LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Indiana's gubernatorial candidates faced off Wednesday with just a little more than a month left until the election.
Republican candidate U.S. Sen. Mike Braun and Democratic candidate Jennifer McCormick, Indiana's former Superintendent for Public Instruction, gathered at the FOX 59 studio in Indianapolis Wednesday evening to share their stances on hot-button topics like education and immigration.
In the education realm, the two candidates took opposing sides on school vouchers.
Indiana has an established school voucher program, allowing families to spend state money on their child's education expenses. The voucher program has expanded over the years in Indiana.
When asked about how to help Hoosier students improve test scores, Braun said vouchers helps.
"I'm a big believer because I've seen it in the real world," Braun said. "If you don't have competition and choice, you're going to be pigeonholed into something. If that's the only thing you got what do you measure it against."
McCormick made her case against vouchers during the debate, saying the money for vouchers could be used to increase teacher salaries in Indiana.
"$1.6 billion right now flows away from public education into privatization," McCormick said during the debate. "So pausing that program will give us the money we need and teachers deserve."
Both candidates said they want to increase teacher salaries in the state.
Another topic that was strongly debated was abortion.
Indiana implemented a near-total abortion ban in August 2023, according to FOX 59, prohibiting all abortions in the state except for when it is necessary to prevent death or irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function, when the pregnant person receives a diagnosis of lethal fetal anomaly and when the pregnant person is a victim of rape or incest.
Many Indiana residents feel the abortion ban is too strict, but Braun reminded people during the debate that Indiana is a "right to life" state. However, McCormick said she agrees with Roe v. Wade, and the precedence that law set.
Another hot button issue that was discussed Wednesday was immigration. Indiana is a long way from the border, but the topic came up when discussing the opioid crisis as well as resources for growing legal immigrant populations.
Moderators asked the the candidates how they can support an influx of legal immigrants in Indiana.
"Illegal immigration is a huge topic we need solved at the federal level," McCormick said. "Obviously, there are ways to do that and as governor, I will cooperate with the federal level regardless who the President of the United States is because I want Hoosiers to be safe. And we need to address the issue. As far as legal immigration goes, we embrace that."
Braun agreed to support legal immigration but controlling the number of immigrants coming into Indiana.
"When we have legal immigration, and it's in our own state of course you support it," Braun said during the debate. "That's what we need more of. What we need less of is, my opponent and our party have given us in the first place, which is open doors. That was working well before Biden-Harris got elected."
The US Census said as of 2022, about 6 percent of Indiana's population are legal immigrants. That's up from about 4.5% in 2010.
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