Indiana Democratic Party delegates will choose between two candidates for the party’s attorney general nomination at their July 13 convention. 

Destiny Wells, a defense attorney and U.S. Army Reserve officer who ran unsuccessfully for Indiana secretary of state in 2022, and Beth White, former Marion County clerk and president of the Indiana Coalition to End Sexual Assault & Human Trafficking, are each vying for the nomination. 

Wells entered the race in November, while White joined in January. Both are seeking to unseat Republican Attorney General Todd Rokita, who is running for reelection. 

Rokita, whose office has championed socially conservative causes such as the fight against abortion access, is a primary target for state Democrats in 2024. 

What’s happening

Candidates for attorney general and other statewide offices are selected by party conventions rather than a primary election. Republicans have already formally selected Rokita, who ran unopposed at his party’s convention last month. 

Wells said she was asked by several Republicans and Democrats to run against Rokita. She was not expecting a Democratic opponent, she added. 

“Having an opponent has been a valuable experience, pushing me to become a stronger candidate,” Wells said. “I’ve been proud to campaign each day, engaging with delegates and presenting Hoosiers with my history of leadership in both the public and military sectors.”

“Delegates are looking for a new vision to lead their state and party, and I am ready and eager to take up that mantle,” Wells said. 

White told State Affairs that Hoosiers “deserve an attorney general who is focused on helping them and giving them the representation they deserve.”

She acknowledges ideological similarities with Wells but contends she has more experience. “I have been an elected and an appointed official, and I’ve been a lawyer for more than 30 years,” White said, adding that she oversaw more than 100 employees as Marion County clerk. “I have actually governed in my career in a meaningful way,” she said. 

Wells had outraised White by the end of March, ending the month with about $106,000 in her campaign account. White had about $32,000. 

Whoever emerges from the Democratic convention will face a significant cash disadvantage heading into the November general election. Rokita ended March with more than $1.1 million in his campaign account, and he has raised an additional $65,000 in large donations since.

Why it matters

The attorney general’s office represents the state and its agencies in both state and federal court, filing and defending against litigation. It also argues civil and criminal appeals on behalf of Indiana and serves as a watchdog for consumers against predatory business practices. 

The candidate who wins the November election will set the state’s agenda in these matters. 

Rokita was easily elected in 2020, defeating Democrat Jonathan Weinzapfel by about 16 percentage points. 

Both Wells and White lost their previous attempts to win statewide office. 

Secretary of State Diego Morales defeated Wells in 2022 by nearly 14 percentage points, while White’s own bid for secretary of state in 2014 ended in a 17-point loss to Republican Connie Lawson.

Democrats are hoping their candidate can capitalize on Rokita’s clashes with the Indiana Supreme Court, which reprimanded him in November for comments he made about an Indiana doctor who performed an abortion on a 10-year-old rape victim. 

Rokita maintained his comments were “truthful” and called the accusation against him a “failed attempt to derail our work.”

What’s next

Democratic leaders and about 2,000 delegates will gather at the Indiana Convention Center on July 13 to select nominees for attorney general and lieutenant governor. 

The latter race is expected to carry less drama than the former, as former state Rep. Terry Goodin was already named the preferred lieutenant governor candidate by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jennifer McCormick. 

Either White or Wells can win the attorney general nomination with a simple majority vote. 

Contact Rory Appleton on X at @roryehappleton or email him at [email protected].