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Request a DemoOn Monday, the six Republican gubernatorial candidates gathered for the first debate. In case you missed it, below are their opening statements.
A scheduled gubernatorial forum will be hosted by the National Federation of Independent Business, the Indiana Builders Association and Americans for Prosperity of Indiana. The event will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. March 19 at the Wellington Fishers Banquet & Conference Center, 9775 North by Northeast Blvd., in Fishers.
Seven of the leading candidates for governor — Braun, Chambers, Crouch, Doden, Hill, Democrat Jennifer McCormick and Libertarian Donald Rainwater — have agreed to participate.
The next GOP debate will be held at 7 p.m. March 26 on Fox59/CBS4.
To watch Monday’s entire debate, visit youarecurrent.com/2024republicandebate.
Jamie Reitenour
“Never in a million years did I see myself on a stage like this. I'm certainly not a politician. I'm a mom, a spouse. Over six years ago I got a calling. It was a whistle in my heart, saying, ‘You're going to be the governor of Indiana.’ That may sound strange to you, but I walk with my savior, Jesus Christ. Over six years later, at Panera, two people approached me in two different places and told me the exact same thing. I had never met them before. So, my friends, it was up to me as to whether I was going to obey. And I did; I said yes. I said yes over two-and-a-half years ago. Good leaders lead with diligence. We're in [a] moral crisis, and it's time for good people to stand. I'm not a leader that speaks at you; I'm a leader who leads.”
Curtis Hill
(He opened by describing himself as a “husband, a father, a lawyer, a career prosecutor.”)
“I'm the 43rd attorney general. I'm running for governor because Hoosiers are hungry for proven conservative leadership. By proven, it means what have you done to be able to establish what you'll do going forward? These times are tough. Government has failed us. Individuals we send to Washington, D.C., have failed us. Truth, basic truth, is under attack. We’ve all lost faith in our institutions. We witness the manipulation of justice and the weaponization of race and the sexualization of children. America is in trouble, and we need strong and courageous leadership.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I believe in the culture of life. But don't take my word for it — look at my deeds. That's why 2,411 babies were found abandoned in Illinois. As your attorney general, I went into Illinois, brought them back and buried them to establish their humanity because I believe in a culture of life. I believe in liberty, in defending liberty, fighting for liberty. That's why in 2020 when the governor issued his mask mandate and said he was going to make it a Class B misdemeanor if you violated it, as your attorney general I fought back and said no.”
Hill also said that as attorney general, he resisted efforts to create a third “X” gender at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. “I fought back. The truth is, there are two genders, male and female, and that's worth fighting for. This is about leadership, courage and boldness. It's about getting the job done. It's about taking a look at the candidates and determining what … they have done will establish what they will do as governor.”
Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch
“As a wife, a mother, a taxpayer I care deeply about Indiana and about Hoosiers. I have the experience to deliver results. We'll do it by focusing on four building blocks: We're going to grow our economy, invest in education, strengthen our families and our communities, and then modernize government. As lieutenant governor, we are modernizing our economy by leading the fight to expand broadband throughout rural Indiana. As governor, I want to continue by leading the fight to eliminate Indiana's state income tax. We're going to ax the tax. I’ve traveled the state. Hoosiers are being crushed by the high cost of living, inflation and Bidenomics. We have the opportunity to put thousands of dollars back into the average Hoosier’s pockets every year.
“My opponents have joined the spenders, the bureaucrats, saying, 'We can't do it; it's a gimmick.' But we can. As former vice chair of the Ways and Means Committee and as a former auditor of state, we can do it. It has to be phased in, but we’re already doing that. We have to have triggers in place to protect against economic downturns, but if we limit government growth, if we end wasteful government spending and we find efficiencies in government, Hoosiers will benefit and our economy will prosper.
