The Megathread for All Things Hoosier!

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Howey's Mayoral Preview in today's Howey Politics. Looks like most attention is in Fort Wayne. Smith's backers have spent a lot of money. I've been getting mailers for the past month. A book has even been published that you can buy by a funder that is clearly trying to influence the election, "Rust to Gold", that talks about the resurgence of the City of Fort Wayne but has been sharply critical of Mayor Henry's Administration in the revitalization of the former General Electric factory just south of downtown (largest project in the city at present, it's one of those "take a ton of land that represents industrial decay and turn it into new residential/business/education/etc.", pretty much everyone is in favor - most D's and most R's - but the Henry administration have not been based on their actions although publicly they deny this).

As far as me, I supported the guy Smith defeated in the primary. I'd much rather the guy he defeated was on the ballot. I voted for Henry in 2015 because I thought the guy was doing a good job. I guess I'll vote for Smith. Any result here seriously wouldn't surprise me. Municipal elections are about making sure you have more people show up.

Downballot, the current City Council makeup is 7-2 Republican. One of the Democratic district councilmen briefly retired for medical reasons, then announced he was running for 1 of the 3 at-large seats, which are all presently Republican-held. The county Democratic Party chair is running for a Republican-held seat that's currently held by a guy most everyone acknowledges is an idiot. (Young and an apprentice of a current state legislator.) I think a 6-3 Republican City Council is my best bet.

http://www.howeypolitics.com/

By BRIAN A. HOWEY
   
FORT WAYNE  – Intense mayoral races could switch out city halls in Fort Wayne, Kokomo, Elkhart and Terre Haute, where an independent candidate appears to have a shot at an upset.
   
Both state political parties are spending big in the Fort Wayne race between three-term incumbent Democrat Tom Henry and Republican challenger Tim Smith. Indiana Democrats have spent $63,000, while Indiana Republicans have pumped in $65,000 for Smith this month, bringing the GOP’s total to $102,000 for the cycle.
   
According to local sources and campaign finance reports, Republicans appear to be in a position to pick up Kokomo, where Howard County Commissioner Tyler Moore is facing Democrat  Abbie Smith after three-term Democrat Mayor Greg Goodnight decided not to run. Republicans also believe they have a chance at picking up New Albany, where long-time businessman Mark Seabrook is challenging Mayor Jeff Gahan, as well as the open seat in Muncie, where Councilman Dan Ridenour is facing Democrat Terry Whitt Bailey after Democrat Mayor Dennis Tyler opted to retire.
   
Democrats appear to have a shot at Elkhart where Councilman Rod Roberson is facing former Mayor Dave Miller, who fainted during two recent debates.
   
In Terre Haute, independent Pat Goodwin is giving two-term Republican Mayor Duke Bennett a real challenge in a three-way race.
   
A number of other incumbents appear to be in good shape for reelection, including first-term Mayor Joe Hogsett in Indianapolis, Evansville’s Lloyd Winnecke, Bloomington’s John Hamilton, Lafayette’s Tony Roswarski, Richmond’s Dave Snow, and East Chicago’s Anthony Copeland. We also see new Mayor John Cannon in Portage as a probable winner after he took over that office with the conviction of the former GOP mayor.

Also a mayor change will occur in Gary, where the current mayor lost in the Democratic primary. And South Bend as well, where Pete Buttigieg is running for president.

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Thoughts on South Bend?  I honestly feel the state of Buttigieg's candidacy pre-Iowa hinges on which guy ultimately wins.

I don't know anything about the mayor's race there.

Kind of like Pence after he was tabbed to be the VP nominee by Trump, Buttigieg is Mayor of South Bend in Name Only at this point.

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Well, since 2017 democrats have usually the edge when turnout is very low, that’s why democrats should be clearly favoured to hold South Bend.

The Democrat should win in South Bend. The only reason I can say they wouldn't is Buttigieg's picked successor won a very splintered primary, and the African-American residents in-town are not fans at all of Mr. Buttigieg. If what are your most loyalist Democrats choose to not show up to vote, I could theoretically see a Republican victory.

I have no idea who wins in Fort Wayne. It's going to be close.

I guess the Indianapolis mayor's race never became a contest in spite of Hogsett's problems.

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In more "Politicians from the Region/outer Chicago/northwest Indiana are Crooked" news:

Michigan City Mayor Meer indicted

"It is a very dangerous time in La Porte County when the prosecutor, John Lake, can have your family members targeted for political retaliation and gain." - Michigan City Mayor Ron Meer, who was indicted Friday by LaPorte County Prosecutor John Lake with one felony count of official misconduct; five felony counts of intimidation; and two misdemeanor counts of false informing resulting in substantial hindrance to law enforcement.

