Republican Mike Braun, CEO and owner of Meyer Distributing, has defeated incumbent Democrat Sen. Joe Donnelly in the race for U.S. Senate in Indiana.
This story originally appeared on Fox News.
The Republican businessman thanked supporters Tuesday night for “putting [their] faith in [him],” and encouraged voters on both sides of the aisle to start working together after the midterms.
“You fight hard, you make your case. The one thing I would like to see in politics. … It’s gotten way too nasty on both sides. It should be about ideas … both sides and their families have had to carry that burden and that weight. I hope that changes down the road,” Braun said during his victory speech, adding that the Hoosier State needs to take their ideas to Washington, D.C.
Braun set himself apart during the Senate race. He wore more relaxed outfits during primary debates and constantly touted his “outsider” status. “President Trump, he was a disrupter, outsider and businessman, and look what’s occurred,” Braun previously told Fox News. “I’ve lived it. I’ve signed thousands of paychecks just like the president did [as a businessman]. He was an inspiration for me to run for senator, and I hope for others as well. There needs to be more of us to step outside the comfort zone.”
Braun and Donnelly were being backed by President Trump and former President Barack Obama, respectively, as the race wrapped up. Throughout the campaign, both the Republican businessman and the Democrat declared their support for Trump — with an intention to sway voters in a more conservative state.