“I want to create a cradle-to-career education system focused on the four R’s, preparing our children for the jobs of today and tomorrow. As secretary of agriculture I took [steps] to prevent China from buying our farmland. When I saw that lands near military sites can be bought by our adversaries, I stopped it. As president of the Senate, I took a tough vote to strengthen our abortion laws, making Indiana one of the most pro-life states in the country. And as governor, I'll make sure fentanyl dealers are treated as the murderers they are. And Hoosiers struggling with mental illness and addiction, you will be my No. 1 priority. I want to modernize state government, downsizing it, removing rules and regulations and making government more accountable and transparent.”
Sen. Mike Braun
“It’s very important for anyone who wants to lead our state better be there with a track record. You won't have to figure out what they might do when they say they want to aspire to something like this. You need to be willing to flesh out those ideas. Of anyone on the stage here, I have the most recent track record on what's happened, when you have to vote, what you're really for, not what you say you’re going to be for.
“For all of us as Hoosiers, we’re lucky we are from communities. I have been blessed to be raised in a place like Jasper. It’s a community based on faith, family, freedom and opportunity. I don’t think you have to go much further than that to know what we're about as a state and what we’re about as Hoosiers. Who has got the track record where you've proven you believe in that, you lived it and you've got a record?
“In our own state, the things we need to do better at — we have some of the highest health care costs in the country, some of the poorest outcomes. For most families, their well-being, along with their education ... half of our budget has to do with K-12 education. Are we getting our bang out of that buck? We have a large enterprise in our state government: 30,000 employees, 30 agencies. Who’s going to go in there wrestling … are they serving all of us? Who's going to be able to draw out of them better performance? Maybe you can finance a tax decrease by running it better. Look carefully to see who's got a track record of doing that.
“And then you look at bigger issues like our open borders. Some people say, ‘Why do you mention that?’ It’s the biggest issue in D.C. and it’s gonna determine the election in November in terms of who we put there, along with an economy. … Who would do the best job? Make sure you flesh out the issues and if they've got a record you can trust. Will it be someone with action who practices what they preach?"
Brad Chambers
“I’m not a career politician; I've never done this before. What I have been doing is starting a business from scratch and raising a family. I’m angry at the state of our politics. To me it’s unacceptable that our average wage and economic growth is below that of the U.S. averages. It’s unacceptable that our Medicaid rolls are growing so quickly. It’s unacceptable to me that repeated violent offenders are arrested and back on our streets the very next day. It’s unacceptable that Hoosier kids are falling behind educationally, and it’s unacceptable that Congress has failed to act on the border, which has now become a state problem with fentanyl pouring in.
“Our Founding Fathers envisioned public service like my two years as Indiana’s secretary of commerce, where I served for just a dollar a year, bringing in tens of thousands of high-wage jobs, investing in communities statewide, bringing in two new industries to fix our problems, grow our economy and improve our quality of life. It’s going to take someone from outside the system. The last time we had a business outsider, it was Gov. Mitch Daniels. That was 12 years ago. It’s time to shake things up; it’s time for a change and fresh eyes. It’s time for a real outsider to become Indiana's next governor."
Eric Doden
“We have four kids ... or five kids between the ages of 23 and 18. I forgot one. We had four kids in four years and 10 months — we don't remember much of the 2000s. But then our daughter from Rwanda joined us six years ago. I grew up in Butler, Indiana, a town of 2,500 people, and when I was 15 we moved to the metropolis of Auburn, a town of 12,500 people. So I was a small-town kid. My grandfather went to Moody Bible Institute late in life and became a pastor. He played a significant role in my life, and he died when I was 11.
“My grandpa taught me a couple of key principles that have shaped my leadership. He was adamant that you put your faith to work. Without vision, people perish. No matter how big or small his church or community was, he had a bold vision. And that’s what you can expect from me as governor: a bold vision for the people of Indiana. That's what our Indiana Main Street Initiative is about. For 50 years our small towns were forgotten, where two and a half million people live. Our plan restores communities in all 92 counties. We're the only candidate who’s ever had a plan for our small towns and for our regions. And we want all 13 of our regions to be nationally recognized economies and be in the top 100 places to live in the country.
