The Indiana governor's race has grown more competitive in recent weeks , and in kind, the gubernatorial hopefuls have been pumping out policy positions and white papers in rapid succession.
We also now have two gubernatorial debates under our belt, where the candidates have been put on the spot about myriad hot-button and kitchen-table issues.
So here it is all in one spot: Where Republican U.S. Sen. Mike Braun, Democrat Jennifer McCormick and Libertarian Donald Rainwater stand on the most important issues of the day.
Property taxes
The issue: Hoosiers experienced an unusual skyrocketing of property tax bills in 2023, following a pandemic-related explosion in demand for homes. Signs are pointing to an abating , but property values remain historically high, and relief has become a vote-getting topic this year .
More: How did property taxes become a top issue in the Indiana governor's race?
What Braun proposes:
- Significantly increase the amount that homeowners can deduct from their taxable property value, resulting in an average 21% reduction in their bills ― with the goal of resetting to 2021 tax bills.
- Cap annual property tax bill increases at 2% for seniors, low-income families and families with children; and at 3% for everyone else.
- Restrict property tax referenda to high-turnout elections.
- The impact: Braun didn't provide a fiscal analysis, but Ball State Professor Michael Hicks estimates this plan could result in a 30-40% reduction in property tax revenues for local governments.
What McCormick proposes:
- Increase the property tax deduction, renters tax deduction and amount of exemptions on state income taxes.
- Expand the qualifications for tax deductions for seniors and disabled veterans.
- Cap annual property tax bill increases at 10%.
- The impact: Local governments would see a less than 1% drop in revenue, and the state would absorb the remaining $500 million of cuts.
More: She rode the 2016 GOP wave. Now Jennifer McCormick is running for governor as a Democrat
What Rainwater proposes:
- Limit annual property taxes to 1% of the purchase price of the property, and let them expire after 7 years.
- The impact: Hicks estimates 50-70% property tax revenue cuts to local governments.
Education
The issue: Indiana ranks in the bottom 10 states in the nation in terms of how many of its students attain a Bachelor's degree.
What Braun proposes:
- Expand school choice in Indiana to be universal for Hoosier families.
- Raise teacher pay and benefits, and cut "red tape" for out-of-state teachers to come to Indiana.
- Establish an "Indiana Office of School Safety" to provide security grants and cybersecurity training.
- Support parental access to educational information, including their child's request to change their name or pronoun.
What McCormick proposes:
- Establish an "accountability platform" to hold all schools that receive public dollars (including private schools that receive vouchers) to the same academic and fiscal standards. McCormick believes the expansion in voucher programs should be paused until accountability measures are put in place.
- Enact universal pre-K and expand child care access.
- Establish a minimum salary of $60,000 for teachers and give local schools more autonomy over curriculum.
- Move the emphasis back toward college as a post-high school path, in addition to career readiness.
What Rainwater proposes:
- Universal school choice with no conditions or mandates attached to the funding given to each child.
- Non-accredited schools should be included in such legislation.
Cannabis legalization
The issue: By next year, all of Indiana's neighbors will have legalized some form of marijuana, ushering in a lucrative new source of tax revenue, but it remains a public safety concern for some groups.
What Braun proposes: Medical marijuana "makes sense," Braun said on the debate stage recently, but he maintains he wants to take his cue from law enforcement. He wouldn't go that far with regard to recreational marijauna.
More: Mike Braun is leading the race for governor. But is his record a liability or benefit?
What McCormick proposes:
- Immediately create a regulated medical marijuana industry, then gradually phase in legal adult-use recreational marijuana.
- Establish an independent "Indiana Cannabis Commission" to oversee the industry.
- Regulate the hemp-derived THC products that are currently for sale in Indiana.
What Rainwater proposes: Legalize both medical and recreational cannabis and expunge Hoosiers' convictions for non-violent cannabis-related offenses.
Abortion
The issue: Indiana passed a near-total abortion ban in 2022 that includes exceptions for rape, incest, fatal fetal anomalies or the life of the mother.
What Braun proposes: Braun thinks lawmakers did a good job with the passage of the state's near-total abortion ban and that it's held up, saying Indiana is a "pro-life state." He thinks the issue should have always been left to the states.
What McCormick proposes: McCormick supports full repeal of Indiana's abortion ban.
What Rainwater proposes: Rainwater, while an anti-abortion Libertarian, said this issue should be litigated through the three branches of government ― if there's a constitutional issue, the judiciary should speak up; if citizens want changes, they should call their legislators.
