Brad Chambers to leave IEDC, fueling speculation of gubernatorial run

Indiana Secretary of Commerce Brad Chambers announced Monday he will soon step down after two years leading the state’s economic development arm.

He oversaw a major shift in how the state pursues significant business investments.

Chambers signed a two-year contract in 2021 to lead the Indiana Economic Development Corporation after three decades running a real estate firm.

During his time at IEDC, the agency began pursuing economic development deals by spending hundreds of millions of dollars on site readiness — basically, buying up land and helping prep it for new companies to move in and build more quickly.

That policy has met with some mixed reaction, especially from locals near a development site in central Indiana. But over the last two years, the state has also secured some of the largest, most advanced economic development commitments in its history.

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Chambers’ departure fuels growing speculation that he will run in the Republican primary for the open governor’s seat. That primary already includes a former IEDC leader, Eric Doden, as well as U.S. Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and former Attorney General Curtis Hill.

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.