“What is the point of having a great economy if you don't protect the vulnerable? One of the most important things we do is to protect the vulnerable. That’s why I am ardently pro-life. It’s a human rights and a religious issue for me. We have a zero-cost adoption policy. We’re the first candidate in the country and we’ll be the first state in the country to adopt a zero-cost adoption policy. This adoption policy will not only pay for adoptions but for after care. We have 13,000 kids in foster care that would love to be a part of a loving home. This policy is not just pro-life, pro-mother, but pro family and pro-child.
“And last, we have 30 agency heads that employ 30,000 people, that spend $22 billion of state money and $22 billion of federal money every year. Every state agency head will have to reapply for their job. We’re going to look for gifted leaders who demonstrate character, chemistry, building competency with others as we serve the people of Indiana."
Brian A. Howey is senior writer and columnist for Howey Politics Indiana/State Affairs. Find Howey on Facebook and X @hwypol.
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Indiana appeals court chief judge on AI, mental health, and the state’s dwindling number of lawyers
Many Hoosiers may be familiar with their local courts or hear about the opinions of the Indiana Supreme Court, but a middle tier in the state’s judiciary system shapes justice through some 2,000 rulings a year.
The 15 judges of the Indiana Court of Appeals dole out opinions on everything from murder and fraud to civil and child welfare cases. Every Hoosier has the right to appeal a conviction or ruling, and the Court of Appeals, the second-highest court in the state, takes up each case sent its way.
Chief Judge Robert R. Altice Jr. has analyzed thousands of cases since being appointed by Gov. Mike Pence in 2015. Prior to that, he spent 15 years as an elected judge in Marion County.
Altice sat down with State Affairs for a discussion on the ins and outs of his court, how changes in technology and mental health care have impacted his work and what he sees as a major problem facing the nation’s judicial system.
This conversation has been edited for clarity, brevity and length.
Q. What sort of cases does the Court of Appeals hear?
A. We hear really everything except death penalty cases. If there’s a death penalty case, it goes straight to the [state] Supreme Court. Otherwise, we get it.
I’ve had to publish an opinion on a traffic court case. About 65% of our cases are criminal. Every, everything under the sun: murders, rapes, robberies, child molestation.
Then there are civil cases. We do medical malpractice suits, traffic accidents, you name it. Complex business litigation? Our court was involved.
Q. How does the appeals process work? There’s not a new trial, right?
A. I’ll give you an example. Let’s say you got a murder case and the defendant gets convicted and gets 65 years, which is the max for a murder conviction. Everybody in the state of Indiana has got an automatic right to appeal. Not everybody takes that right, but most criminal defendants do.
Somebody will write his brief for him. That attorney will find three issues that they think will result in a new trial if we rule in their favor. That’s really what the appellate process is: Are the errors committed at the trial court level significant enough to warrant a new trial?
And then the attorney general in the criminal cases will write a brief in opposition, then the appellant or the defendant can file a reply brief as well.
We sit and read transcripts and their briefs and do our own research and come to a decision as to whether or not there was error at the trial court level that warrants a new trial.
Q. How many of the 2,000 cases your court receives a year, how many are taken up by the Indiana Supreme Court?
A. It is rare. You start with the proposition that trial courts throughout the state are doing about 2+ million cases a year. That’s everything. We do 2,000 opinions a year. I think the Supreme Court writes about 60 opinions a year. That’s what their taking of ours.
But we’re considered an error-correcting court, whereas that’s really not their role. Their role is more jurisprudential. It’s “should we look at changing in this regard or changing precedent.”
It’s really an inverse pyramid, with the trial courts, I always say, doing the heavy lifting.
Our turnaround time is very quick. It’s about three months. Some states require oral arguments in every single case, but we don’t.
