Ex.-gov. candidates, others seek national debt fix

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - A group of Indiana political and business leaders are joining a national effort to pressure Washington to find a long-term debt fix.

Former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jim Schellinger and Monarch Beverage CEO Phil Terry are heading Fix the Debt Indiana. The two said Thursday that Indiana could lose as many as 24,000 jobs if cuts via federal sequestration hit the state.

The group is affiliated with the national campaign former Wyoming Sen. Alan Simpson and former Clinton White House aide Erskine Bowles are leading. The national campaign is seeking bipartisan agreement on spending cuts across the board.

Former Republican gubernatorial nominee John Mutz and Indiana House Ways and Means Chairman Tim Brown have joined the group along with other leaders including Indiana Manufacturing Association President Pat Kiely.