INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – A wealthy former state lawmaker defeated two congressmen Tuesday in Indiana’s Republican Senate primary, ending a bitter campaign dominated by personal attacks that drew national attention for its nasty tone.
Republican Mike Braun advances to a November matchup with Democrat Joe Donnelly, who is considered one of the Senate’s most vulnerable incumbents.
It was an outcome few expected when Braun launched his campaign in August against the two well established political brands, who have collectively served about 25 years in elected office.
The owner of a national auto parts distribution company, Braun used his own wealth to lend his campaign more than $6 million. He proceeded to carpet bomb television with ads characterizing Braun as an “outsider” while portraying Messer and Rokita as two “swamp brothers” cut from the same cloth.
In one particularly effective ad, Braun walked around his hometown of Jasper carrying cardboard cutouts of Rokita and Messer in identical suits while asking bystanders if they could tell the two apart.