Mike Braun

Built World

In office

Simtra BioPharma Solutions opened Building H on its Bloomington, Indiana campus on Nov. 9, 2026. The 153,000-square-foot building cost more than $250 million and holds two high-speed prefilled syringe lines, a vial line and three commercial-scale freeze-dryers.

Updated Yesterday

Built World

Backed the port's federal grant application

Containers bound for the Midwest from Europe now land at a coastal port, ride a train to Chicago, and transfer to a truck. Ports of Indiana wants to cut that trip by shipping straight to a new container terminal on Lake Michigan.

Updated Oct 30

Built World

In office; announced the grant at a State Capitol press conference

Indiana has won $175 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to widen a bottleneck where the Midcontinent Independent System Operator's grid meets PJM Interconnection. Officials announced the award at the Statehouse in Indianapolis on September 24.

Updated Oct 19

Rule Changes

As of May 2026: Backed Trump's retribution campaign; after primary results confirmed five incumbents defeated, said redistricting action is too late for 2026 but expected to return in 2027

Congressional maps are normally redrawn once a decade, but Texas broke that convention in August 2025 at President Trump's urging, redrawing its map to target five Democratic-held seats and triggering a chain reaction. On April 29, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6–3 in Louisiana v. Callais, gutting Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which had constrained Republican legislatures for decades. Within days, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a new map targeting four incumbent Democrats, Alabama called a special redistricting session, Louisiana suspended its upcoming primaries, and Tennessee split Memphis into three Republican-leaning districts.

Updated May 31

Built World

As of May 2026: Continuing LEAP development; broke ground on Meta data center

Indiana committed over $23 billion in private investment to a 9,500-acre industrial district in Boone County farmland before solving a basic problem: where the water would come from. The state is advancing a $560 million plan to pipe up to 25 million gallons per day from Indianapolis. The water would supply Eli Lilly's $9 billion pharmaceutical campus and Meta's $10 billion data center complex, despite objections from Indianapolis lawmakers, environmental groups, and hundreds of property owners along the pipeline route.

Updated May 31

Built World

As of May 2026: Active proponent of data center development

Amazon is transforming northern Indiana farmland into one of the world's largest artificial intelligence computing hubs. In November 2025, the company announced a $15 billion expansion on top of an $11 billion project already under construction near New Carlisle.

Updated May 27