According to the Michigan City News-Dispatch, the charges come in the wake of the mayor's stepson, Adam Ross Bray, being arrested by the LaPorte County Drug Task Force on Oct. 10. He was charged with felony counts of possession of heroin, possession of cocaine and possession of a firearm by a violent felon; and a misdemeanor count of resisting law enforcement. Less than two weeks after Bray was arrested by the LaPorte County Drug Task Force, all three members of the MCPD's administration resigned, alleging the mayor had ordered the department to withdraw from the Drug Task Force. Meer, who is seeking a third term, faces Republican Duane Perry in Tuesday's general election.

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3. Mayor's indictment roils Michigan City

 On Oct. 9, Democratic Michigan City Mayor Ron Meer appeared to be on his way to a third term against Republican Duane Parry. Then on Oct. 10 his step-son was busted on cocaine and heroin possession charges. On Oct. 13, the mayor issued a statement: "It is a very dangerous time in LaPorte County when the prosecutor, John Lake, can have your family members targeted for political retaliation and gain." Meer then tried to pull Michigan City PD out of the LaPorte drug task force, his chief and upper management quit, and on Friday, Lake filed six felony counts of official misconduct and intimidation and two misdemeanor counts of false reporting. Meer won a narrow primary victory in May. Now this race looks poised to flip to the GOP.

4. Holcomb barnstorms

Gov. Eric Holcomb barnstormed for GOP mayoral candidates, hoping to pull in Dave Miller in Elkhart, Tim Smith in Fort Wayne, Mark Seabrook in New Albany,Mike Moore in Jeffersonville, Duke Bennett in Terre Haute, and Dan Ridenour in Muncie. All these races are either HPI "tossups" or leaning Republican. Missing from the list were Anderson and Indianapolis, which tells us that mayors Thomas Broderick and Joe Hogsett are likely to win second terms.

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Howey this morning:

INDIANAPOLIS - Indiana Democrats held on to the two largest city halls in Indianapolis and Fort Wayne where Mayor Tom Henry won an unprecedented fourth term with a landslide victory over Tim Smith, and picked up Elkhart with Rod Roberson’s defeat of former mayor Dave Miller. Joe Hogsett won a second term in the capital city, easily dispatching State Sen. Jim Merritt.

Democrats also made suburban gains with Emily Styron upsetting Zionsville Mayor Tim Haak, as well as picking up council seats in the Republican strongholds Carmel and Fishers. Democrats also took control of the Columbus City Council in Vice President Mike Pence's hometown.

But Republicans prevailed in the old auto belt, flipping mayoral races in Muncie, Kokomo and Logansport. Republican Tyler Moore defeated Democrat Abbie Smith in the open Kokomo seat, Chris Martin upset first-term Logansport Mayor Dave Kitchell, and Muncie Councilman Dan Ridenour defeated Democrat Terry Whitt Bailey. The Indiana Republican Party achieved a new record in this year’s municipal elections, ending the 2019 cycle with 70 Republican mayors throughout Indiana. This involved flipping 19 mayoral offices, including those in traditional Democrat strongholds Kokomo, Muncie, Logansport and Michigan City. Republicans now hold 23 more mayoral offices than Democrats, another record.

“It was a historic night for Republicans throughout Indiana as voters in city after city elected Republicans mayors,” said Indiana GOP Chairman Kyle Hupfer. “Never in the history of Indiana have Republicans held this many mayoral offices or had this wide a margin over Democrats.” Not content to compete in just one region, the Indiana Republican Party invested time, talent and significant resources in races throughout the state. This coordination and teamwork led to an unprecedented flip of 19 mayoral offices in cities across the state. The trend carried throughout the state. Terre Haute, Lawrence, Jeffersonville, Logansport, Winchester, Bluffton, Hartford City and Greensburg all elected Republican mayors, just to name a few.
 
For pure drama, Republican Duane Parry upset indicted Michigan City Mayor Ron Meer by 76 votes. Meer was indicted late last week after the drug arrest of his step-son roiled the Michigan City Police Department.

In Terre Haute, Republican Mayor Duke Bennett fended off a spirited challenge from independent Pat Goodwin, winning by less than 250 votes and voters in Vigo County easily passed a referendum allowing a Gary casino to move there. In Richmond, Mayor Dave Snow cruised to a second term, while Anderson Mayor Thomas Broderick also won a second term.

In southern Indiana, New Albany Mayor Jeff Gahan defeated Republican Mark Seabrook and independent Dan Coffey with 55% of the vote. In Jeffersonville, Republican Mayor Mike Moore easily dispatched former mayor Tom Galligan with 70%. Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke coasted to a third term, while Bloomington Democrat John Hamilton won a second term.

Was following Fort Wayne results all night. Henry started off with a 4400 vote from early voters alone. All Democrats were up after early voting, but from Election Day voters Republicans in all but 2 races got more votes, with the exception of a super safe Democrat City Council seat, and the Mayor's Race. Of the citywide races, Smith had the least votes of all Republicans. Democrats looked to have heavily focused their time and attention to early voting and making sure the City Council At-Large races went their way, as they took 2 of those. So City Council goes from 7-2 Republican to 5-4 Republican, with 3 of those 4 being African-American.

