By Niki Kelly | Editor-in-Chief
“(Voters) were cranky, irritable and we did not read that well.” — Gov. Mike Braun
Gov. Mike Braun weighed in on election results that have Republicans feeling blue.
We also have new details on the latest state execution, including an account from the man’s spiritual adviser.
Purdue University gets a new president.
Plus, I use my column today to break down change coming to state government post-election.
Gov. Mike Braun speaks to reporters about midterm election results at the Statehouse Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. (Photo by Mackenzi Klemann/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
Braun: Election results a ‘wake-up call’ for GOP
By Mackenzi Klemann
Gov. Mike Braun hinted Republicans should pick statewide candidates through public primaries, backed off mid-decade redistricting and dismissed concerns about his administration’s performance in wide-ranging comments Thursday about this week’s midterm election results.
The governor described Democrats’ sweeping gains Tuesday as a “wake-up call” and an “opportunity” for Republicans to refocus their agenda on issues of affordability, speaking of his desire to reach across the aisle to Democrats on issues like healthcare, education and childcare.
Deacon Brian Nosbusch speaks outside the Indiana Government Center in Indianapolis on Oct. 19, 2026. Weisheit’s longtime spiritual adviser urged clemency ahead of the scheduled Nov. 5 execution. (Photo by Casey Smith/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
‘He could barely hear me’: Deacon recounts Indiana death row inmate’s final hours
By Casey Smith
Jeffrey Weisheit’s spiritual adviser said prison staff kept him outside the condemned man’s cell during their final hours of prayer together, then allowed him only a few minutes at Weisheit’s side in the execution chamber early Thursday.
Deacon Brian Nosbusch, who had ministered to Weisheit for about 13 years, described struggling to communicate through thick glass before being separated from him for roughly 90 minutes on Wednesday night. When prison staff brought him into the execution chamber, Weisheit was already strapped to a gurney with intravenous lines in his left arm.
Nosbusch said the execution appeared “calm.” But he left Indiana State Prison troubled by the restrictions on their time together and how little of the process anyone outside the execution team could see.
COMMENTARY
(Cartoon by Daniel Ackley for Indiana Capital Chronicle)
Two major Election Day developments can help improve government in Indiana
By Niki Kelly
There are countless threads to pull after a sweeping Democratic victory up and down the ballot Tuesday night. But one must start with Beau Bayh — the heir apparent to the state party.
To be clear, many of the votes were more anti-Republican than pro-Democrat. But Democrats put themselves in a position to take advantage of that frustration. And it showed all over the state.
NATIONAL NEWS
U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Ala., speaks at a final rally before the 2026 midterm elections at the Oliver-Dunn Acadome at Alabama State University in Montgomery on Nov. 2, 2026. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector)
Trump’s gerrymandering push flops as Democrats win redrawn seats
By Jonathan Shorman
The Republican project to gerrymander congressional districts across the country, initiated by President Donald Trump more than a year ago, failed to deliver significant wins for the party — and, in North Carolina at least, even worked against it. Amid a nationwide blue tsunami and voter backlash in Southern states that split apart districts where a majority of residents are Black, Democrats won seats that Republicans redrew to give themselves an advantage.
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