Indiana’s state Democratic convention is over, and as promised, I will devote a post to that party’s slate of statewide candidates. They provide a striking contrast to the theocratic culture warriors who believe they will glide to victory because this is Indiana.
I have admired Jennifer McCormick since she was Indiana’s Superintendent of Public Instruction. That admiration grew when she publicly repudiated the GOP. Unlike other spineless Republican officeholders, she opted to leave a party that held a legislative super-majority and pledge allegiance to a minority party that now stands for positions she cares about–positions the GOP has abandoned. It took guts–and principles.
Jennifer is running a disciplined, strategic campaign focused on those issues: reproductive freedom, public education, union rights and a living wage, and fiscal responsibility. You can learn more about her here.
McCormick chose Terry Goodin to run for Lieutenant Governor. Unlike the Christian Nationalist running for that spot on the GOP’s ticket, Goodin is highly qualified for the position, which is largely focused on agriculture and rural affairs. A former state legislator, Goodin is currently Indiana state director for USDA Rural Development, and has deep roots into communities that tend to vote overwhelmingly Republican. (Like McCormick, Goodin also served several years as a public school superintendent.)
Goodin was initially criticised by Democrats who pointed to his vote in 2011 against same-sex marriage, but like many other Americans, he has grown; he issued a heartfelt apology for that vote, which he now considers hurtful and wrong. He has enthusiastically endorsed McCormicks priorities, especially on reproductive choice and public education.
Valerie McCray is a genuine political outsider. A graduate of Arsenal Tech High School in Indianapolis, she navigated the challenges of being a single mother, while earning a BA, MA, and Ph.D from the University of Michigan, and has spent 35 years as a practicing psychologist. Her professional experience underscored for her the effect of public policies on multiple populations, and convinced her to take her fights for a woman’s right to choose and “beyond-subsistence” wages to Washington. Because she knows “what it’s like to be a struggling middle-class American; a single mom, a student using the same bag for books and diapers,” she will champion “union support, healthcare for all, equal rights for everyone, strengthening public education, and repealing Citizens United,” and she promises to “fight for student loan debt reduction, closing the wealth gap, and funding environmental efforts.” You can learn more about Dr. McCray here.
In their recent convention, Democrats chose Destiny Wells as their candidate for Attorney General. Wells ran an impressive, albeit losing, campaign for Secretary of State two years ago, which she says taught her valuable lessons. Coming, as she says, from eight generations of Indiana farmers, she was a first generation college student at IU; she joined the National Guard and ROTC and today is a a U.S. Army Reserve Lieutenant Colonel. Along the way, Wells earned a law degree which led to experience serving multiple levels of government and with NATO. (She’s been an Associate Corporation Counsel for Indianapolis, and a Deputy Attorney General for Indiana.) A major theme of her campaign is “restoring integrity to the Office of Attorney General”–a theme that will resonate with anyone who’s familiar with the operation of that office under Todd Rokita. You can learn more about Destiny and her positions here.
Not only are all of these individuals accomplished and highly qualified for the positions they seek, they are running against a collection of looney-tune MAGA extremists. Braun spent his six undistinguished years as a Senator cozying up to Trump. Beckwith is a self-identified Christian Nationalist whose only experience in public office– on a library board– outraged the community by attempting to censor books that offended his fundamentalist religious beliefs. He has NO experience relevant to the job he seeks. Banks is–as I have documented–a culture war zealot and MAGA anti-woke crusader, a clone of Beckwith. And it is impossible to summarize the multiple times I’ve posted about the despicable and unethical behaviors of Attorney General Todd Rokita.
All of these men are anti-choice, anti-gay, and anti-woman.
There is absolutely no reason why the impressive slate of candidates being run by the Democrats can’t win-if they have the resources to distribute their messages and bona fides. (Unless, of course, you agree with the pessimist assertion that all inhabitants of rural Indiana are ignorant racist theocrats who will vote Republican because they agree with the appalling positions of the GOP candidates.)
If you care about women’s reproductive liberty, public education, intellectual freedom and civic equality, send these candidates money. Volunteer for one of their campaigns.
And vote Blue up and down the ballot.
Say it LOUDER, Sheila.
Amen! My older daughter just returned last night from that convention as a delegate with similar praise for our ticket, so let’s invite Uncle Harold and Aunt Mary to accompany us to the polls come November and end this alliance of the right with the theocratic. From here on out, we must play an M & M candy message, i.e., money and messaging, Senate through Library Board.
Great to see so many solid, pro-civilization candidates. BUT as long as white, straight, male Christians rule Indiana minds, the following will prevail: “All of these men are anti-choice, anti-gay, and anti-woman.” This sentence sums up the utter backwardness of places like Indiana’s Republicans. Those voters would, I’ve said before, rather sell their mothers and children into slavery than vote for ANY Democrat – no matter the qualifications for office.