Not sure if Henry will survive the term, either his choice or not. Around 2016 general election time, he had to have triple heart bypass or something like that, and a couple years ago the rumors were his wife didn't want him to run because she thought the job would kill him.

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Personal question : Why did dems did so well in Fort Wayne ? The mayoral race was considered as a toss-up but Henry won in a landslide (and dems took 2 seats on the city council).

Looked like a combination of everyone thought Henry was doing a good job and Smith turned off a lot of people. Of the 5 Republicans running citywide, Smith ran more than 2000 votes behind the next-worst. Talked to a volunteer briefly of what the mood at County HQ was like night of and she said "everyone was expecting the loss, but not the margin".

I personally put this defeat a lot more on the candidate.

This race set a record for money spent. On radio yesterday they made the point 4 years ago, Mitch Harper spent $150k and got 43% of the vote. Smith spent $1.2 million and got 39%. It reminds me of the Democrats' candidate for Congress last time Courtney Tritch who spent more than a million dollars to do not much better than what Democrats in that district always do in her loss to Rep. Jim Banks.

(Banks has primary opposition from a Warsaw physician.)

Also, to agree with something Brian Howey has kind of mentioned: the fact everyone thought this race was a toss up, Holcomb came here to visit, and the winning margin was 61-39, polling is a dead industry at the local race level.

Also amazed that what I consider a down election for Republicans, they actually went up 19 to have their most town halls ever. I think that just is in support of the overall trend of Republicans are getting removed from the big cities and the Democrats are disappearing everywhere else.

[StateBoiler]

Personal question : Why did dems did so well in Fort Wayne ? The mayoral race was considered as a toss-up but Henry won in a landslide (and dems took 2 seats on the city council).

Also amazed that what I consider a down election for Republicans, they actually went up 19 to have their most town halls ever. I think that just is in support of the overall trend of Republicans are getting removed from the big cities and the Democrats are disappearing everywhere else.

I think Democrats can still do somewhat well in more sparsely-populated areas if they put in the work and do retail politics right.  A Dem got elected mayor of Monticello, for instance.

This doesn't really feel like an election where the Indiana GOP has their most ever town halls though, but they do. Sure you have some corruption-related switches in Michigan City and Muncie, and local issues reign Supreme. I know in Fort Wayne and Allen County the Republican Party haven't even had winnable seats they have lost in anything outside of the Mayor's race going back to maybe 2012. Even Henry's win 4 years ago, his City Clerk had an electioneering scandal on recorded video and the Democrats only took 2 of 9 seats, which with how the districts are is their absolute bare minimum. 2016: local Democrats lost everything outside of stuff they absolutely should win. 2018: more of the same, except they narrowly flipped 1 Township Trustee position. That's how far down you have to go.

Again, looking forward to 2020, if this is a good Democrat year, and the GOP are larger than ever due to good performance in smaller city and town races not driven by the national political narrative, do the Democrats even approach having a strategy outside of large urban areas? Zody's quote in HPI this morning, he's full-on identity politics. You have to get to sentence 4 before he stops talking about what color or gender people were born as.

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So marion is 3 parts?
Urban minority inner middle north. Rich white parts in the north along with yuppies and south is WWC?

Bingo.

And if you really want an illustration in stark relief, compare the precinct map of 2008 Presidential vs 2016 Presidential. Those solid Hillary precincts were solid McCain. Meanwhile, a lot of slight Obama precincts went heavily for Trump.

I don't have figures for population change, but it can't possibly be the results of changing demographics. The big growth is by and large happening in the "donut counties." This is the result of voters flipping party affiliation. Conservative Democrats (the Bayh family) are gone. "Business" Republicans (the Dick Lugar, Greg Ballard) are endangered.

2020 governor's race will be interesting to see results in Marion County then. I think Holcomb would be considered a Lugar-type. If he wins statewide by a wide margin as expected, and Marion still goes hardcore D, yeah, it's titanium D.

[StateBoiler]

Curtis Hill has announced he'll seek re-election to Attorney General.

He has at least one opponent at the State Convention.

Hill is still in an Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission hearing.

For some humor and support for the political theory of constitutional officers should be appointed, here's a poll conducted on Hill:

The Ball State University Hoosier Poll tested Hill for the first time. Large percentages of Hoosiers either have not heard of Hill (11%) or didn’t express an opinion (36%). Only 38% of respondents approved of the attorney general’s job performance; 15% expressed disapproval. 

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Where I get my political news is mostly the Howey Politics newsletter. The publisher Brian Howey has been in the hospital in critical care after getting a hematoma.

