Brandon Sakbun (born 1996) is an American former

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

and politician, currently serving as the mayor of

Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute ( ) is a city in Vigo County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 58,389 and Terre Haute metropolitan area, its metropolitan area had a populati ...

Early life and education

Sakbun was born in 1996 in Terre Haute, Indiana to Dr. Vannara Sakbun and Mrs. Carlene Sakbun. One of his parents is an immigrant from Cambodia and the other is an immigrant from Jamaica. Sakbun attended

Terre Haute South Vigo High School Terre Haute South Vigo High School is a public high school located in Terre Haute, Indiana. It is a part of the Vigo County School Corporation. As the name implies, the school's district covers the southern portion of Terre Haute, as well as most ...

. After graduating from high school, he attended

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, IUB, or Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana Univer ...

O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs The Paul H. O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs is the public policy school, public policy and environmental studies school of Indiana University with locations on both the Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington and Indiana Uni ...

and the

Kelley School of Business The Kelley School of Business (KSB) is an undergraduate and graduate business school for Indiana University Bloomington and Indiana University Indianapolis. As of 2022, approximately 13,538 full-time undergraduate and graduate students are enr ...

, where he received a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in finance and a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in public affairs, and trained to join the army. Sakbun has two sisters, one of which,

Apsara Apsaras (, , Khmer language, Khmer: អប្សរា are a class of celestial beings in Hinduism, Hindu and Culture of Buddhism, Buddhist culture. They were originally a type of female spirit of the clouds and waters, but, later play ...

, represented Cambodia in swimming in the

2024 Summer Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

Army career

In 2018, Sakbun received a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the

. He was in the army for 5 years, rising to the rank of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

. He also served on several strike teams with the 75th Ranger Regiment. Shortly prior to becoming mayor, Sakbun transitioned to the

Indiana National Guard The Indiana National Guard (INNG) is a component of the United States Armed Forces, the United States National Guard and the Military Department of Indiana (MDI). It consists of the Indiana Army National Guard, the Indiana Air National Guard, a ...

Mayoral candidacy

On January 31, 2023, Sakbun announced his candidacy for mayor of Terre Haute, Indiana, running as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

. The incumbent mayor was Republican Duke Bennett, who had been in office since 2008 and was running for a fifth term in office. Sakbun ran a campaign based on expanding and improving

infrastructure Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and pri ...

and improving educational and job opportunities in the city. He was notable for his "inexhaustible energy" displayed while campaigning.

Election

Candidates

=Democratic

= *Brandon Sakbun, member of the

and former Army Captain *Pat Goodwin, engineer

=Republican

= *Duke Bennett, incumbent mayor (2008-2023)

Democratic primary

In the Democratic primary, Sakbun defeated Goodwin by a margin of 54%-46%.

Republican primary

Incumbent mayor Bennett was nominated without opposition.

General election

In the general election, Sakbun defeated Bennett by a margin of 60%-40%, making him the youngest mayor in Terre Haute history.

Mayoral tenure

Sakbun was sworn into office in January 2024. In Sakbun's first year, he improved city infrastructure, increased the housing stock for the city, rebuilt parks, and invested in public safety. He became well known for his bipartisan pragmatic approach to government.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sakbun, Brandon 1996 births Living people 21st-century mayors of places in Indiana 21st-century United States Army personnel Mayors of Terre Haute, Indiana American mayors of Asian descent American politicians of Jamaican descent American people of Cambodian descent Indiana University alumni Indiana Democrats Indiana National Guard personnel Kelley School of Business alumni O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs alumni United States Army officers