds but hold promise for future elections. Georgia House Democrats, including Hugley, in May visited LaGrange, Dawson, and Montezuma 'to hear from Georgians who are struggling,' according to the announcement, and learn how lawmakers can better represent their constituents. On the trail The campaigning has already kicked off. A social media advertisement from the Georgia House GOP slammed Democrats for walking out on a vote in April that would ban gender-affirming treatment for transgender prisoners. 'Our conservative majority has consistently delivered real results on the issues that matter most to Georgia voters — from tax cuts and school security to health care and public safety,' Burns said, in the statement. He chided Democrats for hosting Stacey Abrams as a guest speaker at some of their events and said their policies don't resonate with people in Georgia. 'I'm confident it's a message that will resonate at the ballot box next November,' he said. Hugley said House Republicans are scared. 'Obviously the Republicans are concerned that we're talking to the real people of Georgia, and it's unusual for them to have an attack ad this far away from an election,' she said. 'I take it as a compliment that they are taking note of what we're doing, because they don't want real Georgians to hear real time what's going on.' One House Democrat already preparing for 2026 elections said he is focusing his campaign on local issues he can control. 'When people ask me about federal issues, or what is happening with international issues, I'm like, 'Look, I'm more worried about what's happening locally,'' said Farooq Mughal, at his campaign launch event in Dacula this month. Mughal lost his reelection bid for his seat representing the area around Dacula and Buford by just 80 votes in November. Based on lines drawn during the redistricting process, Mughal believes he was at about a 700-vote disadvantage going into his campaign. Mughal said the fact that he came so close told him his message was getting out. This coming election, he thinks he'll have more wind at his back. 'Things are changing. People are not happy with tariffs, with the corporate housing crisis. There are a lot of people who are going to start feeling that pinch,' he said. In addition to preventing Mughal from reclaiming his seat, Republicans are likely to aim their focus on House District 108 in Lilburn, which was a target of Gov. Brian Kemp's to flip last year. State Rep. Jasmine Clark is running to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. David Scott, leaving her seat up for grabs. They may also explore options in House District 128, a Sandersville seat where Democratic state Rep. Mack Jackson, won by just 48 votes. Republicans could run a formidable candidate, or they may continue trying to convinceJackson, who supported anti-abortion restrictions in 2019 and voted in favor of Kemp's priority legislation this year, to switch parties. Anything could happen between now and then, said state Rep. Scott Hilton of Peachtree Corners, who lost his reelection in 2018 before winning it back in 2020. Although some have speculated Hilton may run for a statewide office, hesaid he's likely to run for reelection in his competitive North Atlanta district. 'A year in politics is a lifetime,' he said. 'Our side is prepared, and we have a great message to share with voters on the campaign trail.' Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
CBS News
34 minutes ago
- CBS News
Gov. Greg Abbott signs bill requiring Ten Commandments to be displayed in Texas classrooms
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Texas will require all public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments under a new law that will make the state the nation's largest to attempt to impose such a mandate. Gov. Greg Abbott announced Saturday that he signed the bill, which is expected to draw a legal challenge from critics who consider it an unconstitutional violation of the separation of church and state. A similar law in Louisiana was blocked when a federal appeals court ruled Friday that it was unconstitutional. Arkansas also has a similar law that has been challenged in federal court. The Texas measure easily passed in the Republican-controlled state House and Senate in the legislative session that ended June 2. "The focus of this bill is to look at what is historically important to our nation educationally and judicially," Republican state representative Candy Noble, a co-sponsor of the bill, said when it passed the House. Abbott also signed a bill that allows school districts to provide students and staff a daily voluntary period of prayer or time to read a religious text during school hours. The Ten Commandments laws are among efforts, mainly in conservative-led states, to insert religion into public schools. Texas' law requires public schools to post in classrooms a 16-by-20-inch (41-by-51-centimeter) poster or framed copy of a specific English version of the commandments, even though translations and interpretations vary across denominations, faiths and languages and may differ in homes and houses of worship. Supporters say the Ten Commandments are part of the foundation of the United States' judicial and educational systems and should be displayed. Opponents, including some Christian and other faith leaders, say the Ten Commandments and prayer measures infringe on others' religious freedom. A letter signed this year by dozens of Christian and Jewish faith leaders opposing the bill noted that Texas has thousands of students of other faiths who might have no connection to the Ten Commandments. Texas has nearly 6 million students in about 9,100 public schools. In 2005, Abbott, who was state attorney general at the time, successfully argued before the Supreme Court that Texas could keep a Ten Commandments monument on the grounds of its Capitol. Louisiana's law has twice been ruled unconstitutional by federal courts, first by US District Judge John deGravelles and then again by a three-judge panel of the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals, which also considers cases from Texas. State Attorney General Liz Murrell said she would appeal and pledged to take it to the US Supreme Court if necessary.
Wall Street Journal
an hour ago
- Wall Street Journal
The Tax Bill Would Deliver a Big Win for Private Schools—and Investors
Republicans' tax-and-spending megabill would give the school-choice movement a major, long-sought victory—and deliver an unusually generous tax break to wealthy taxpayers. The bill includes a new way for taxpayers—whether they are parents or not—to direct tax dollars to private-school scholarships instead of the Treasury. There is an extra twist: It could deliver virtually risk-free profits to some savvy investors.
