A review of gubernatorial candidate Brad Chambers’ voting and donating reveals a bipartisan record. Photo from Gov. Eric Holcomb’s Flickr.

By Casey Smith
Indiana Capital Chronicle

INDIANA — Indiana gubernatorial candidate Brad Chambers’ campaign is likely to receive tens of thousands of dollars from an upcoming fundraiser hosted by racing legend Michael Andretti, adding to the Republican hopeful’s support from the state’s top business leaders.

While a common event for a political candidate, it’s Chambers’ previous working relationship with the Andretti empire that’s causing some to raise eyebrows.

Chambers — who is seeking the Republican nomination — led the Indiana Economic Development Corporation as Secretary of Commerce until he stepped down from that position in August. While there, Andretti Autosport received millions in contracts, grants and tax incentives.

“It’s purely a function of — Brad worked for a couple of years on the deal … I think they’re supporting someone they’d see as being a terrific governor,” said Marty Obst, senior strategist for Chambers’ campaign.

Accepting money in this way is legally sound, said Andrew Downs, a former political science professor at Purdue University Fort Wayne, but some might have ethical concerns, given Chambers ran an agency that brokered deals with Andretti.

Big donations from top industry officials

Admission to the evening reception, scheduled for Tuesday on the northwest side of Indianapolis, starts at $50 per person, according to an event handout obtained by the Indiana Capital Chronicle. Three additional sponsorship levels offer additional perks.

Couples who give at least $10,000, for example, are invited to a private cocktail reception and receive “VIP swag.” Food, drinks, music and access to a fireside chat with Chambers and Andretti are offered to all of those in attendance.

In 2022, the IEDC committed up to $19 million in the form of conditional tax credits, as well as up to $125,000 in training grants, to incentivize the Andretti company to bring its universal motorsports headquarters to central Indiana — specifically the Fishers area. The IEDC said Andretti’s investment will create up to 500 new jobs by the end of 2026.

The company has also signed two Formula E car sponsorship contracts with the IEDC. One valued at $1 million was finalized in early 2022. A similar but separate $550,000 contract with Andretti followed this September.

Andretti Autosport did not reply to the Indiana Capital Chronicle’s requests for comment.

While leading the IEDC, Chambers additionally spearheaded the LEAP Innovation District in Boone County and distributed hundreds of millions of state dollars in regional investments known as READI.

Based on Eli Lilly’s plans to create 700 new jobs in the project zone, the IEDC announced earlier this year that it plans to invest up to $4.5 million to the company in the form of incentive-based training grants. The quasi-state agency also committed an investment of up to $17 million in redevelopment tax credits.

Indiana campaign finance records show that Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks made a $100,000 donation to Chamber’s campaign in September.

Other major contributions have come from Pacers owner and Simon Property Group co-founder Herbert Simon, auto dealer Andy Mohr, construction industry executive Chris Reid, housing developer Jeff Kittle, Indianapolis investor John Ackerman, and Merchants Bank CEO Michael Petrie, among others.

Plans to run Indiana ‘like a business’

Among Chambers’ GOP competitors in the 2024 race for governor are U.S. Sen. Mike Braun, along with Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, former Attorney General Curtis Hill and Fort Wayne businessman Eric Doden.

But Chambers doesn’t have the same record as his opponents, many of whom have a lengthy political history or have released detailed policy proposals to help voters understand their stances.

Julia Vaughn, who leads elections watchdog Common Cause Indiana, said that while it “isn’t surprising” that Chambers is “turning to the friends” he made while at the IEDC, “it will certainly raise eyebrows if it continues.”

Vaughn called Indiana’s political donation sphere “a high roller’s game,” noting that “a very small universe of people actually fund political campaigns” in the state. She said that raises questions about how well political candidates can relate to everyday Hoosiers when they’ve lived lifestyles “very different for most of us.”

And while accepting campaign favors and donations from past business associates “has a funny smell to it” and can “give an appearance of impropriety,” Vaughn emphasized that “there’s nothing improper about it in Indiana law.”

Downs agreed there’s nothing in statute barring such hobnobbing but echoed similar cautions.

Chambers released his first policy proposal in late October with an emphasis on increasing online safety for Hoosier children. He has so far made a $5 million personal loan to his own campaign but has amassed nearly $1.5 million in outside large donations since officially launching his campaign in August.

Obst held that over a four-decade career, Chambers has “built a really deep level of relationships,” and pointed out that “many of his competitors are now investing in his campaign.”

He said, too, that Chambers’ successful business background is what bolsters his ability to “manage processes and people effectively” — characteristics Obst said Indiana’s governor should have.

“The state’s definitely in good shape,” Obst added, “but I think he has the ability — and I think you’ll see that with the business community, as well — to really take Indiana to new heights.”