You’re hearing talk of mask mandates and COVID infections again. Senator Mike Braun, who’s running for governor, says he won’t let it happen again in Indiana.

“So, there would absolutely be none of them,” says Senator Braun on WIBC’s Hammer & Nigel, “I would not be for any mandates coming from our state government.”

There have been reports of a new COVID-19 variant, which has led a few places around the United States to consider mask mandates and lockdown policies similar to the beginning of the COVID pandemic. Republican Curtis Hill, also running for Indiana governor, says he too would not support mask mandates and would not let it happen, if elected governor in 2024.

Senator Braun says he was disappointed in how Governor Eric Holcomb handled the pandemic, and he says lockdowns destroyed small, ‘non-essential’ businesses and some Indiana students never recovered academically.

“They went to town with it (lockdowns) in D.C. for sure, and even some states that are supposed to be Conservative, red in nature, looked very blue to me,” Braun said Monday.

Senator Braun says he opposed COVID lockdown policies and mask mandates in the past, including what he calls government over-spending. He says when it comes to his opponents, his record will stand on it’s own merits.

“Everyone is going to put their bylines and headlines out there in terms of what they’re going to do, but I always like to look at what someone has done based on their record,” Braun explains.