Braun Bucks Beckwith
And all it took was a $90K SUV.
With all the news this week about property tax reform at the Indiana statehouse, the Governor took a bold step against his second-in-command.
In an interesting turn of events, Governor Mike Braun signed into law restrictions on high-end vehicle purchases by state officials. This comes on the heels of bipartisan backlash to Lt. Governor Micah Beckwith’s tax dollar purchase of a $90K Yukon Denali.
Here is Indy Star’s reporting on this issue.
Of course, state officials need to get around for official business, and Indiana is the Crossroads of America, so accommodating vehicles makes sense. Perhaps the previous Lt. Governor’s official vehicle needed costly repairs. But Beckwith shot himself in the foot by commenting that it was actually because of the former Lt. Governor, Suzanne Crouch, and her female team’s small stature that a new vehicle was necessary (lol).
This bipartisan issue highlights the complicated relationship between Braun and Beckwith. Beckwith’s rise to power is interesting to analyze. The dude deserves credit — he caused a major upset last summer during the Indiana GOP State Convention where he eeked out a win for the Lt. Governor slot against the Braun-endorsed, moderate, establishment candidate, Julie McGuire.
Braun’s displeasure was clear in the immediate photos after Beckwith’s surprise win. I mean, look at that face:
In remarks to the press after Beckwith’s victory, according to the Indiana Capital Chronicle, Braun told reporters explicitly, “I’m in charge.” I think this latest bill that Braun signed into law was flexing that muscle.
In 2024, Beckwith turned what would have otherwise been a snooze of an election into one that caught national headlines. His aggressive style of politics resonated with the populist and evangelical coalitions on the Right. I have to imagine, though, that his various outlandish and attention-seeking comments, such that God sent rioters to the US Capitol on January 6th, or proudly proclaiming that he is Christian nationalist, were enough to make even the most partisan Republicans squirm. National Democrats even began flooding money into the race in the month before the election.
But running with Beckwith on the ticket gave Braun a decisive 13-point win in November. Indiana Republican state delegates were tired of eight years of moderate, “squishy,” Holcomb-style governorship, and Beckwith offered something different.
One of the core tenants of American conservatism is fiscal restraint and responsibility. One has to question the sincerity of Beckwith’s statements about such tenants when his office purchased this $90K SUV.
If Braun were to speak out publicly against Beckwith, he risks the optics of division within the Republican Party, and backlash from Beckwith’s supporters. Arguably, Beckwith’s following helped deliver Braun such a decisive victory, so I can imagine that Braun feels like he’s walking a delicate line.
In closing, let’s put our truth goggles on for a minute. It is clearly absurd for any politician to use taxpayer dollars to ingratiate themselves with luxury cars and trips (looking at you, too, Secretary Morales). I applaud Braun for signing this common-sense legislation into law.