Brian Bosma, who has been the Republicans' leader in the State House of Representatives since 2001 (and Speaker 2005-07, 2011-current), has announced the 2020 session will be his last. The House Republicans will vote on his tentative replacement in the next few weeks and that person will work alongside Bosma during the 2020 session to get lay of the land.

Sea change for the state legislative GOP, as longtime leaders have retired these past 2 years. 2018 was the last year for State Senate leader David Long and 2020 will be it for Bosma.

https://www.news-sentinel.com/news/indiana-state-news/2019/11/20/indiana-house-speaker-says-hell-retire-after-2020-session/

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The longest-serving leader of the Indiana House announced Tuesday that he will retire after the 2020 legislative session.

Republican Speaker Brian Bosma told lawmakers that he would continue in the powerful position that largely controls which proposals are considered until the upcoming session ends in March. Bosma, 62, said he wouldn’t seek reelection in 2020 after 34 years in the House.

Bosma presided over the House as Republicans took major steps such as creating the state’s private school voucher program, approving the contentious state religious objections law, leasing the Indiana Toll Road to a private operator and adopting statewide daylight saving time. He maneuvered last spring’s passage of a state hate-crimes law that critics fault for not having language that explicitly covers age, sex or gender identity.

He also spearheaded the GOP push to make Indiana the first Midwestern state with a “right to work” law barring companies and unions from signing contracts that require employees to pay union fees. That bill prompted lengthy boycotts by Democratic lawmakers in 2011 and 2012 that ultimately failed as Bosma ordered $1,000-a-day fines against them.

Bosma on Tuesday touted the growth of Indiana’s $2 billion in cash reserves, the state’s top credit rating, and cuts in state corporate and income taxes during his time leading the House.

“While we’re not perfect, Indiana is really the envy of the nation on the fiscal and business front,” he said.

Bosma has been the top House Republican as either speaker or minority leader since 2001. He was first speaker in 2005-2006 as Mitch Daniels’ election as governor helped Republicans regain a House majority after six years.

Democrats took control again for four years, but Bosma has been speaker since 2011. And GOP control of redistricting that year helped propel them to supermajorities topping two-thirds of the House since 2013 that enable Republicans to take action even with no Democrats present.

House Democratic leader Phil GiaQuinta of Fort Wayne said he had many policy disagreements with Bosma but called him a good friend and worthy adversary.

“The speaker has probably grown in the way he’s done his job over the last couple of sessions, trying to include more Democrats in decision-making versus when he first started,” GiaQuinta said.

Bosma pushed a proposed state constitution amendment banning gay marriage for several years until it stalled in 2014, a year before the U.S. Supreme Court legalized such marriages nationwide.

That fight was followed in 2015 by the battle over a religious objections law, which Bosma supported until it faced a national uproar over whether it could be used to sanction discrimination against gays and lesbians. Bosma was then among GOP legislative leaders who within days negotiated revisions blocking its use as a legal defense for refusing to provide services that then-Gov. Mike Pence reluctantly signed.

Bosma said he’ll become chairman of the Washington-based Republican Legislative Campaign Committee and continue working at an Indianapolis law firm.

Republican House members will select Bosma’s successor in the coming weeks. Bosma said the successor will work with him during the 2020 session and take over GOP caucus leadership heading into the November 2020 election when all 100 House seats will be on the ballot.

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Carmel is "Bloomberg Democrat" territory.

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Todd Huston of Fishers has been voted on as Speaker-Elect by the Republican caucus in the State House. He'll take the gavel in March per Eric Berman of WIBC Radio.

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The Indiana Dems should run Gill again.  I think it's a prime pickup opportunity for them, especially now that incumbency won't be a factor, and his district is rapidly trending D.

I was in Geist visiting some friends in late 2018, and there were a ton of Poonam Gill signs out.

[StateBoiler]

Howey:

 

Brian Howey: The timing of the Bosma to Huston speaker transition

Friday, December 6, 2019 10:09 AM




   

Speakers Todd Huston (left) and Brian Bosma.



Speakers Todd Huston (left) and Brian Bosma.
 


 
By BRIAN A. HOWEY

 INDIANAPOLIS – To use a well-worn-political phrase, is timing is everything. That may have prompted the latest change of the Republican guard at the Indiana Statehouse this past week where we saw State Rep. Todd Huston of Fishers take the House speaker’s gavel by acclamation from one of the strongest speakers in Hoosier history when Brian Bosma of Indianapolis decided to stand down.

 Bosma spent two non-consecutive terms with the gavel in what is considered by many as the most powerful Statehouse office due to the Indiana’s constitutionally weak governorship, where a veto can be overridden by a simple majority vote. It follows a similar transition in the Indiana Senate a year ago, when Rod Bray of Martinsville took the helm from Senate President Pro Tem David Long of Fort Wayne, while on the fiscal side State Sen. Ryan Mishler of Bremen and Travis Holdman of Markle took the reins from Senate Appropriations Chairman Luke Kenley and Budget Chairman Brandt Hershman.

