US Sen. Mike Braun endorses Donald Trump

U.S. Sen Mike Braun of Indiana on Monday endorsed former President Donald Trump in his bid for a second stay at the White House. Braun is running for governor.

“Donald Trump is the candidate capable of returning us to the America First policies that delivered unmatched prosperity and security for the American people,” Braun said in a statement. “I give Donald Trump my endorsement for President of the United States.”

Braun billed himself and Trump as businessmen and political outsiders.

“I’ve seen firsthand how the Washington swamp works against Hoosiers and works overtime to hamper our prosperity,” he said.

And he emphasized his and Trump’s shared history working against that “swamp.”

“Together, we took on the Washington swamp with a historic victory in the 2018 Indiana Senate race,” Braun said.

Trump stumped for Braun in Evansville that year during the senator’s successful campaign against incumbent Democrat Joe Donnelly.

“We installed constitutional conservatives on the Supreme Court who have protected the unborn and our Second Amendment rights, and we disrupted the cozy, self-serving Washington elites who are bankrupting our country,” he continued.

Braun was also a staunch defender of Trump during the former president’s first impeachment. In doing so, he earned both recognition from Trump and prominence for himself.

Braun has recently both endorsed — U.S. Rep. Jim Banks to take over the Senate seat he’s vacating — and been endorsed: by prominent national conservative organization Club for Growth.

Braun is among the gubernatorial race’s frontrunners, but he still faces formidable competitors: former Commerce Secretary Brad Chambers, Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, Fort Wayne businessman Eric Doden and former Attorney General Curtis Hill.