Longtime alcohol lobbyist Marc Carmichael is first Democrat to announce U.S. Senate bid

Former longtime alcohol lobbyist Marc Carmichael is Democrats’ first candidate this cycle to announce a bid for Indiana’s open U.S. Senate seat.

Carmichael would face an uphill battle against the likely Republican candidate, U.S. Rep. Jim Banks (R-Columbia City).

Carmichael spent nearly five years in the Indiana House of Representatives in the late ’80s and early ’90s. He also ran an unsuccessful campaign for Congress in 1996.

Carmichael spent two decades as head of the Indiana Beverage Alliance, a trade association for beer distributors, before retiring in 2020.

READ MORE: Former Gov. Mitch Daniels decides not to run for U.S. Senate

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In a statement announcing his candidacy, the Democrat laid out 10 policy positions he’d work towards as a U.S. senator – chief among them codifying abortions rights into law. He says he’ll also seek to ban, in his words, “military-style assault weapons,” take “immediate” action on climate change and support LGBTQ+ youth.

The last Indiana Democrat to win a race for U.S. Senate was Joe Donnelly more than a decade ago.

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.