By BRADY GIBSON
WISH-TV | wishtv.com
The person who led Indiana’s economic development efforts for Gov. Eric Holcomb now hopes to succeed him as governor.
Chambers
Brad Chambers filed official paperwork Thursday morning to form his campaign for governor in 2024.
Chambers resigned as Indiana’s Secretary of Commerce earlier this month after serving two years in the role. He hinted at the time that he was considering a run for governor.
“As Indiana’s Secretary of Commerce, the last two years, I have witnessed firsthand how important leadership, vision, urgency, and aspiration are to the future of Indiana,” Chambers said in a news release. “I am running for Governor because I want Hoosiers of today and Hoosiers of tomorrow to believe that Indiana offers an opportunity for an excellent life. I am ambitious in my vision for Indiana, and I look forward to talking with Hoosiers about the best way to continue making our state the envy of many.”
Chambers becomes at least the fifth major Republican candidate to announce a gubernatorial campaign for 2024.
The others include:
- Suzanne Crouch, Indiana’s current Lt. Governor
- Mike Braun, who is giving up his seat in the U.S. Senate after one term
- Curtis Hill, former Indiana Attorney General
- Eric Doden, head of the Indiana Economic Development Committee under Gov. Mike Pence
The chairman of Indiana’s Democratic Party called the 2024 governor’s race the time for “an honest conversation about the last twenty years of Republican one-party control.”
“As Secretary of Commerce, Chambers did not address Indiana’s poor standing for workers and wages,” Mike Schmuhl said in a statement. “Wages grew significantly slower in Indiana than in the country as a whole over the past few years and our state is one of the worst to find a job in the entire country.”
One Democrat, Jennifer McCormick, has announced a campaign for governor. She previously served as the state’s Superintendent of Public Instruction as a Republican before switching parties.
Donald Rainwater has announced his intention to seek the Libertarian Party’s nomination for governor. He received 11.4 percent of the vote in the 2020 gubernatorial election against Holcomb and Democratic candidate Dr. Woody Myers.
Holcomb is barred from seeking another term in office by term limits. He’s already ruled out a campaign for Braun’s Senate seat.