Brandon Cavanaugh

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Brandon Cavanaugh

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 3, 2020

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Army

Personal

Birthplace

Columbia City, Ind.

Profession

Educator

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Instagram

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Brandon Cavanaugh (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Indiana State Senate to represent District 9. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Cavanaugh completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Cavanaugh's professional experience includes working as an educator. He earned an undergraduate degree from Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne in 2017 and a graduate degree from Purdue University Fort Wayne in 2020. Cavanaugh served in the U.S. Army.

Elections

2020

See also: Indiana State Senate elections, 2020

General election

General election for Indiana State Senate District 9

Incumbent Ryan Mishler defeated Brandon Cavanaugh in the general election for Indiana State Senate District 9 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ryan Mishler (R)	74.9	42,414
		Brandon Cavanaugh (D)	25.1	14,216

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 56,630
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Indiana State Senate District 9

Brandon Cavanaugh advanced from the Democratic primary for Indiana State Senate District 9 on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brandon Cavanaugh	100.0	3,903

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,903
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Indiana State Senate District 9

Incumbent Ryan Mishler advanced from the Republican primary for Indiana State Senate District 9 on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ryan Mishler	100.0	12,439

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 12,439
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Brandon Cavanaugh completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Cavanaugh's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Brandon Cavanaugh is an Army Combat Veteran who was honorably discharged in 2019. During his time in the military, Cavanaugh earned his B.S. in Education from Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne in 2017, and recently earned his M.S.E.D. in Educational Leadership from Purdue University Fort Wayne in 2020. Cavanaugh is a classroom teacher, and his professional experience has focused on working with struggling youth.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• As a practicing educator, it is important to have a knowledgeable and practicing professional fighting for the largest asset in Indiana, education..
• During a time of concerns for mental health, it is imperative jails and prisons are able to provide all incarcerated Hoosiers with resources to prosper once released.
• Veterans lay down their lives to protect all, and it is my mission to make sure all veterans are provided with adequate resources during and after their time of service.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Education is a passion for the Cavanaugh household. Both his wife and him are educators, so rightfully education policy is of great concern. Indiana's public education sector has been in the spotlight recently, and it is imperative legislatures holding office are making knowledgeable and sound decisions for Indiana's greatest asset.

Incarceration rates for Indiana is of great concerns local jails and state prisons are overwhelmingly crowded. During this time, it is imperative inmates receive mental health services, substance abuse services, parenting courses, and any other treatment to help improve the way of life after release.

Veteran support is a topic that needs to be consistently examined and improved upon. Veterans struggle to find adequate support after discharge/retirement, and it is important for those who are fighting for our country are provided with supports to live appropriately after their service.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

I do not believe it is important for legislators to have previous experience in government. There should be an expectation that office holders have experience in the field they author bill's for. As an educator, I would prefer to sit on the Education Committee so I can author and support or not support bills that impact public education. It has been seen, legislators with little to no understanding within their committees author and vote on bills without having any background knowledge.

What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?

The greatest challenge Indiana faces is creating a system that supports all Hoosiers rather than supporting the large donors. Currently Indiana is showing a stronger support for public and charter schools than public education. We have struggled to work as a bipartisan legislative group, but hopefully that will change.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

It is imperative great relationships are built among legislators. A small group of men and women are given the responsibility to speak on behalf of Hoosiers in their district. Without appropriate relationships being built, very little supportive work will be accomplished.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2020 Elections

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Government

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External links

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Footnotes

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Current members of the Indiana State Senate

Leadership

Majority Leader:Chris Garten

Senators

District 1

Dan Dernulc (R)

District 2

Lonnie Randolph (D)

District 3

Mark Spencer (D)

District 4

Rodney Pol (D)

District 5

Ed Charbonneau (R)

District 6

Rick Niemeyer (R)

District 7

Brian Buchanan (R)

District 8

Mike Bohacek (R)

District 9

Ryan Mishler (R)

District 10

David Niezgodski (D)

District 11

Linda Rogers (R)

District 12

Blake Doriot (R)

District 13

Susan Glick (R)

District 14

Tyler Johnson (R)

District 15

Liz Brown (R)

District 16

Justin Busch (R)

District 17

Andy Zay (R)

District 18

Stacey Donato (R)

District 19

Travis Holdman (R)

District 20

Scott Baldwin (R)

District 21

James Buck (R)

District 22

Ronnie Alting (R)

District 23

Spencer Deery (R)

District 24

Brett Clark (R)

District 25

Mike Gaskill (R)

District 26

Scott Alexander (R)

District 27

Jeff Raatz (R)

District 28

Michael Crider (R)

District 29

J.D. Ford (D)

District 30

Fady Qaddoura (D)

District 31

Kyle Walker (R)

District 32

Aaron Freeman (R)

District 33

Greg Taylor (D)

District 34

La Keisha Jackson (D)

District 35

Michael Young (R)

District 36

Cyndi Carrasco (R)

District 37

Rodric Bray (R)

District 38

Greg Goode (R)

District 39

Eric Bassler (R)

District 40

Shelli Yoder (D)

District 41

Greg Walker (R)

District 42

Jean Leising (R)

District 43

Randy Maxwell (R)

District 44

Eric Koch (R)

District 45

Chris Garten (R)

District 46

Andrea Hunley (D)

District 47

Gary Byrne (R)

District 48

Daryl Schmitt (R)

District 49

Jim Tomes (R)

District 50

Vaneta Becker (R)

Republican Party (40)

Democratic Party (10)