Group urges Dems, independents to vote in GOP primary
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A key organizer behind a new political campaign said Wednesday that the only way to bring Indiana politics back to the center is to get more people to vote in the Republican primary.
ReCenter Indiana this week launched billboard ads in Merrillville and Evansville declaring “Even Democrats can vote in the Republican primary.”
The group plans another such ad next week for I-465 near Allisonville Road in Indianapolis.
The organization consists of ReCenter Indiana Inc. and a separate political action committee. In an interview with News 8 for Sunday’s “All INdiana Politics,” Don Knabel, presdient of ReCenter Indiana, said the goal is to get Democrats and independents to request Republican primary ballots and vote for more moderate candidates.
In Indiana, party registration is not required to vote in a party’s primary.
“I think we’ve just seen over time our politics becoming more and more polarized, people moving to extreme positions,” he said. “We think about 60% of the state are not extreme in either direction and we’re trying to reach that 60% that we think represents Indiana voters.”
ReCenter Indiana was formed in 2022. State campaign finance data show it has donated to at least three campaigns so far. Democrat Destiny Wells received $20,900 from the group during her unsuccessful bid for secretary of state in 2022. Last year, the group supported two successful candidates for mayor: Republican Sue Finkam in Carmel and Democrat Stephanie Terry in Evansville. Finkam and Terry received $2,500 and $5,000, respectively. ReCenter Indiana endorsed both candidates along with unsuccessful Republican Indianapolis mayor candidate Jefferson Shreve during the 2023 cycle.
Knebel says the group is neither Republican nor Democratic, and is not currently supporting a candidate for governor, though the group might do so later. He says his group is focusing on the Republican primary for now because in every election since 2004, the winner of the Republican primary for governor has gone on to win the general election.
“We’re encouraging people — Democrats, independents, more Republicans — to vote in the primary because that’s the vote that’s really going to count,” he said.
The effort has drawn criticism from some Republicans.
Indiana Republican Party spokesperson Griffin Reid told News 8 in a statement, “It is unfortunate that Democrats in Indiana can’t win elections on the merit of their own policies so they have to resort to antics like this.”
Republican candidate for governor Curtis Hill said, “This is just another attempt by the political establishment to silence the voices of hardworking Hoosiers who are hungry for proven conservative leadership.”
The campaigns for Mike Braun, Suzanne Crouch and Eric Doden all declined to comment on ReCenter Indiana’s campaign, while Brad Chambers’ campaign said it’s focused solely on Republican voters.
Knebel says ReCenter Indiana is launching a social media campaign along with its billboard ads. He says the group might add another billboard in Fort Wayne.
Early voting is underway. The primary election will be May 7.
“All INdiana Politics” airs at 9:30 a.m. Sunday on WISH-TV.