If you ask for an oral argument, we will sometimes grant that. We do a lot of oral arguments, but most of our oral arguments are traveling oral arguments. We travel all over the state and do live arguments. And we do those in front of high schools, small colleges, bigger schools.
We answer questions or ask questions like we normally would do, and then once we’re finished, then we have a question and answer session with the students.
Q. One thing we heard about at the State of the Judiciary is there’s an attorney shortage in the state, particularly in rural areas. How has that affected your work?
A. I think we’re seeing more pro se litigants, people representing themselves, and that can be difficult because we hold them to the same standard that we would hold a lawyer to. It can be really difficult for them. So in that regard, it has hurt.
We’ll go to traveling oral arguments in some rural county, and the bar association will host a lunch for us. We’ll go and there’ll be six lawyers in the room and I’ll say to somebody, “So how many people are in the bar?” And they’ll say, “Well, you’re looking at it.”
That access to justice is a really difficult thing that I think the state of Indiana is dealing with now. The Supreme Court has just set up a task force to look into how we can improve that. I believe law schools are looking at incentivizing young kids to go practice in rural areas.
It’s a real issue. I think a lot of it stems from the low bar passage rate of the last 10+ years. It’ll be interesting to see what the task force thinks.
Q. How has technology impacted the court?
A. Technology has been huge. All our work is done online now. The briefs are filed online.
The technology that we have to keep an eye on, and we’re already looking at, is artificial intelligence. What impact is that going to have on the courts, especially our courts?
You can punch a button and write an opinion. It’s probably not going to be very good, but as technology improves, it’s going to be. We’re kind of leery of that.
But at the same time, from a research standpoint, it’s been a very valuable tool. We’ve been using AI in that regard for researching for some time now, with Westlaw and Lexus as they’ve come out with those kinds of tools.
Q. There have been changes in how the world views mental health. How has that impacted the court?
A. I see it primarily in the sentencing arena. Before every defendant is sentenced by a trial court, a pre-sentence investigation is prepared on them. And so that’s where you see a lot of that because it discusses their entire background, and the number of people with mental health issues coming through has really increased greatly.
I think the pandemic had a lot to do with that as well. But again, the mental health issues are very much creeping into the system, and one of the things that we’re constantly working on trying to be aware of and trying to, to the extent we can with alternatives to incarceration, assist people.
Q. Are there any other challenges facing today’s judiciary?
A. I guess not necessarily my court, but courts in general. It appears to me that Congress is broken. They’re not passing laws.
So, what are we doing? We have to rely on the other two branches of government to kind of take up the slack, and that’s why you’re seeing tons of executive orders.
That’s not traditionally their job, and then you’re seeing the courts being called upon to determine whether or not those regulations are enforceable.
I see that as a long-term problem that we’ve got to get corrected.
Contact Rory Appleton on X at @roryehappleton or email him at [email protected].
How McCormick, Braun view abortion, taxes and other key issues
A Democrat-turned-Republican and Republican-turned-Democrat will soon face off in the race to become Indiana’s next governor.
Sen. Mike Braun, who voted as a Democrat prior to 2012, captured the Republican nomination in Tuesday’s primary. Jennifer McCormick, formerly a Republican Superintendent of Public Instruction, will represent the Democrats.
Voters will decide the state’s next chief executive in November.
A State Affairs analysis of the candidates’ campaign platforms and public statements found key differences — and a few similarities — in their planned approaches to a variety of issues impacting Hoosier voters.
Here is how they match up.
Abortion
Braun: As a senator, Braun has long supported abortion restrictions.
In 2020, he called for the Supreme Court to re-examine Roe v. Wade.
In 2023, he proposed federal legislation that would have required parental notification before any unemancipated minor could seek an abortion. He said at the time: “Hoosiers put their trust in me to stand up for the unborn, and that’s what I’ve been proud to do every day in the Senate.”
