IN THE NEWS: Rep. Braun called out for out-of-state fundraising spree

INDIANAPOLIS – Rep. Braun’s spree of swanky out-of-state fundraisers while failing to hold nearly as many campaign events in Indiana may increasingly become a problem for him, WBND reported Monday.

In the last two weeks alone, Rep. Braun has failed to make a single appearance at an event in Indiana, and his campaign appears to have no plans for him to do so in the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, Rep. Braun has made plenty of time for appearances at swanky fundraisers in D.C. and Beverly Hills with the wealthy donors he derided throughout the primary. While his campaign refused to comment as to why he’s held more events in Washington alone than public events in Indiana since the primary, commentator Abdul-Hakim Shabazz told WBND that Rep. Braun’s supporters are likely to challenge the candidate to explain “if [he’s] against the swamp, why [he’s] taking swamp money.”

If Rep. Braun wants to show up in front of voters and try to convince them he cares more about Hoosiers than special interest voters, he’s currently waiting a very long time – WBND notes that his next publicly announced event isn’t until July 23.

From ABC 57: Braun called out for out-of-state fundraisers

Hoosier Democrats are raising issues with Mike Braun for raising money out-of-town.

The Republican U.S. Senate nominee’s most recent weekend trip to California for an RNC finance meeting has the IDP calling Braun a hypocrite for spending more time on the campaign trail out of the state.
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“What they’re trying to do is say that Mike Braun, although he ran as an outsider, the Democrats want to claim that he’s really the same swamp that he’s fighting against,” said political analyst Abdul Hakim-Shabazz.

Since the primary, the IDP has been calling out Braun for meeting with big contributors quite a bit outside of the Hoosier state.

“It seems [Braun] can’t miss a swanky out-of-state fundraiser with the donors he once derided,” said Michael Feldman, a spokesman for the IDP in a statement to ABC 57 News.

But how effective will this strategy be in November?

“That is going to be a challenge for Mike and his campaign going forward, because he did a really effective job of branding himself as that Donald Trump-esque ‘anti-swamp’ character so the challenge is going to be for him to walk that tightrope, explain to voters, ‘hey if you’re against the swamp, then why are you taking swamp money?’” said Shabazz.

Braun’s campaign could not be reached for a comment.

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