Mike Braun facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mike Braun
Braun in the 116th Congress
52nd Governor of Indiana
Incumbent
Assumed office January 13, 2025
Lieutenant	Micah Beckwith
Preceded by	Eric Holcomb
Ranking Member of the Senate Aging Committee
In office January 3, 2023 – January 3, 2025
Preceded by	Tim Scott
Succeeded by	Kirsten Gillibrand
United States Senator from Indiana
In office January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2025
Preceded by	Joe Donnelly
Succeeded by	Jim Banks
Member of the Indiana House of Representatives from the 63rd district
In office November 5, 2014 – November 1, 2017
Preceded by	Mark Messmer
Succeeded by	Shane Lindauer
Personal details
Born	Michael Braun (1954-03-24) March 24, 1954 (age 71) Jasper, Indiana, U.S.
Political party	Republican (2012–present)
Other political affiliations	Democratic (before 2012)
Spouse	Maureen Braun
Children	4
Relatives	Steve Braun (brother)
Residence	Governor's Residence
Education	Wabash College (BA) Harvard University (MBA)

Michael Braun (born March 24, 1954) is an American businessman and politician. He has been the 52nd governor of Indiana since January 13, 2025. He is a member of the Republican Party. Before becoming governor, he served as a United States senator for Indiana from 2019 to 2025. He was also a representative for the 63rd district in the Indiana House of Representatives from 2014 to 2017.

Mike Braun was born in Jasper, Indiana. He studied economics at Wabash College and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School. After serving in the Indiana House of Representatives, he was elected to the United States Senate in 2018. He won against the Democratic senator, Joe Donnelly. In 2024, he was elected governor, winning by a large margin.

Braun has specific views on many topics. He does not support the Affordable Care Act or same-sex marriage. He has encouraged the Republican Party to take climate change more seriously. He supported President Donald Trump's trade policies and voted to clear Trump in an impeachment trial.

Early Life and Business Career

Mike Braun was born in Jasper, Indiana, on March 24, 1954. He went to Jasper High School. He then attended Wabash College, where he earned a bachelor's degree in economics. Later, he received a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.

After college, Braun returned to Indiana. He joined his wife's family business, which made truck bodies for farmers. The company grew from 15 employees to over 300. In 1986, Braun and Daryl Rauscher bought Meyer Body Inc. This company made truck bodies and sold truck parts. Braun fully bought the company in 1995 and renamed it Meyer Distributing in 1999. He is currently its president and CEO.

Early Political Steps

Braun was once a member of the Democratic Party. However, he switched to the Republican Party in 2012. He explained that he always saw himself as a conservative Republican. He voted in Democratic primary elections for years because his home county, Dubois County, often voted for Democrats in local races. He was also a member of the Jasper School Board from 2004 to 2014.

Indiana State Representative Role

In 2014, Mike Braun was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives. He represented the 63rd district. He left this role on November 1, 2017. This allowed him to focus on his campaign for the U.S. Senate.

In July 2018, Braun asked the Indiana Attorney General, Curtis Hill, to step down. This was due to accusations against Hill.

Serving in the U.S. Senate

2018 Senate Election

Braun campaigning in Greenfield, Indiana

Mike Braun won the Republican primary election for the United States Senate in 2018. He defeated U.S. representatives Todd Rokita and Luke Messer. Braun ran as an "outsider," highlighting his business background. In the general election, he defeated the Democratic senator, Joe Donnelly. Braun received 51% of the votes, while Donnelly received 45%.

Time as Senator

On January 3, 2019, Braun became a United States senator for Indiana. Vice President Mike Pence swore him in.

In May 2019, Braun was one of eight senators who voted against a large aid package. This package was for states and territories affected by natural disasters. Braun believed it was too much spending on unrelated projects. Despite his vote, the package passed.

Braun supported President Trump's decision to remove American troops from northern Syria in October 2019. After this, Turkey launched a military offensive against the American-allied Kurds. Braun called Trump "smart" for his decision.

In December 2019, Braun stated that the effort to impeach President Trump was a "disaster for Democrats."

In May 2020, Senator Chuck Schumer proposed a plan to release guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These guidelines were about how to safely ease restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Braun blocked this plan. He said the CDC's ideas would harm the economy.

On October 26, 2020, Braun voted to approve Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court. He praised her during this time.

After Joe Biden won the November 2020 election, Braun did not accept Trump's loss. He supported Trump's claims of election fraud. On January 2, 2021, Braun and 10 other Republican senators announced they would vote against counting electoral votes from states Biden won. This was an attempt to change the election outcome.

Braun was in Congress when a group of Trump supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. After the attack, he tweeted that he would withdraw his objection to the election results. He then voted to count the electoral votes once Congress resumed. The South Bend Tribune newspaper called his change of mind "too little, too late."

In 2022, it was reported that Braun would run for governor of Indiana in 2024 instead of seeking re-election to the Senate. The current Republican governor, Eric Holcomb, could not run again.