He has since signaled support for the state’s abortion ban. His platform reads: “State lawmakers must work to ensure the gains we have made to protect life are secured and strengthened.”
McCormick: In a Tuesday interview with State Affairs, McCormick said her candidacy represented a referendum on reproductive rights.
“I’m going to fight to restore those rights under any authority I can, working in a bipartisan fashion, using our committees, board and our agencies. I also know, too, what everybody’s fear is: that they’re [Republicans] not going to restore those rights and will take [restrictions] further.”
From her platform: “Indiana’s Republican-led extreme abortion ban has taken away the right of women to make deeply personal decisions regarding their own health care.”
Marijuana
Braun: At a March 26 Republican primary debate, Braun suggested an openness to legalizing medicinal marijuana.
“It’s gonna hit all of us. I’m gonna listen to law enforcement — they have to put up with the brunt of it,” he said. “Medical marijuana is where I think the case is best made that maybe something needs to change. But I’ll take my cue from law enforcement there as well. … I hear a lot of input where [medical marijuana is] helpful, and I think that you need to listen and see what makes sense.”
McCormick: The Democrat’s platform also addresses medical marijuana legalization, while speculating on possible recreational use.
“We will fight for the legalization of medical marijuana as a source of state revenue established on a well-regulated marketplace and monitored by a Cannabis Task Force in order to study the issues, opportunities and potential obstructions associated with recreational marijuana legalization.”
McCormick said she would also support expunging low-level marijuana-related convictions.
Taxes
Braun: At a March 19 National Federation of Independent Business forum, Braun said the state’s property tax system “went out of whack because it couldn’t respond to inflation like we’ve never seen before.”
“The way you finance any lower taxes would be to bank on the government being run more efficiently,” he said.
His platform also calls for government spending cuts to finance lower taxes: “Reducing the size of government is the key to cutting taxes, and Mike Braun will work through every state agency to find ways to save money while delivering high-quality services to taxpayers.”
McCormick: McCormick also spoke about taxes at the March 19 forum.
“I agree with a revamp of our taxing system,” she said. “But also it’s about not just how we’re getting our revenue, it’s about our expenditures. Yes, we need to fix our gas tax. Yes, we need to look at the income tax. But here’s the thing: There are hidden taxes we’re not having a conversation about.”
Her platform also references the possibility of combining state agencies as a way to save money.
Education
Braun: In his platform, Braun supports broadening school choice and parental rights.
“As a former school board member, Mike Braun knows parents are the primary stakeholders in their children’s education and every family, regardless of income or zip code, should be able to enroll in a school of their choice and pursue a curriculum that prepares them for a career, college or the military,” the platform reads.
Braun also pledged to ensure critical race theory and discussions about gender are banned in public schools.
McCormick: Education is one of McCormick’s primary issues, according to her platform.
She calls for the elimination of statewide testing, increased early childhood reading and child care options and a minimum base salary of $60,000 for all K-12 teachers.
McCormick also addresses the state’s school choice movement.
“We will call for a pause in the expansion of school privatization efforts while requiring fiscal and academic accountability and transparency for all of Indiana schools that receive public tax dollars,” her platform reads.
U.S.-Mexico border
Braun: Braun’s television ads have touched on border security, and his platform calls for increased focus on the area.
“Joe Biden and the left have created a humanitarian and national security crisis on our southern border,” the platform reads. “As governor, Mike will continue to support and enact the America First policies that were working. Otherwise, every town will become a border town.”
McCormick: McCormick’s border-related plans are more focused on facilitating legal immigration.
“We will work with local, state and federal officials in supporting an immigrant system that creates a safe, timely, orderly and humane pathway for those seeking legal immigration while keeping our communities and those responsible for border security safe,” her platform reads.
Contact Rory Appleton on X at @roryehappleton or email him at [email protected].
Spartz, Shreve, Stutzman win Republican congressional primaries
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Mike Braun wins the Indiana Republican nomination for governor
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