Mike Braun won because voters know his name. No 'political outsider' can beat that.

Gubernatorial candidates Brad Chambers and Eric Doden, along with 3rd Congressional District candidate Tim Smith and 6th Congressional District candidate Jamison Carrier, learned the limitations of running as an “outsider.” It polls well, I guess, and candidates in other places at other times have won banking on their policy and procedural ignorance. But it’s no golden ticket even when running everything by the book.

All four raised or loaned to campaigns a ton of money. They spent that money running a dizzying number of ads. They said nice things about themselves and mean things about the competition. They executed what would be considered flawless efforts right out of the Campaign 101 Handbook. And yet, they all lost.

The lazy analysis is to credit former President Donald J. Trump’s endorsement of Senator Mike Braun with his successfully securing the Republican nomination for governor. But then how did former Congressman Marlin Stutzman, again the party’s nominee in the 3rd, and former Republican nominee for Indianapolis mayor Jefferson Shreve, now the nominee in the 6th, prevail? Trump endorsed no one in those contests.

What the non-nominees could never overcome was what the consultant class calls “Name ID” – voters recognizing a candidate’s name. When it comes to food, at least in the Hoosier State, there’s nothing like a good ‘ole breaded pork tenderloin sandwich. When it comes to politics, at least in Republican races for federal and statewide office in Indiana, there’s nothing like a familiar name. It’s political comfort food. Folks might say it’s bad for you, but it feels oh, so good.

But even more important than recognition is the longevity of that recognition. Braun entered the statewide scene in 2018; Stutzman has been known to voters in Northeast Indiana dating back to at least 2010; and Shreve’s face was a ubiquitous presence on Indianapolis television stations for most of last year, taking a brief two-to-three-month hiatus before reappearing with the same colorway logo as before.

To be clear, this is not so much about the power of incumbency as it is the power of familiarity when all the alternatives look the same. And the Braun campaign nailed this from the beginning. Campaign volunteers covered county Republican Lincoln Day Dinner tables across the state with a one-pager touting Braun’s name ID among the voting public. Confused about who to pick? Go with who you know.

The lesson here, at least for the big-ticket races, is separating oneself from the pack in a large field of options is hard. And it’s especially hard when the campaigns are consumed by preaching the same message about standing up to China and securing the border (and they didn’t mean our border with Illinois, a missed opportunity if you ask me).

Future candidates who lack familiarity with the electorate could look at these races and conclude the path to victory is to scream China and outsider louder or shimmy on down to Mar-a-Lago and beg on bended knee. What they instead should do is take risks to stand out. Better toppings, bolder flavors. Fresh takes on familiar favorites. But what does this mean in the political context? Bold, and potentially controversial, ideas to address the challenges we face. Outside-the-box policies that can better our state and country. Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch took a risk with her plan to eliminate the state income tax. Unworkable, for sure, but it attracted attention and landed her in second place.

Could Hoosiers order something other than comfort food in cycles to come? We’ll never know unless it’s on the menu.

Pete Seat is a former White House spokesman for President George W. Bush and campaign spokesman for former Director of National Intelligence and U.S. Senator Dan Coats. Currently he is a vice president with Bose Public Affairs Group in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is also an Atlantic Council Millennium Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations Term Member and author of The War on Millennials.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Mike Braun's name ID beat Brad Chambers' money in Indiana GOP primary