Kaitlin Lange | IndyStar

Dwight Adams, dwight.adams@indystar.com

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The Indiana Chamber of Commerce won't be endorsing a Senate candidate for the first time since the group started making federal endorsements 10 years ago.

The Indiana Chamber's Congressional Affairs Committee has always endorsed the Republican Senate candidate in the past: Dan Coats in 2010, Richard Mourdock in 2012 and Sen. Todd Young in 2016. In all three elections, there wasn't an incumbent running.

But this year, the chamber chose not to endorse Republican businessman Mike Braun or his opponent, incumbent Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly, in a bitterly fought campaign that pollsters say could be pivotal in determining which party controls the U.S. Senate.

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Indiana Chamber of Commerce President Kevin Brinegar said business leaders throughout the state interviewed both candidates and found issues with the public policy stances of both.

"The committee carefully examined the policy stances of Sen. Joe Donnelly and Mike Braun, concluding that for each candidate there was good alignment with Indiana Chamber efforts but also notable areas of disagreement," Brinegar said. "Therefore, the decision reached was to remain neutral and make no endorsement in this race.”

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Rebecca Patrick, a spokeswoman for the chamber, said broadly speaking there were differences between the chamber's position and where the candidates stood on issues such as trade, tariffs, health care or fiscal policy.

The chamber wouldn't get into specifics on which issues were the most problematic, but some of the chamber's differences with the candidates are apparent based on the organization's earlier stated positions.

Braun, for example, has said he trusts President Donald Trump's decisions regarding tariffs, differing from the chamber's view that tariffs should be rolled back.

Donnelly, on the other hand, voted against Trump's tax plan, a move the chamber did not agree with.

Even so, the chamber's decision to refrain from nominating a Republican for Senate is notable: even in 2016, the chamber endorsed Young even though Democrat opponent Evan Bayh had worked for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Marjorie Hershey, a political science professor at Indiana University, said because Braun has identified so closely to Trump, he'll take both the benefits and the hits of that association.

"I think it’s an excellent sign for Donnelly," Hershey said. "This is one of those times when some traditional components of the Republican party are at odds with other traditional components. There are a number of bigger businesses and smaller businesses that are suffering from Trump’s tariffs and on the other hand substantial deficits."

Will Baskin-Gerwitz, communications director for Joe for Indiana, said Donnelly has a record of "working hard and reaching across the aisle to deliver results for Indiana businesses."

"Hoosiers know that Joe is a champion for small businesses because he understands that they're the backbone of Indiana's economy and help Hoosier families thrive," Baskin-Gerwitz said.

Braun's campaign didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

All of the candidates the chamber endorsed this year for the U.S. House of Representatives are Republicans.