Senate Committee Roles

For the 118th United States Congress, Braun was part of four Senate committees:

• Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
• Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
• Committee on the Budget
• Special Committee on Aging (Ranking Member)

2024 Indiana Governor Campaign

On November 30, 2022, Braun officially announced his plan to run for governor in the 2024 Indiana gubernatorial election.

Braun received support from Donald Trump. He won the Republican primary election on May 7, 2024. On May 8, he announced his choice for lieutenant governor, state representative Julie McGuire. However, in June, delegates at the Republican state convention chose Micah Beckwith for lieutenant governor instead.

On November 5, 2024, Braun won Indiana's gubernatorial election. He won by the largest margin for an open governor's seat since 1980. His campaign focused on "Freedom and Opportunity." He promised to address rising property taxes, make healthcare more affordable, and support school choice.

Political Views

Donald Trump's Influence

According to FiveThirtyEight, Braun voted with Donald Trump's position most of the time. This was during Braun's time as senator while Trump was president.

During Trump's first impeachment trial, Braun was a strong supporter of Trump. He voted to clear Trump of the charges. Braun stated that he did not believe Trump's actions were improper. He also said Trump acted to reduce corruption in Ukraine.

Government Spending

Braun is against earmarks. These are special funds added to bills for specific projects. He tried to remove all earmarks from a bill in 2023. He said earmarks encourage politicians to spend too much. His attempt to remove them failed.

2020 Election Outcome

After Joe Biden won the 2020 United States presidential election, Trump claimed the election was fraudulent. Braun supported these claims. He initially planned to object to the counting of electoral votes from several states. However, after the Capitol attack, Braun changed his mind. He then voted to accept the election results.

In Trump's second impeachment trial, Braun voted to clear Trump. In May 2021, Braun did not vote on creating a commission to investigate the January 6 Capitol attack.

Economy

Braun supported the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. When asked about the national debt, he said tax cuts help the economy. He believes the government has a spending problem, not a revenue problem.

Braun was among the 31 Republican senators who voted against the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023.

Education

In June 2025, Braun worked to increase his control over Indiana University. He removed members of the Board of Trustees chosen by alumni. He replaced them with his own choices. He also plans to cut some academic programs at IU and Purdue.

Environmental Views

Braun calls himself a conservationist. He has called climate activist Greta Thunberg an "inspiration." He believes the Republican Party should do more to fight climate change. He did not support the 2015 Paris Agreement. However, he supports using reforestation, carbon pricing, and carbon capture to reduce carbon emissions. He also leads the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus. Braun supported a bill to help farmers sell carbon credits.

Foreign Policy

In January 2024, Braun voted against a resolution about U.S. aid to Israel's military. The resolution aimed to apply human rights rules to the aid. The proposal was defeated.

Trade Policies

In 2018, Braun supported Trump's trade and tariff policies. He said they had "phenomenal results." Before that, he supported free trade.

Braun voted in favor of the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement.

Healthcare

Braun opposes the Affordable Care Act (ACA). He supports efforts to repeal it. He also supports a lawsuit to strike down the entire ACA. Braun wants "free-market competition" in healthcare. During his 2018 Senate campaign, he criticized Senator Joe Donnelly for supporting the ACA. Braun has said he supports keeping protections for people with preexisting conditions. However, the efforts he supported to repeal the ACA would remove these protections.

Immigration

Braun believes that "building the wall must be the first step" to solving illegal immigration. He does not support a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as minors, known as DREAMers.

LGBT+ Rights

When asked about same-sex marriage, Braun said he believes in "traditional marriage." He worked to keep marriage defined as "between a man and a woman" in the Indiana Republican Party platform. In the Indiana state legislature, he supported the Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act. He opposed changes to this bill that would have banned discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Police Reform

In June 2020, after the death of George Floyd, Braun proposed a law to change qualified immunity. This rule protects police officers from lawsuits. His bill would have made it easier to sue officers for rights violations. However, after an interview and feedback from police unions, Braun dropped his bill. In May 2021, he stated he was against any changes to qualified immunity. He also opposed federal efforts to reform local police departments.

COVID-19 Pandemic

In September 2021, Braun opposed the plan for COVID-19 vaccine mandates for companies. He called it a huge overreach by the federal government. He wrote the Senate resolution that challenged President Biden's vaccine mandate. The Senate passed this resolution. In October 2021, Braun invited Chicago police officers who were suspended for not getting vaccinated to work in Indiana.

Interracial Marriage

In March 2022, during a hearing for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, Braun called the Roe v. Wade decision "judicial activism." A reporter then asked if he felt the same about the Loving v. Virginia case, which protects interracial marriage. Braun replied that many Supreme Court civil rights decisions should be handled by states. When asked if interracial marriage should be left to the states, he said "Yes." Later that day, Braun said he misunderstood the question. He stated that the Constitution prohibits discrimination based on race and he condemns racism.

Early Childhood Learning

In February 2025, Braun did not support a state match for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. This program sends free books to children. The program's president hoped Governor Braun would continue this important investment.

Electoral History

Personal Life

Mike Braun and his wife, Maureen, have four children. He is Catholic. Mike's brother, Steve Braun, also served as a politician in Indiana.

See also

In Spanish: Mike Braun para niños