Team Braun Keeps Donor Dollars Flowing Post-Election
Gov. Mike Braun’s fundraising network continues to draw major backing from Indiana’s business community less than a year into his first term, new Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings show.
Two key committees — Team Braun and the Freedom and Opportunity Fund — have kept money flowing into Braun’s political orbit, even as one transitions from a campaign account into a political action committee (PAC). Together, they’ve raised and transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars to Braun-linked and Indiana Republican Party accounts.
Team Braun, a joint fundraising committee supporting both Braun’s state and federal political activities, has raised $432,500 so far this year and ended September with $77,943 in cash and no debt. Acting as a conduit for multi-beneficiary fundraising events, the PAC channels money to several accounts, including the Freedom and Opportunity Fund, Mike Braun for Indiana, and the Indiana Republican State Committee.
Meanwhile, Braun’s former campaign committee, Mike Braun for Indiana, rebranded earlier this year as the Freedom and Opportunity Fund. Its filings show limited new activity — just $18,207 in total receipts from January through June 2025, with no individual or committee donations. The account recorded $3,991 in candidate refunds and $12,316 in spending, mostly bank interest and vendor reimbursements.
From June through September, the PAC disbursed $354,556, almost all of it ($350,000) transferred to affiliated committees such as Team Braun. Operating costs were minor — about $3,457 — and no loans or independent expenditures were reported.
Team Braun’s filings reveal it raised $70,000 in September alone, nearly all from individual donors, and transferred $351,099 to allied committees, including $206,675 to Mike Braun for Indiana, $67,232 to the Freedom and Opportunity Fund, and $62,252 to the Indiana Republican State Committee’s federal account.
Large contributors giving $5,000 or more included Indiana business figures like Viswanath Atluri, Jordan Caldwell, Mark Elwood, and John Engelbrecht, along with major summer donors such as James Cornelius ($50,000) and Jeffrey Schwartz ($20,000).
Neither of Braun’s federal committees reported debts or loans. The joint fundraising structure keeps Braun’s donor network active and positions him as a key GOP fundraiser ahead of the 2026 and 2028 election cycles.
Team Braun Keeps Donor Dollars Flowing Post-Election was originally published on wibc.com
