August 28, 2015 at 4:42 p.m.
Indiana Dems get rare good news
Editorial
Indiana Democrats aren’t used to good news.
The party’s been a bit of a mess for some time now.
And when pitted against a Republican state organization that seemed to set the gold standard, the Ds appeared hopelessly out-matched. But that was before Mike Pence.
The state’s current governor seems to have gone out of his way to alienate not only independent voters but many — many — traditional Republicans who just don’t care for the Pence way of doing business.
Whether it’s a perceived bullying with the State Board of Education or high-handedness with other state policy-making entities, the governor hasn’t done himself any favors. The message has been fairly clear: This is a top-down administration. Decisions will be made at the top; those below are to rubberstamp what comes before them.
All of that would make for an unusually vulnerable incumbent.
But before anyone knew it, there were suddenly three Democrats in the mix.
Former House Speaker John Gregg, who narrowly lost to Pence last time around despite what has to be described as a goofy TV advertising campaign, was the frontrunner.
But then Glenda Ritz, superintendent of public instruction and a Pence nemesis, jumped in. Then along came little-known state Sen. Karen Tallian with a bid of her own.
For awhile it looked as if the traditional Hoosier Democratic dysfunction would continue.
Then a couple of things happened. Glenda Ritz dropped out of the race for governor to concentrate on her own re-election. And Sen. Tallian dropped out as well.
The net result: A Pence-Gregg re-match next year.
The outcome is still anyone’s guess. Gov. Pence, though not particularly popular among rank and file Republicans, still commands some party loyalty. And the GOP in Indiana has been significantly more adept at running campaigns than its Democratic counterparts have been.
It also remains to be seen how well John Gregg has learned the lessons of his last campaign.
But the big news is that 2016 will be a genuine contest, and Hoosier Democrats didn’t think they’d be looking forward to that next year. — J.R.
The party’s been a bit of a mess for some time now.
And when pitted against a Republican state organization that seemed to set the gold standard, the Ds appeared hopelessly out-matched. But that was before Mike Pence.
The state’s current governor seems to have gone out of his way to alienate not only independent voters but many — many — traditional Republicans who just don’t care for the Pence way of doing business.
Whether it’s a perceived bullying with the State Board of Education or high-handedness with other state policy-making entities, the governor hasn’t done himself any favors. The message has been fairly clear: This is a top-down administration. Decisions will be made at the top; those below are to rubberstamp what comes before them.
All of that would make for an unusually vulnerable incumbent.
But before anyone knew it, there were suddenly three Democrats in the mix.
Former House Speaker John Gregg, who narrowly lost to Pence last time around despite what has to be described as a goofy TV advertising campaign, was the frontrunner.
But then Glenda Ritz, superintendent of public instruction and a Pence nemesis, jumped in. Then along came little-known state Sen. Karen Tallian with a bid of her own.
For awhile it looked as if the traditional Hoosier Democratic dysfunction would continue.
Then a couple of things happened. Glenda Ritz dropped out of the race for governor to concentrate on her own re-election. And Sen. Tallian dropped out as well.
The net result: A Pence-Gregg re-match next year.
The outcome is still anyone’s guess. Gov. Pence, though not particularly popular among rank and file Republicans, still commands some party loyalty. And the GOP in Indiana has been significantly more adept at running campaigns than its Democratic counterparts have been.
It also remains to be seen how well John Gregg has learned the lessons of his last campaign.
But the big news is that 2016 will be a genuine contest, and Hoosier Democrats didn’t think they’d be looking forward to that next year. — J.R.
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