Brad Chambers talks about policy with the Indiana Capital Chronicle. (Whitney Downard/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
INDIANAPOLIS – Education, health care, and China are prongs of his campaign for governor but Brad Chambers is banking on experience in his first foray into elected office with an emphasis on business and the economy.
After two years as the unpaid Indiana Secretary of Commerce, he stepped down intending to succeed outgoing and term-limited Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb. With his entrepreneurial background, Chambers remains focused on the state’s economy and still doesn’t consider himself a politician — a stance he acknowledged would need to change if he won.
“I think there’s enormous potential in this state and I don’t think we’re maximizing that potential,” he told the Indiana Capital Chronicle this week. “It’s a very, very difficult decision to leave a private life … to enter public life.
“But I believe that’s, in some ways, what the founding fathers wanted: people that cared and had experience to serve. This is not a career change; for me, this is service.”
Chambers founded his real estate business, Buckingham Companies, as a student at Indiana University in 1984 and now commands a portfolio exceeding $3 billion as its president and CEO.
Though Chambers has a bipartisan record as a political donor, he hasn’t run for office until now.
For Chambers, having a state that falls in the middle of the pack or, worse, below average in education, wages, or economic growth is frustrating.
“It frustrates me that Indiana’s average wage is below the U.S. average and it’s been that way for a long time. There’s been a lot of great governors that have worked on that and we cannot stop working on that,” Chambers said.
Chambers entered an already crowded race in August, but he said he felt compelled to enter the race because none shared his views or priorities.
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