INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana’s Republican gubernatorial candidates for 2024 continued to carve out their policy paths while speaking at an Indianapolis legislative conference Wednesday, where they fielded questions about public safety, school choice, and taxes.
The candidates did not debate against one another during the forum, instead individually introducing themselves and responding to four questions from a moderator.
Participating candidates included former Secretary of Commerce Brad Chambers, Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, Fort Wayne businessman Eric Doden, and former Attorney General Curtis Hill. U.S. Sen. Mike Braun was away in Washington, D.C. alongside other federal lawmakers — but his pre-recorded video responses were played for each question.
The GOP contenders were first asked about their plans to improve public safety and where they stood, specifically, on qualified immunity — a controversial standard that protects police officers and other government officials from being sued for alleged misconduct.
Hill cited his career spent as a local prosecutor and maintained that, if elected governor, he would ensure law enforcement has the “resources, training and protection” they need “to protect our public and our safety.” He did not, however, address qualified immunity head-on.
Crouch said there would be “no discussion” or action limiting qualified immunity at the state level. She also emphasized the importance of addressing mental illness and addiction — as well as providing regular mental health checkups for first responders.
Doden, on the other hand, vowed to protect qualified immunity and said, “You should not be able to be sued, personally, for doing your job. We have to make sure we support those who protect us.”
Chambers agreed, saying police officers “don’t do it for the money — they do it to serve.” He said qualified immunity “needs to be codified in state law.”
Braun said he wants it codified, too. Doing so will help “get rid of frivolous lawsuits” filed against law enforcement officers. However, Braun said he prefers to see such a policy enacted at the national level, that’s a change from his previous statements in 2020 when the senator said the interpretation of the qualified immunity standard was “overly broad” and “allows law enforcement in many of the high-profile excessive force and abuse of power cases to avoid civil suits.”
See the answers to the other questions and the full story here.
