State Representative Mike Braun of Jasper has officially joined the Republican scramble for the nomination to run against U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly.
Braun, who represents District 63, acknowledges he starts out with a big name recognition disadvantage against Congressmen Luke Messer and Todd Rokita, but he notes neither of them has reached 30-percent in polls so far. He says that’s a gap he can close. Rokita and Messer are also officially entering the race this week. Rokita starts a nine city tour today and Messer will make a formal announcement Saturday.
Braun helped craft Indiana’s infrastructure bills the last two years, but says it may take a while for the federal government to address it. Braun says he’d make tax reform and deficit reduction a priority. He argues lawmakers with business experience are better equipped to make “waste, fraud and abuse” a true source of savings, not just a talking point.
And Braun says the health care plan he instituted at his company, with an emphasis on preventive care and limits on how much employees have to spend on major medical expenses, offers a template for a new federal health care law.
