Indiana 's Republican delegates voted against a Trump-endorsed choice for lieutenant governor and instead nominated pastor Micah Beckwith.
Former President Donald Trump and Sen. Mike Braun's (R-IN) choice for the role, Republican state Rep. Julie McGuire, lost to Beckwith. It was the first time Indiana Republicans had a contested race for lieutenant governor since 1996.
"I'm humbled, I'm overwhelmed, and I am encouraged that Indiana knows that the power of the government rests with the people," Beckwith said before walking off the convention stage to the tune of "God Bless the U.S.A."
Beckwith won the nomination by a close 891-828 vote. Braun won the Republican primary for governor earlier this year and will be the Republican nominee in this year’s gubernatorial election.
Trump made an endorsement for McGuire late in the game, but the endorsement didn’t matter as Beckwith supporters were already strongly behind him, according to the Indianapolis Star .
“When I talked to [Trump] on Thursday before I came here, I asked him to give me an endorsement,” Braun said to delegates at the convention. “That’s how you get stuff done.”
"I'm a die-hard Trump supporter. I'm going to vote for him with enthusiasm in the fall, but he doesn't know what's going on in Indiana," said David Winters, a delegate from Danville. "This is not something I think he actually vetted. Trump always talks about loyalty, and Mike Braun has been loyal by him and vice versa."
One delegate who was undecided before the vote said the endorsement didn’t matter.
"Trump's not a real Republican," said Nate Lamar, an undecided delegate of Henry County. "Trump's an opportunist."
Indiana picks its nominee for lieutenant governor in a convention style, typically giving all 1,800 elected delegates to the same person, and has not seen a contested convention in three decades.
Following Beckwith’s nomination, Braun implied the relationship between the two, should they win office, could be rocky.
“There’s no doubt about this. I’m in charge,” Braun said. “And Micah is going to be someone that works with me. And if he doesn’t … it will probably not be as fruitful in terms of what we can get done.”
Beckwith has embraced some of Trump's preferred positions, notably stating the Jan. 6 insurrection was divinely inspired, claiming God told him, “I sent those riots to Washington.” Beckwith also said he is committed to fighting the Democrats' “woke” agenda.
Indiana Democrats have not won a governor’s race since 2000 and view the possibly strained relationship between the Republicans’ pick for governor and lieutenant governor as a key to getting elected to the office. Indiana Democratic Party Chairman Mike Schmuhl said the GOP convention “showed their stark divisions.”
“Today, Indiana Republicans showed their stark divisions, not only within their party but with their visions for the future of our state,” Schmuhl said in a statement obtained by the Washington Examiner. “Gubernatorial candidates selected by the people should be allowed to select their potential governing partners, and Micah Beckwith’s win shows how out-of-the-mainstream extremism has hijacked the current Indiana GOP.”
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An internal memo from James Bopp Jr., the Braun surrogate and GOP lawyer obtained by Politico, also showed fear within the Indiana Republican Party that the pair may not be winnable.
“Beckwith’s nomination as Lt. Gov poses a serious threat to the Braun candidacy, election, and administration,” the memo said.
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