Rising utility costs
The issue: Higher-than-normal inflation in the price of coal and gas have led to soaring electricity costs for consumers in recent years, especially in Indiana, which remains heavily reliant on these sources of power . Residential electric bills from Indiana's five big investor-owned utilities are up about 15% since 2020 , and some of these utilities have requested similar-size rate hikes for 2025 and 2026.
What Braun proposes: On the debate stage, Braun said he thinks Indiana shut down parts of its coal fleet prematurely. He thinks Indiana needs to resist federal mandates that force an energy transition to sources that don't yet meet present demand. Though, he said he supports the "cleanest, least expensive fuel in the long run."
A white paper from Hoosiers for Opportunity Prosperity and Enterprise, a 501(c)4 that supports Braun's agenda, describes his strategy as an "all-of-the-above" policy: Both supporting opportunities for public utilities to sell coal and natural gas facilities before retiring them; and providing expedited permitting for agrivoltaics and development on brownfields.
More: Libertarian Donald Rainwater benefitted from anger over COVID-19 in 2020. What about 2024?
What McCormick proposes:
- Reinstate net metering, which allows Hoosiers who produce their own energy at home (such as with solar panels) to sell surplus energy back to the grid.
- Prohibit utilities from using ratepayer dollars on lobbying, advertising or political contributions
- Appoint ratepayer advocates to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission
- Reinstate former Gov. Mitch Daniels' Energy Efficiency Resource Standard plan, which launched in 2012 but was repealed under former Gov. Mike Pence in 2014. The EERS required utilities to achieve annual energy savings of 2% within 10 years.
What Rainwater proposes: Rainwater said he believes the state government and IURC need to reform the utility industry by removing barriers to competition and therefore cutting down on the utilities' monopoly status. He believes this would help drive down costs for consumers. Currently, Indiana's investor-owned electric utilities have exclusive territories where only one utility can provide service.
Economy/inflation/wages
The issue: Indiana's wage growth tends to lag behind the national average . Plus, inflation in the economy since the pandemic has been the biggest issue on the national political stage this election.
What Braun proposes: Braun's proposals to combat inflation include some aforementioned plans, including his proposals on property tax relief and utilities. His ideas also include:
- A series of personal tax changes, such as: Adjusting state income tax brackets according to inflation; eliminating taxes on retirement income; ending the practice of taxing cash tips for Hoosiers in the service industry; instituting annual sales tax holidays for certain goods during high-demand periods, such as back-to-school supplies in the late summer; reforming business personal property taxes.
- Incentivise employers to invest in employee wage growth by directing the IEDC to offer workforce investment tax credits.
- Review the state's regulations on small business and eliminate redundancies, and give the governor veto-power over state agencies' proposed readoptions of their administrative rules.
- As a method of making state government more lean, develop "outcomes-based performance metrics" for each state agency, on which they'll be reviewed and underperforming positions and programs would be cut.
What McCormick proposes:
- Reel in the IEDC from its recently expanded role in the state's economy, such as its role buying up land for the LEAP project in Boone County; reorganize its economic development strategy so that all 92 counties benefit from state dollars.
- Review regulations on small businesses and remove unnecessary barriers to startups ― similar to a Braun goal.
- Incentivise the creation of more child care options by offering a state corporate income tax credit for businesses that provide on-site or nearby child care for their employees.
- Expand the Earned Income Tax Credit threshold to better reflect inflation.
- Introduce a phase-in process for the state taxes new businesses in Indiana pay.
- Invest more public dollars toward education, agritourism, quality-of-life amenities and health care infrastructure.
What Rainwater proposes:
- Eliminate the state income tax and gasoline excise tax, among others, in order to increase Hoosiers' take-home pay.
- Oppose the use of eminent domain, leaving land use development to the market, rather than the government.
- Adopt universal school choice, which he believes will attract families and "top talent."
There's more...
Some candidates have put out myriad policy papers on issues that not all three have talked about extensively.
- McCormick's "ethics plan" includes banning gifts for lobbyists and establishing a confidential sexual-harassment reporting mechanism through the Inspector General's Office.
- Braun's "agriculture and rural plan" includes capping annual increases on farm property taxes and creating a matching grant program for broadband internet expansion.
- Braun's "health care plan" includes increasing options for employer-sponsored coverage, removing barriers to competition and adopting price transparency legislation.
- After earning his nomination at the Indiana Libertarian Party Convention, Rainwater signed a Taxpayer Protection Pledge , a promise to oppose any state budget that includes tax increases or new spending.
Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Kayla Dwyer at kdwyer@indystar.com or follow her on X: @kayla_dwyer17
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: The issues: What Indiana's governor candidates say about taxes, school choice and abortion
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