Republican convention recap | Young, Braun split on gun bill

Establishment Republicans had a bad weekend.

Two candidates largely supported by anti-establishment delegates won the party's nomination on Saturday at convention, a major blow to those in Gov. Eric Holcomb's inner circle. Most notably: Diego Morales beat out current Secretary of State Holli Sullivan, who had been appointed by Holcomb, for the role as the state's chief election officer.

Democrats could hardly contain their excitement: they see Morales as easier to beat  than other candidates because he was once fired from the very office he is seeking.

Daniel Elliott, a county party chair who lead the fight to keep anti-gay marriage language in the party platform in 2018, will be the Republican's candidate for treasurer.

• More on Morales: Here's what columnist James Briggs had to say about his win.

Are state Republicans shifting to the right?

It looks like it. Republicans also approved their 2022 platform during the convention, which included new language criticizing the teaching of critical race theory in schools and emphasizing Republicans’ belief that transgender girls should not participate in girls sports. Delegates also changed every reference of "Democracy" to "Republic."

The addition of more socially conservative concepts is a departure from the platform fights of four years ago when delegates were instead considering moving away from certain social issues by debating the removal of language labeling strong families as ones that are "based on marriage between a man and a woman." The attempts to remove the language ultimately failed.

GOP Chair Kyle Hupfer said he heard no discussion over the issue this year because that language is "settled."

• Inside the Democrats' convention weekend: James Carville speaks to Democrats.

Braun, Young split on gun safety vote

U.S. Sen. Todd Young was one of 15 Republicans to join Democrats in voting for a gun safety package Thursday night, irking some gun-rights activists. Only one other Republican who voted for the proposal is up for reelection in November, aside from Young.

"We don’t have to choose between protecting Second Amendment rights and keeping guns away from those who might be a danger to themselves or others," Young said in a statement. "We can and should do both."

Fellow Hoosier Sen. Mike Braun voted against the package. His statement:

“Since the bill text was released earlier this week I’ve been focused on listening to what Hoosiers think about it," Braun said, "and the overwhelming feedback I’ve received has been for me to oppose the bill, and that’s why I voted no.”

Holcomb sets date for special session

This week, Gov. Eric Holcomb officially called lawmakers back to the Statehouse for a special session starting July 6 to implement his $1 billion plan to address inflation. Each Hoosier will receive about $225.

The timing, though, would likely give lawmakers an opportunity to also address abortion if they want. Any day now, the Supreme Court is poised to rule on a Mississippi law banning abortion after 15 weeks, potentially overturning Roe v. Wade.

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DWD head to leave agency

Another departure in the Holcomb administration: Indiana Department of Workforce Development Commissioner Fred Payne is leaving the agency for a job as United Way of Central Indiana's president and chief executive officer.

Payne oversaw the Department of Workforce Development as the pandemic put hundreds of thousands of Hoosiers out of work and on unemployment.

Indianapolis sued over star pianist's death

Indianapolis and its police force once again face a lawsuit over the death of a man who was tased in his own home.

Herman Whitfield III, an Oberlin grad and talented pianist and composer, died after police responded to his home during an apparent mental health episode. The suit argues that police "needlessly tasered" and "crushed the breath" out of Whitfield, who said he could not breathe.

Surplus local income tax

Indianapolis got an extra $15 million in surplus county option income tax. Naturally, officials are using most of it to fund roads. 

Another $1 million will be used for badly needed recruitment and hiring efforts, while the remaining $1 million will be used for capital projects for the park system.

Briggs: Pence is enabling Trump

As former Vice President Mike Pence continues to make headlines (see this CNN story or this Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story), IndyStar columnist James Briggs writes that Pence is still enabling former President Donald Trump.

"Pence is clear about his Jan. 6 role in those remarks, but he treats the matter as a simple policy disagreement instead of what it is: a struggle between the president and vice president over Trump’s obsession to remain in power no matter the consequences," Briggs wrote.

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Hoosier Politics is compiled and written by the IndyStar politics and government team. Send us tips or let us know what you think of the newsletter by emailing Kaitlin.Lange@IndyStar.com.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Republican convention recap | Young, Braun split on gun bill