 Informed and reliable sources tell me that House Ways & Means Chairman Tim Brown will seek reelection in 2020 after surviving critical injuries in a 2018 motorcycle accident at the Mackinaw Bridge in Michigan. Huston served as co-chair of that influential, budget-writing committee during the 2019 biennial session.

“I’m incredibly grateful for the support from our caucus and the tremendous opportunity to serve in this new leadership role. Indiana’s economic strength is largely rooted in strong, conservative leadership, and I’m honored to work alongside Speaker Bosma during his final legislative session and help continue our state’s momentum,” Speaker Huston said after his Organization Day ascension. Bosma added, “Todd is an invaluable member of our team and a respected leader, and I’m excited for him to take the reins and continue building on Indiana’s success story.” Whether it’s serving as a tough budget hawk or finding common ground among differing viewpoints, he’s been a reliable, go-to legislator for our caucus time and time again. I firmly believe he will take hold of this opportunity with both hands, and bring the vision and energy needed to help keep Indiana on the right track.”

Bosma's first stint came with Gov. Mitch Daniels first two years in office during which he was instrumental in pushing through the $3.8 billion Major Moves Indiana Toll Road lease as well as Daylight Savings Time. The GOP lost its majority for four years during the next election. Republicans and Bosma returned to power in 2010, forging an unprecedented super majority era that commenced with the 2014 election. That 2012 class produced a future lieutenant governor in Sue Ellsperman. Bosma also launched an era of paramount transparency, with all General Assembly sessions and most committee sessions live-streamed via the World Wide Web.

 Bosma briefly pursued the governorship when Gov. Mike Pence vacated his nomination to join Donald Trump on the national ticket, but quickly dropped out after finding little support on the Indiana Republican Central Committee, with whom he and Long had had a contentious relationship, particularly after Bosma allowed the infamous Religious Freedom Restoration Act to move out of the House. It subsequently blew up in Gov. Pence's face, derailing an expected 2016 presidential run. Sources close to Bosma believe he harbors no gubernatorial aspirations in 2024, when Lt. Gov. Crouch is expected to seek to break Indiana's gender glass ceiling.

 Bosma's return to the speakership in 2011 opened up a key sequence for Todd Huston, then serving as chief of staff to controversial Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett. Sensing a historic opening, former presidential advisor and Indiana Republican Chairman Al Hubbard, and long-time Daniels ally Mark Lubbers dined with Huston over Scotch whiskeys and fashioned the school voucher reforms of 2011. According to reporting by Pence biographer ("Piety & Power: Mike Pence and the Taking of the White House") and then Associated Press reporter Tom LoBianco, Huston wrote in a Feb. 10, 2010 email, ”My thought would be that we can get the momentum going and let MD (Mitch Daniels) take the lead when he feels it is time. As soon as he takes ownership of it, whether it is (November) or May, it becomes his initiative. This would allow him to do it after the election but the work is being done prior to his taking ownership of it."

 Huston ran for and won a House seat in 2014, the same year the GOP super majority era began.

 Lubbers said of Huston, “I have known Todd since his political beginnings, which I attach to the Tony Bennett service as State Superintendent. He was vital to Tony’s efforts, bringing organizational talent and structure to what was an effective and milestone revolutionary period. From the outset, he has been deeply and sincerely interested in public policy. And he has a remarkable record of translating vision and ideals into policy.”

As for the "timing is everything” notion, Huston takes the gavel with a potential political time bomb ticking. Thousands of Hoosier teachers filled the Statehouse on the day Bosma handed him the gavel, seeking pay raises. Bosma defeated Democrat Poonam in Gill in 2018 by just 3,726 votes, his closest election with a 55.55% plurality. In 2016, Bosma defeated Democrat Dana Black 65 to 34.85%, or by 11,424 votes, while Huston defeated Democrat Aimee Rivera Cole by just 2,772 votes or 54.5% in 2018. In 2016 Huston defeated Democrat Mike Boland 64-36%, or by a little less than 10,000 votes. Republicans experienced a wipe-out in Indianapolis and Democrats picked up city council seats in once crimson-red Fishers and Carmel this past November.

 In this era of President Donald Trump, Republicans remain resolutely in his camp, and voters are delivering a withering verdict. Even Hoosier suburbs are gaining a purple hue. A sitting Indiana speaker hasn't been upset since 1986. Bosma may have decided this calm before the storm may have a good time to get out of Dodge.

The columnist is publisher of Howey Politics Indiana at www.howeypolitics.com. Find Howey on Facebook and Twitter @hwypol.

[StateBoiler]

State Sen. Eddie Melton of Gary dropped out of the race to be the Democrats' gubernatorial nominee. The two remaining candidates are Woody Myers and Josh Owens. Candidate filings for the May primaries opens up tomorrow.

