3rd Democrat joining Indiana governor’s race with GOP backer
INDIANAPOLIS
(AP) — A Democratic state senator formally entered the Indiana
governor’s race Tuesday with the state’s Republican schools chief by his
side.
First-term state Sen. Eddie Melton announced his campaign
before several dozen supporters in his northwestern Indiana hometown of
Gary. Melton is the third Democrat to enter the race for the party’s
nomination to challenge Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb in next year’s election.
Republican
state schools Superintendent Jennifer McCormick introduced Melton as a
great legislator who reached out to her in bipartisanship to discuss
education issues. McCormick drew a rebuke from top Republicans when she
joined Melton at several public meetings over the summer as he considered entering the governor’s race.
Melton
maintains that the Republican-led state government hasn’t adequately
tackled issues such as improving education funding, teacher pay, health
care access and economic growth and increasing the state’s minimum wage.
“A
lot of people in the state of Indiana feel that state government is not
paying attention, is not focusing on issues that concern them and
matter to them the most,” Melton told The Associated Press ahead of his
announcement. “These are things that people across the board feel, that
we as a state are not being responsive enough.”
Holcomb has a big
front-runner advantage while he seeks re-election, with at least $6
million in his campaign account and Republicans holding every statewide
elected offices and supermajorities in both chambers of the Legislature.
Holcomb has touted what he says are record hiring commitments from
businesses since he took office in 2017 and investments in numerous
infrastructure projects that were made while managing to protect the
state’s top-level credit rating and $2 billion surplus.
Melton,
38, was appointed to the state Board of Education in 2015 by then-Gov.
Mike Pence and was elected to the state Senate the following year.
He
has become the point person for Senate Democrats on education issues,
pushing a plan during this year’s legislative session that sought to
guarantee a minimum 5% pay raise for teachers by reducing state funding
for vouchers for students to attend private schools, eliminating
proposed funding increases for charter schools and stretching out state
payments toward a teacher pension fund.
The proposal was rejected
by the Republican-dominated Senate, which backed a new state budget that
boosts base school spending by 2.5% in each of the next two years.
McCormick’s
participation with Melton lays bare her split from Holcomb and GOP
legislative leaders since she was elected to be state schools
superintendent in 2016 with Republican Party support. She has disagreed
with Republicans legislators on issues including the use of standardized
testing to rate schools and teachers, and her support for increased
scrutiny of charter and voucher schools that receive state money.
State
GOP Chairman Kyle Hupfer, who is Holcomb’s campaign manager, blasted
McCormick in July as “auditioning” for the Democratic lieutenant
governor nomination and questioning whether she is still a Republican.
McCormick said in a recent interview that such reaction was “comical” and “disappointing.”
“We
see all that happening at the federal level, where it is so polarizing
that it’s disgusting,” she told The Associated Press. “I was hoping at
the Indiana level, the state level, that we could at least be a model to
show that you can come together in thought and come together and reach
across the aisle in support.”
Holcomb wouldn’t discuss on Tuesday what he called the Democrats’ “intramural competition,” or the split with McCormick.
“Her decisions are her decisions alone,” Holcomb said. “I’m going to continue to do my job. One that I enjoy.”
Also seeking the Democratic nomination are Woody Myers, a 65-year-old health care business executive and former state health commissioner, and 34-year-old tech business executive Josh Owens.
Myers
and Melton are black, and if either is nominated, he would be the first
African American on the Democratic or Republican ticket for Indiana
governor or lieutenant governor. Owens is trying to become the first
openly gay gubernatorial nominee.
Indiana Democratic leaders for
many years have worked to avoid primary contests for statewide races,
seeking to maintain party unity and preserve campaign cash for the
November elections.
Democratic state Rep. Robin Shackleford of
Indianapolis, who chairs the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus, said that
although that group is endorsing Melton, she doesn’t think a contested
primary would divide African Americans or other Democrats.
“I
don’t think this race will create any more controversy within the party
just because we have three qualified candidates there,” she said.
“Whoever comes out and wins, I don’t think it’s going to leave a tear
between the Democrats.”