Indiana Gov. Mike Braun (R) sought to tamp down a report that he is interested in running for president, in remarks to reporters Thursday.
“That’s had nothing to do with anything I’ve said,” Braun told the Indiana Capital Chronicle, a nonprofit news site covering state government, in response to a question about a potential presidential run. “I’m concentrating on being governor, and have no interest in that.”
Politico reported in early June that Braun had discussed the idea of mounting a presidential campaign, citing three unnamed Republicans close to the governor.
Braun served in the U.S. Senate for one term and in Indiana’s House of Representatives from 2014-17.
He maintained that his focus was on the governorship, the Indiana Capital Chronicle reported.
“I’m focused on being the most entrepreneurial governor we’ve got in this country,” Braun told the outlet. “We’ve been doing things bolder than what most states would do and going after tough issues like health care, education, workforce.”
Braun recently appeared at an event with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., where Kennedy announced Arkansas, Idaho and Utah no longer would permit soda and candy to be purchased with food stamps.
As governor, he also has issued a number of executive orders, ranging from declaring there are only two genders to prohibiting collective bargaining among state employees.