General Assembly started working Monday.

[StateBoiler]

Your filings so far. No statewide races have official filings yet.

Congress 1st District (longtime Dem. Congressman Pete Visclosky is retiring after McDermott threatened a primary challenge, northwest Indiana)

Scott Costello-Dem
Tony Daggett Sr.-Dem
Thomas McDermott-Dem (Mayor of Hammond, favorite)
Maria Candelaria Reardon-Dem (in the state legislature, one of the people that made accusations against Curtis Hill)
Jayson Reeves-Dem
Dion Bergeron-Rep
Spencer Lemmons-Rep
Mark Leyva-Rep (Republican nominee in 2014 and 2018)
Bill Powers-Rep
Delano Scaife-Rep

5th District (Republican Susan Brooks is retiring, northern Indianapolis suburbs)

Jennifer Christie-Dem
Dee Thornton-Dem (Democratic nominee in 2018)
Andrew Bales-Rep
Micah Beckwith-Rep
Allen Davison-Rep
Matt Hook-Rep

Other items, Holcomb's State of the State is tonight at 7pm.

[StateBoiler]

Filing for primary elections closes today.

Democrats Statewide

President:

Joe Biden
Michael Bloomberg
Pete Buttigieg
Tulsi Gabbard
Amy Klobuchar
Bernie Sanders
Tom Steyer
Elizabeth Warren
Andrew Yang

Governor:

Woody Myers
(there was expected to be a 2nd candidate here but he has dropped out, that now makes 12 years and counting since the Democrats had a contested primary on a statewide ballot that was not the presidency)

14 candidates running in the open 1st after Pete Visclosky retired
2 candidates in the 2nd
4 candidates in the 3rd
4 candidates in the 4th
5 candidates in the 5th
3 candidates in the 6th
Andre Carson has 1 challenger in the 7th
3 candidates in the 8th
5 candidates in the 9th

Republicans Statewide

President:

Donald Trump
Bill Weld

Governor:

Eric Holcomb
Brian Roth

6 candidates running in the Democrats' open 1st
Jackie Walorski has 1 challenger in the 2nd
Jim Banks has 1 challenger in the 3rd
Jim Baird has 1 challenger in the 4th
16 candidates for the Open 5th
Greg Pence has 1 challenger in the 6th
6 candidates running in the Democrats' 7th
Larry Bucshon has no challengers in the 8th
Trey Hollingsworth has no challengers in the 9th

[StateBoiler]

If Pete doesn’t become President the DSCC are going to be knocking on his doorstep on November 4th.

The Senate ? LOL

Buttigieg would get trounced by Young, there is no way that Buttigieg wins a statewide race with all the liberal positions he is now espousing. And even without them winning a senate seat in Indiana would really hard for him, why do you think that he is running for president ? Because a gubernatorial run would have been suicide.

I think Buttigieg's political future is him getting out of Indiana. He lives in Walorski's congressional district which is winnable for a Democrat, and he chose to run for DNC Chair and for President. I never thought he'd win the nomination - still don't, blacks hate him too much considering their percentage of the Democratic primary electorate - but he's looking to be the VP nominee or some kind of cabinet/agency chief job.

The Indiana Democratic Party is effectively a dead organization statewide. I was looking at candidate filings yesterday with a buddy in Whitley County (county west of Fort Wayne) and not a single Democrat filed there for anything except State Convention Delegate.

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Zody is running for State Senate this year, aiming to replace a retiring Democrat.

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Zody is running for State Senate this year, aiming to replace a retiring Democrat.

Honestly, I hope this means the end of his tenure with the state party.  If the party wants to regain its relevance, it needs a chairman who knows what the hell they're doing.

I imagine that's his golden parachute landing pad so he can leave the state leadership without it appearing he was forced out, albeit not that golden becoming a member of a party that's down in the State Senate 40-10.

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Todd Rokita must be running for Attorney General. He sent me a Facebook friend request. And our 3 mutual friends are all running to be State Convention delegates, as am I.

Per Howey:

Attorney General Hill faces 60-day suspension

“The position of Indiana Attorney General is an executive branch equivalent of a judicial officer. The Indiana Attorney General is the highest level of attorney in the State of Indiana. The Indiana Attorney General and the Office of the Indiana Attorney General serve the citizens of the State of Indiana by enforcing the laws of the state. Accordingly, the Indiana Attorney General’s duty to conform his or her behavior to the law arises from more than his or her status as an attorney. The Indiana Attorney General holds a position of public trust and engages in work that has a wide impact across the state. (The attorney general’s behavior was ) offensive, invasive, damaging, and embarrassing.”

