Braun poll shows senator with sizable lead in 2024 governor’s race

An internal poll for U.S. Sen. Mike Braun shows him with a sizable lead over two potential Republican competitors in the race for governor in 2024. 

Political firm Mark It Red conducted the poll on behalf of the campaign, surveying 1,555 likely Republican voters in mid-November. According to a memo released by the campaign, Braun won in potential matchups against Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and Fort Wayne businessman Eric Doden with a 37-point lead and 42-point lead, respectively.

“Hoosiers are ready for the bold conservative leadership to move our state forward that a Main Street businessman and political outsider like Mike Braun brings to the race for Indiana’s next governor. This poll shows that Indiana voters know Mike Braun is the conservative leader we need to make Indiana a beacon for freedom, opportunity, and prosperity to lead the way for a national renewal.“ said Josh Kelley, Braun’s chief of staff and senior political advisor, in a statement. 

Braun hasn’t formally announced his gubernatorial bid but filed paperwork last week to create a campaign finance committee, hinting at an announcement coming “soon.”

Crouch hasn’t yet announced whether or not she’ll pursue the governor’s seat in 2024, when Gov. Eric Holcomb’s term ends. Holcomb is limited by Indiana statute and cannot pursue a third consecutive term.

Doden announced over a year ago and launched the first ad for his campaign shortly after the November elections. 

Crouch’s campaign declined to comment on the poll. Doden didn’t respond to an email request for comment.

Name ID and more

The campaign’s poll shows Braun winning 47% of the vote in a theoretical race, compared to 10% for Crouch and 5% for Doden. But over one-third of voters, 37%, were undecided.  

Crouch and Doden had less name ID than Braun in the poll, with 40% of Hoosiers surveyed saying they were unaware of Crouch and 54% were unaware of Doden – compared to 11% of voters who said they were unaware of Braun. 

The same poll question reports that 61% of respondents had a favorable opinion of Braun, compared to 24% favorability for Crouch and 10% for Doden. The reported margin of error for the poll is plus or minus 2.5%. 

The poll did contain other questions not included in the publicly released memo that will be used to inform Braun’s campaign – similar to how Mark It Red polling informed messaging for Braun’s 2018 run for Senate. 

Mike Gentry, the founder of Mark it Red and pollster, previously worked with the House Republican Campaign Committee, leaving in 2012 to start an independent political firm. 

As Hoosiers, and Americans in general, abandon landlines and decline calls from unknown numbers, many campaigns have shifted to text messages. This poll had over 750 Hoosiers respond via an online poll linked in a text message, with just under 30% of polls conducted via landlines. The remaining 20.5% of responses were from cell phones.