Yoder criticizes Braun’s Turning Point USA announcement as partisan use of state power

Written from press releases

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — March 17, 2026

State Senate Democratic Leader Shelli Yoder, D-Bloomington, last Thursday criticized Gov. Mike Braun’s new partnership announcement with Turning Point USA, saying it “blurs the line between public service and politics” and gives special treatment to a national ideological organization. Braun’s office announced March 12 that Indiana is partnering with Turning Point USA to support what it called “freedom of speech, open dialogue, and American values,” and the governor issued a proclamation tied to the group’s Club America effort.

In a statement released by Senate Democrats, Yoder said Braun had used “the power, platform and credibility of the state to elevate one national political organization above all others.” She argued that Indiana students already have the right to form clubs, register to vote and participate in civic life without the state spotlighting one outside political group for praise.

Braun’s announcement said the state would work with Turning Point USA to encourage student organizations and civic engagement, and it specifically referenced student groups “such as Turning Point USA.” The move came two days after Secretary of State Diego Morales announced a separate statewide voter registration partnership with Turning Point USA tied to its Club America effort.

Yoder said that combination should concern Hoosiers because, in her view, Indiana’s top elected officials are aligning government with a partisan organization rather than maintaining neutrality in schools and voter outreach. She also questioned whether public schools could be pressured to participate or whether public resources could end up being used to expand the group’s reach.

Her statement also accused Republicans of applying a double standard, arguing that state leaders have spent years warning about ideology in classrooms while now embracing a conservative activist organization. Yoder said Hoosiers “deserve neutral public institutions, not political pipelines,” and concluded that Braun’s announcement “crossed a line.”

Turning Point USA is a conservative national organization active on high school and college campuses. Braun’s office framed the partnership as support for free expression and civic participation, while Yoder cast it as political favoritism dressed up as neutrality.

Yoder represents Senate District 40, which includes most of Monroe County and the Indiana University Bloomington campus.

A recent national free-speech ranking adds another layer to the debate. In FIRE’s 2026 College Free Speech Rankings, Indiana University Bloomington placed 255th out of 257 schools, putting it among the worst in the nation for campus free-speech climate. While FIRE’s ranking is based on student survey data, campus policies and speech controversies, the criticism comes amid years of Republican-led intervention in Indiana higher education, including statehouse pressure over “intellectual diversity,” protests and university governance.

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