- Judicial hearing officer Myra Selby, recommending a 60-day suspension for Attorney General Curtis Hill, without automatic reinstatement. Selby said that Hill has “showed no insight regarding the impact of his actions.” It is unclear if Hill’s suspension and lack of automatic reinstatement would allow Gov. Eric Holcomb to appoint a replacement. Holcomb has called on Hill to resign due to the state’s “zero tolerance” of sexual harassment. Hill has 30 days to appeal. Selby also noted that “As Attorney General, he used his state office staff and others to engage in a public campaign to defend himself and intimidate the complainants.]/quote]

[StateBoiler]

Hill:

Didn't take long, race card getting played. https://www.theindianalawyer.com/articles/letter-to-the-editor-hill-discipline-recommendation-raises-race-bias-concerns

http://www.therepublic.com/2020/02/17/us-indiana-attorney-general-groping-allegations-2/

It remained unclear Monday whether Republican Attorney General Curtis Hill could remain in as the state government’s top lawyer if the Indiana Supreme Court agreed with a hearing officer’s recommendation released Friday that his law license be suspended for at least 60 days.

Hill has denied wrongdoing and rebuffed calls from Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb and other GOP state officials for his resignation for his actions during the March 2018 party at an Indianapolis bar marking the end of that year’s legislative session.

Former state Supreme Court Justice Myra Selby wrote in her report to the court that Hill’s “conduct was offensive, invasive, damaging and embarrassing” to the women. She recommended a 60-day suspension of his law license without automatic reinstatement under which the sanction could continue indefinitely until lifted by the state Supreme Court, which will make the final decision in the professional misconduct case.

James Bopp, a Terre Haute attorney who is a former vice chairman of the Republican National Committee, objected to Selby’s findings that Hill should be held to a higher standard of conduct because of his status as the state’s top law enforcement officer.

“He should not be treated more harshly because he is a public official, that’s the job of the voters,” said Bopp, who helped start a legal defense fund for Hill in 2018. “When people do things in office, they’re judged by the voters.”

Messages seeking comment were left Monday for attorneys who represented Hill during an October hearing before Selby. Hill’s attorneys have 30 days to submit filings to the Supreme Court, which doesn’t face a deadline for ruling.

The wait for that decision comes as Hill is seeking reelection to the office he first won in 2016, but first needs to win nomination in June’s state Republican convention. He’s being opposed by Adam Krupp, who stepped down in January as the Holcomb-appointed head of the state revenue department to run for attorney general.

The court’s decision is key as state law requires the attorney general to be “duly licensed to practice law in Indiana” but doesn’t otherwise specify those law license requirements.

Republican Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma, who called for Hill’s resignation in 2018, said he believed Hill could remain in office while under a short-term suspension, although the prospect of an indefinite suspension causes uncertainty that he hoped the five-member Supreme Court would address in its final ruling.

“I will publicly ask for them to give clarity to the state on the issue rather than making someone file (a lawsuit) for clarity after the fact,” Bosma said.

The governor’s office has lawyers reviewing the issue but didn’t have additional comment Monday, Holcomb spokeswoman Rachel Hoffmeyer said.

Bopp said he believed Hill could continue in office during a suspension handling administrative matters while delegating any legal work to others.

The allegations against Hill include that he grabbed the buttocks of Democratic Rep. Mara Candelaria Reardon and inappropriately touched and made unwelcomed sexual comments toward three female legislative staffers — ages 23 to 26 at the time. A special prosecutor declined to file criminal charges and the women have filed a federal lawsuit against Hill and the state accusing him of sexual harassment and defamation.

Selby found that Hill used his state office “to intimidate the four women who alleged misconduct, three of whom were young women at the onset of their careers. (Hill’s) unwavering public campaign in defense of himself showed little restraint and amplified the impact of his conduct on the four women.”

Bopp contrasted the proposed punishment for Hill to the 60- or 30-day suspensions  ordered by the Supreme Court for three southern Indiana judges  whose actions during a night of downtown Indianapolis bar-hopping escalated a fight during which two of them were shot.

Selby concluded that Hill committed a misdemeanor-level battery offense, but that the state attorney disciplinary commission didn’t prove the more serious allegation of sexual battery.

“In that context I just think the recommended punishment is grossly excessive,” Bopp said. “I just think treating him way more severely is just not justified.”

Indiana House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Torr said it would likely fall to the state Supreme Court to state whether a temporary attorney suspension would allow Holcomb to appoint a replacement for Hill.

“If he was disbarred, the answer would be obvious,” said Torr, a Carmel Republican. “In this case, the answer would not be so obvious.”

In addition to Krump officially running against Hill for Attorney General at the State Convention, there's also Zionsville lawyer John Westercamp whose candidacy seems to have found little traction, and Todd Rokita is not officially in but is floating out there.

