Despite being widely condemned by much of the media in Indiana and nationwide, controversial Republican Micah Beckwith was elected as lieutenant governor on Tuesday and with relative ease.
According to near-final returns, the ticket of Sen. Mike Braun and Beckwith, a Christian pastor, won with 54% of the vote in the race for governor and lieutenant governor.
Beckwith, who is also a small business owner and past member of the Hamilton East Public Library Board of Trustees, won the nomination for Indiana's second-highest office at the state GOP convention against the favored State Rep. Julie McGuire.
Repeatedly characterized in the press as a "Christian nationalist," Beckwith replied through a spokesman: "A Christian, yes, who loves the Lord. A nationalist, yes, who loves our country.' But if the description means he wants a theocracy, that is 100% false."
Earlier this year, Beckwith said he wanted to stand up to those who favor vaccine mandates and critical race theory. He also said he believed that anyone can run for office, and that candidates do not need to be from the "political elite."
In an interview with Newsmax's Mimi Barnes in July, Beckwith noted that he had "been an advocate for parental rights and schools. I've been an advocate against the government shutdowns. I've been an advocate to remove pornographic material from the libraries. I've been an advocate for a lot of really good conservative values.
"So the left-wing media in Indiana hates my guts. And so there is a narrative out there that I'm this Christian nationalist book banner. But when people get to know me, they're like, 'Man, you're not anything like what I thought you were, and you're very much reasonable.'"
With Braun, outgoing Gov. Eric Holcomb, and State Attorney General Todd Rokita all standing by him, Beckwith is now poised to become Indiana's second highest elected official.
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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