Beckwith said he had the votes, and …

What they’re saying after GOP delegates nominated conservative pastor Micah Beckwith over Mike Braun’s pick for lt. governor, Trump-endorsed Rep. Julie McGuire. Plus a look at school board filings

• Thanks to Stuart & Branigin for continued support of the Based in Lafayette reporting project.

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MICAH BECKWITH FINDS HIS WAY ONTO BRAUN’S TICKET AS LT. GOV. CANDIDATE

Micah Beckwith, the conservative pastor from Noblesville who launched his unconventional bid for the Republican lieutenant governor a year ago, walked out of a Thursday visit with GOP delegates in a Lafayette coffeehouse convinced that he had 100% of support he needed for force his way onto Mike Braun’s ticket in November. His only caveat heading into Saturday’s Republican state convention: “Depends on who shows up.”

His crowd – looking for Beckwith to be the conservative, anti-woke check and balance he said he’d be if Braun wins in November, upending an establishment party they say has gone soft on the most hardline principles – did show up in Indianapolis. On an 891-828 vote Saturday afternoon, delegates handed Beckwith the nomination over Julie McGuire, a first-term state representative and the running mate Braun chose.

There were plenty of takes in a contest that included a late and ultimately fruitless endorsement for McGuire from Donald Trump and Braun left to manage the party upset and put a good spin on being tied the hip to a lieutenant governor who signaled he was ready to be the arms bearer for a Florida-style of politics.

(For more on what Beckwith said he had in mind, here’s an account of that stop in Lafayette at Sacred Grounds coffeehouse: “What Indiana would get with Micah Beckwith as Lt. Gov.”)

• Indianapolis Star reporters Kayla Dwyer and Brittany Carloni had this, with the essentials from the Indianapolis Convention Center: “Bucking tradition, Indiana Republicans nominate Micah Beckwith for lieutenant governor.” One key was this from Braun, who said he was ready to work with Beckwith: “But there's no doubt about this: I'm in charge. And Micah is going to be someone that works with me. And if he doesn't, I think that means that it will probably not be as fruitful in terms of what we can get done."

• Indiana Capital Chronicle reporter Leslie Bonilla Muñiz had Beckwith’s initial reaction – “I want to tell you one thing, the Republican Party should be incredibly excited around the state of Indiana right now,” he said – backed by some pulling on the reins by Braun: “My running mate can say whatever he wants. … If it doesn’t make sense, if it doesn’t resonate, remember: I’m going to be the governor.” Here’s the full report: “Hoosier GOP insiders spurn party establishment, nominate Beckwith for LG. Braun: There’s no doubt about this. I’m in charge.”

• Adam Wren, writing for Politico, had Braun explaining the effort to pull Trump into the conversation and how it didn’t pan out. Here’s the story: “Trump-backed candidate in Indiana’s lieutenant governor race falls short. The former president’s endorsement was not enough to push state Rep. Julie McGuire over the line.”

• Columnist Brian Howey, writing for State Affairs, led off this way: “Mike Braun and his new running mate, Micah Beckwith, will have to learn to campaign together over the next five months if they want to extend the Republican gubernatorial dynasty to 24 years.” The full version: “Braun, Beckwith will have to learn how to campaign, possibly govern together.”

• Versions of this clip continued to make the rounds, featuring Beckwith on Jan. 7, 2021, discussing how God told him that the assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 was divinely driven.

• Democratic candidate Jennifer McCormick called Beckwith “the most extreme candidate ever nominated by either party for statewide office.” In a release Saturday, McCormick said: “I refuse to turn Indiana over to a Braun-Beckwith team. They are dangerous, divisive, and extreme–and embody the fear and chaos that has taken our state on a dangerous path. This year, Hoosiers will have a simple choice. The freedom to choose or the ban of reproductive freedoms. The freedom to learn or book bans. Democracy or insurrection. I know where I stand and I know Hoosiers have had enough of the Braun-Beckwith agenda.”

• Indiana Democratic Party Chairman Mike Schmuhl issued this in a statement after the vote: “Today, Indiana Republicans showed their stark divisions, not only within their party, but with their visions for the future of our state. Gubernatorial candidates selected by the people should be allowed to select their potential governing partners, and Micah Beckwith’s win shows how out-of-the-mainstream extremism has hijacked the current Indiana GOP. … Beckwith will bring the worst of the culture wars to the lieutenant governor’s office, which is usually tasked with increasing tourism and supporting agriculture. He is dangerous for business, dangerous for women, dangerous for families and dangerous for Indiana’s future.”

The election will be Nov. 5. To register to vote or to check your voter registration status, go to the Secretary of State’s portal at www.indianavoters.com.

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IN OTHER ELECTION NEWS: SCHOOL BOARD FILING DEADLINE APPROACHES

Candidates for school board seats in three Greater Lafayette districts continued to trickle in ahead of a noon Thursday, June 20, deadline at the Tippecanoe County Election Office. Here’s where things stood, as of Friday afternoon.

Lafayette School Corp.: Three of the seven seats on the LSC school board will be on the November ballot. This year will be the first that LSC school board members are elected as at-large candidates, meaning they’ll appear on ballots across the school corporation instead of on their home districts.

Julie Peretin, who was selected in February 2023 to fill the remaining term of board member Kay Walton, is the lone candidate file, so far. Dave Moulton, first elected in 2008, said he doesn’t plan to run for a fifth term. Ebony Barrett, who was appointed November 2023 to replace Brian Wagner when he moved from the district, had not filed as of the end of the week.

Tippecanoe School Corp.: Four of seven seats will be on ballots in TSC. One candidate had filed, as of Friday.

• District 4 (Wea Township and a portion of Fairfield Township): Jake Burton represents the district. No one had filed, as of Friday.

• District 5 (Sheffield and Lauramie townships): Julia Cummings had not filed but said last week she planned to run for a second term.

• District 6 (Wayne and Union townships): Brian DeFreese holds that seat. Connie Harper, a retired teacher, has filed to run.

• District 7 (Jackson and Randolph townships): Brad Anderson is in that seat. No one had filed in the district, as of Friday.

West Lafayette Community School Corp.: Four of the seven, at-large seats on the West Side school board will be on the ballot. The past two elections have drawn crowds of candidates. In 2022, six people ran for three seats. In 2020, 15 candidates ran for the four seats up for election this year. Current members Brad Marley and Tom Schott said they don’t plan to run for re-election. As of Friday, five candidates – including two incumbents – had filed.

• Amy Austin, elected in 2020 and now the school board president, filed to run for a second term.

• George Lyle, who works in IT security, will make a second run for the school board, after being among six candidates on the ballot in 2022.

• David Purpura, a Purdue professor and director of the university’s Center for Early Learning, was among the 15 candidates on the ballot in 2020.

• Beau Scott is a former Dayton Elementary teacher and now director of STEM Learning for a company called EES Innovation, which works to support K-12 schools across Indiana grow their STEM programming.

• Yue Yin, also elected in 2020, filed for a second term, too.

For more: WFYI reporter Eric Weddle had a good primer the other day on school board races across the state. Read it here: “800 school board seats are up for election in Indiana. The filing deadline for candidates is June 20.”

Thanks, again, to Stuart & Branigin for sponsorship help with today’s edition.

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Tips, story ideas? I’m at davebangert1@gmail.com.