[StateBoiler]

https://howeypolitics.com/Content/Columns/Columns/Article/Brian-Howey-The-Curtis-Hill-elephant-on-the-table/10/20/23137

Brian Howey: The Curtis Hill elephant on the table

 By BRIAN A. HOWEY, Publisher
 
Sunday, February 23, 2020 9:30 AM
 
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Supreme Court faces a “political” decision that will be known in the next three weeks: What to do about Attorney General Curtis Hill?
   
 Former justice Myra Selby determined a 60-day suspension in light of his 2018 sine die party horndogging, in which he was accused of groping a Democratic legislator and three staffers. She also recommended no automatic return to office. Indiana law requires the AG to be “duly licensed to practice law in Indiana.”
   
In Selby’s words, “By seeking and accepting the responsibilities of the office of Indiana attorney general, (Hill) undertook to conduct himself both officially and personally in accordance with the highest standards that the citizens of the state of Indiana can expect.”
   
So if the Supremes accept Selby’s recommendation, Hill “likely would be forced to immediately vacate his office because he no longer could practice law,” according to NWI Times reporter Dan Carden.
   
 This has never happened since the 1851 Indiana Constitution became the law of the land.
   
 And it begs all sorts of questions. Is the alleged behavior by Hill that kind for which any other lawyer in Indiana would be disciplined? Over the years, we’ve seen aberrant behavior by attorneys who were also legislators. If Hill is to be held to a different standard than other attorneys, such a result will raise interesting and difficult questions for all attorneys who are elected or appointed officials and admitted to the practice of law. What is the relevant standard for those attorneys?
   
 Terre Haute attorney Jim Bopp Jr., a former Republican National Committeeman, argues, “He should not be treated more harshly because he is a public official. That’s the job of the voters. When people do things in office, they’re judged by the voters.”
   
And fresh off President Trump’s impeachment acquittal in the U.S. Senate, one of the chief restraints of Republican “jurors” was their reluctance of overturning the will of the people. Indiana is one of 43 states to elect their attorney general.
   
 Those Republican officials who have called for “zero tolerance” on sexual harassment and assaults willfully greet President Trump at the airport and take the stage with him despite some two dozen allegations of such behavior from an array of credible victims, including a former Miss Indiana.
   
 Should Attorney General Hill be held for a different standard than President Trump? In 2016, a clear majority of Hoosiers voted (including the evangelical wing) for Trump despite these troubling proclivities.
   
 The Hill dilemma could reach a crescendo in June if he is nominated for a second term. That might produce the awkward moment of the GOP ticket on stage, hands joined and raised, which probably won’t happen if Hill is renominated.

 Gov. Eric Holcomb, then as a top aide to Gov. Mitch Daniels, knows all too well about such a moment. Republican delegates rebuked Daniels at the 2008 convention in a year he was reelected by a landslide, nominating Greg Zoeller over Daniels’ preference, Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas. It was a lesson Holcomb would not forget. Thus his reluctance to annoint a Hill challenger.   
   
 The 2016 Indiana Republican Convention delegates did not have a stellar year. Not only did they select Hill, they also nominated Supt. Jennifer McCormick, who went rogue on the GOP’s orthodoxy on school vouchers, joining then Democratic gubernatorial contender Eddie Melton on a listening tour last summer and dallying with a potential lieutenant governor nomination before he exited the race in January.
   
 A different route for the governor could be to exert pressure on the Supreme Court, via the Judicial Nominating Commission, of which the governor has three of the seven appointments. The JNC did Gov. Mike Pence’s bidding when it circumvented the Supreme Court selection of Peter Rusthoven as one of three nominees. Rusthoven’s political sin had been his testimony against the constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage.
   
 House Speaker Brian Bosma, who joined Holcomb’s call for Hill to resign in July 2018, acknowledged the dilemma and lack of “clarity.” He told the Associated Press, “I will publicly ask for them to give clarity to the state on the issue rather than making someone file (a lawsuit) for clarity after the fact.”
   
The AP also reported that the governor’s lawyers are reviewing the situation.
   
 Here at the apex of the of GOP super majority rule, when it holds all the state constitutional offices, both General Assembly chambers, nine of the 11 congressional seats, 80% of county offices, 90% of county commissioners, a historic number of city halls, and is home to the U.S. vice president, the Hill dilemma is conspicuous.
   
 Attorney General Hill finds significant support on the social conservative wing of the party. He presided over the South Bend “funeral” of 2,400 fetal remains last week from the Dr. Ulrich Klopfer tragedy, and has a penchant of filing pro-life amicus briefs at the federal level.
   
 So Hill is not going to go quietly.
   
 That’s why I term the coming Supreme Court verdict on Hill political. It won’t alter the balance of power in Indiana. But as the party’s only minority officeholder in the Statehouse, he has created the proverbial elephant on the table.

[StateBoiler]

For those wanting to parachute Buttigieg in to the Indiana governor's race, filing has already closed. So the only way it can occur is by doing an Evan Bayh Special of Myers wins the primary, then withdraws, and the State Democratic Committee selects a replacement.