That is terribly sad. I do hope I’m wrong for the sake of the good people in Indiana … and Texas and everywhere else red politics rules (NOT SERVES).
Hey, you said it, I didn’t: “…all inhabitants of rural Indiana are ignorant racist theocrats who will vote Republican…”
I don’t know the percentage of straight-ticket voters who cast ballots in Indiana, but I bet it is high in rural Hoosierville. I bet it’s high in most urban voters, with the only exceptions being Indy and Fort Wayne.
Jennifer and her husband are well known here in Delaware County. I’ve supported her even when she was a Republican. Her hubby was an excellent wrestling coach for Yorktown, where Jennifer was the Superintendent.
I’ve heard nothing but good things about the D ticket in Indiana, even if they have yet to send out marketing materials. Does anybody learn anything about a candidate from their generic mailers? LOL
As I’ve said before, my only concern for Hoosier Democrats is the top of the ticket. Joe Biden is a mass murderer complicit in a proxy war and a genocide. His mental acuities are failing, and he will not last four years. What’s happening to him is called elder abuse and should be stopped. His foreign policies are destroying the country and our dollar.
The US needs a leader who will transition us from a unipolar to a multipolar world, allowing for a graceful transition from world leadership under the WW2 rules-based order to a global collaboration with laws. Instead, we got Biden and Blinken doubling down on archaic beliefs.
Get rid of Biden, or risk losing the whole ticket from top to bottom. Especially now that Trump has gotten a significant boost!
Banks response to legislation that would require a passport to vote, a bill put forward by a TX GOP Rep.
“In the past three and a half years, Joe Biden has allowed more than 10 million illegal immigrants to cross our border. Places like San Francisco and Washington, D.C. already allow non-citizens to vote in their elections and if Democrats had it their way, that would be allowed across the country,” said Indiana’s Third District Congressman Jim Banks. “198 Democrats voting against this bill should be a wake-up call to every American that the Democrat Party cares more about illegal immigrants than our own people.”
As usual, Banks lies by omission. He fails to tell us that the only elections that allow non-citizens to vote are for local school board members, expire after one election, are available only to parents/guardians with enrolled students.
https://www.sf.gov/non-citizen-voting-rights-local-board-education-elections
https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2024/may/30/instagram-posts/noncitizens-can-vote-in-washington-dc-local-electi/
I can hear Indiana Republicans now, “Give us Barabbas!”
Indiana census data….Good – get the 37% who are DEM or “Lean DEM”. But you facing the 43% who are GOP or “Lean GOP”…..not enough!
MUCH BETTER: How about the more than 31% who are Black (12.4 %) or Hispanic (18.7%)
Indiana Democrats do have an excellent ticket! They now have to play hardball and call out how the Republicans have not supported the Rule of Law and the needs of the people of Indiana for the future!!
Goodin shows maturity, rather than idiocy.
Barack Obama had the blueprint, knock on doors! It got the folks who didn’t have social media and or telephones for that matter. Probably not even internet! And many of those folks said that nobody ever came and knock on their doors before. So, first come first serve! It ain’t rocket science! The economy? Meh! It’s the social programs, Medicare, Medicaid, social security, snap, housing, and education. The voucher program Hurts The poorest, and it also is a knife in the back to the middle class. Because the poorest are not the ones benefiting whatsoever from this voucher program. And, the schools the vouchers are going to are Christian propagandist but every ethnicity and creed are paying those taxes that the vouchers are pulled from. Is that fair? If that very thing is brought out, it might change some minds. Folks are not going to like that particular idea and not get the same benefits from those voucher programs.
Illinois is a fairly progressive state, and Illinois is getting rid of the voucher program. Because all it’s done is ransacked public education. Schools are closing, people are angry, but, the folks that push the issue for the vouchers are nowhere to be seen right now. Because it does not work. And property taxes have tripled because of those voucher programs.
Knock on the doors, Barack Obama had an army of young folks with nothing else to do but knock on doors. Doesn’t matter what leanings those kids are, people are just happy to someone took an interest in them. It makes a huge impact.
Shoe leather is the best option for an underdog! It takes manpower and womanpower and some well designed leaflets, but it can be done. Best of luck to the Indiana dems!
Red straight ticket- female in indianapolis
Just came back from my first Indiana Democratic Convention as a delegate. We now have great candidates across the board. The momentum is building. Let’s keep this up, get voters out to understand what’s at stake and that the democrats are about sensible governing and for all Hoosiers. We can’t keep moving backwards as a state. We have too many horrible ratings on the GOP’s performance over the years. Vote Blue so we can add some common sense and balance in the statehouse and throughout the districts.