Democrat Marc Carmichael, a former state representative and retired statewide trade association executive, announced Monday he would run for the U. S. Senate seat being vacated by Republican incumbent Mike Braun.
Carmichael is the first Democrat to file for the seat and will likely face Republican U. S. Representative Jim Banks in November 2024.
“I’m running because I want to be of dignified and dedicated service to Indiana and all Hoosiers, in the mold of legislators like Richard Lugar and Lee Hamilton,” Carmichael said. “We deserve better than to be represented by someone as mean-spirited, blindly partisan and out of touch with the majority of Hoosiers as Jim Banks. His attacks on innocent LGBTQ children for purely political gain are disgusting and his vote against certifying the Biden election and dishonest rhetoric on FOX News after that election help lead to the riot at the U. S. Capitol on January 6. He should be ashamed.”
Carmichael said Banks, and his equally partisan sidekick, Club for Growth PAC President, David McIntosh, successfully pushed Mitch Daniels out of the race by threatening to unleash a $10 million sliming campaign against the former Indiana governor. “Daniels is too moderate and conciliatory for today’s Republican party,” Carmichael said. “It shows how desperate Banks and McIntosh are to keep the Republican Party on the extreme MAGA fringe where they are.”
Hoosiers deserve to be represented by a senator committed to keeping our military strong, taking care of our veterans and all military families, building a strong economy and creating good paying jobs, Carmichael said.
Carmichael said he will be a senator who:
Believes women’s rights are human rights and will work to codify Roe v Wade at a minimum.
Will work for a ban on military style assault weapons—the weapon of choice for the mass murderers of our children and other innocent victims, and will fight for a national red flag law.
Is concerned about the white nationalism and antisemitism growing in our country thanks to extremists’ ugly rhetoric, and by someone who believes racism is still a cancer on the United States.
Wants to leave our planet better than we found it for our children and grandchildren and will take immediate action on global warming.
Will stand up for the LGBTQ youth who are being used as political pawns by mean-spirited, calculating Republicans who needed a new social wedge issue after Roe v Wade was overturned by the Republican Supreme Court majority. These vulnerable children deserve our help, not scorn, and their healthcare decisions should be left up to their families and compassionate, qualified doctors, not political opportunists.
Is committed to confirming fair and impartial federal judges, not like the partisan appointees that have been foisted on us by Mitch McConnell and the Federalist Society. We deserve judges who don’t lie to get confirmed or accept generous gifts and travel from wealthy patrons.
Is committed to no more gratuitous tax cuts for the rich and corporations who use the windfall to buy back and drive up the price of their own stock.
Believes teachers and librarians deserve our help and respect and not the threat of losing their jobs or getting shot. They shouldn’t have to fear being accused of a felony if someone whines about a book or movie that speaks honestly about life as it really is.
Will push for marijuana to be reclassified at the federal level from a Schedule 1 drug to a Schedule 3 or less.
Will work to lower drug costs and bring adequate medical care to all parts of Indiana, and will push for Medicare for all citizens.
In addition to the money that needs to be raised, each candidate for the U. S. Senate must collect the signatures of 500 verified voters on a petition in each of Indiana’s nine congressional districts to qualify for the ballot. “Until those signatures are gathered and verified nothing else really matters,” Carmichael said. “It is a monumental task you want to accomplish with quality people so you know every signature is legitimate. We are already underway.”
Carmichael is a lifelong Indiana resident and a 1972 Notre Dame graduate who was first elected to the Indiana House in 1986 when he easily defeated the sitting Republican House Speaker, J. Roberts Dailey, in a 60% Republican district. Carmichael defended his seat in 1988 and 1990 before stepping down to become the Director of Governmental Affairs for the Indiana Gas Company. In 1999 Carmichael took over as President of the Indiana Beverage Alliance, a statewide trade association for Indiana’s family owned beer distributors, and retired from that position in 2020. He is single with three children and five grandchildren.