Hoosier Gov.Mike Braun is weeks away from wrapping up his first year as Indiana’s top leader and took time this week to dissect his successes and failures.

In a Tuesday sit-down interview with the Capital Chronicle, Braun pointed to big changes in property taxes, education, public safety, economic progress and more.

An estimated two-thirds of homeowners will pay less in property taxes next year than they do this year under an immense local government finance bill Braun signed into law in April.

“That’s significant,” he said of the changes.

“The lesson to be learned was that the Senate gives you Senate Bill 1 and then wholly guts it. You know, where it had to be rebuilt was in the House,” Braun said. “… It took three months to get it back to record property tax relief.”

The final product remained very different from Braun’s original plan, which he acknowledged faced greater opposition from cash-strapped units of local government.

“I don’t think we ended up too far from where we would have been anyway,” he said.

But his tussle with the Senate presented a “fairly similar dynamic” to another major test of the new governor’s power: fulfilling President Donald Trump’s demand for a congressional redraw benefiting Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

The 50-member Senate rejected the new maps last week on a vote of 31-19, with 21 Republicans joining all 10 Democrats in opposition. The defeat came despite threats of primary competition from Trump, Braun and spendy political groups.

“It will have co

Braun Credits Management, Executive Orders for Early Wins

Agencies have cut staff, contracts and more to comply, even though some nabbed exemptions.

“We got hit with an austere budget forecast, and our cash flow’s already exceeding it,” Braun said, “meaning things I was asking for – in terms of running government more leanly, more efficiently – has paid off.”

His reorganization of government, featuring verticals led by cabinet secretaries, has made it “easier to do business with the state.”

“It’s been surprising how much we’ve been able to do through executive orders and just better management,” he said.

It was through an executive order that agencies completed an exhaustive review of “diversity, equity and inclusion,” or DEI, initiatives throughout state government, complete with plans to remove certain programs, positions and more.

Another executive order kicked off major changes to government food assistance.

A recent statewide poll, however, found that Hoosiers aren’t enamored with Braun’s job performance so far. About 32% approved and 50% disapproved.

Looking forward

Braun indicated governance members “weren’t able to craft, really, any of our own legislation” in the 2025 session.The Legislature reconvened before he was even inaugurated.

The administration hasn’t yet unveiled a specific legislative agenda.