Hoosiers have several options to choose from for next governor of Indiana
The Tribune is partnering with the League of Women Voters of the South Bend Area and the American Democracy Project of Indiana University South Bend to publish candidates' answers to questions on the issues. The League, with local help from the ADP, operates Vote411.org, a website with information about the candidates and their positions on key issues.
The Tribune has agreed to run candidate answers unedited, meaning any spelling, typographical or grammatical errors are the candidates' own. If there is no photo of a candidate, it's because the candidate did not provide one. The Tribune is publishing only some of the questions from contested races. Additional questions and answers, including from candidates who have no opponent in the primary, are available at Vote411.org.
Six Republican candidates seek the Republican nomination for Indiana governor. Whichever one wins will face lone Democratic candidate Jennifer McCormick, the former state superintendent of education, in the fall. As McCormick is unopposed in the primary, her answers will appear in The Tribune this fall. They already appear at Vote411.org.
U.S. Senator Mike Braun, former Indiana Commerce Secretary Brad Chambers and Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch are all Republican candidates who have not responded to the Vote411 questionnaire by The Tribune's publication deadline.
Eric DodenCampaign phone: 260-245-1733Campaign email: contact@dodenforindiana.comWebsite: dodenforindiana.comFacebook: facebook.com/DodenForIndianaX (Twitter): @DodenForIndianaEducation: BA Hillsdale College, JD Valparaiso University School of Law
Curtis HillWebsite: Curtishill.com
Jamie ReitenourCampaign email: admin@jamie4ingov.comWebsite: jamie4ingov.comFacebook: facebook.com/jamie4ingovX (Twitter): @jamie4ingovEducation: Southwest Missouri State University
What is your top priority as governor, and what steps would you take to achieve it?
Eric Doden: As governor, my highest priority is to fight for the rural Hoosier communities politicians have ignored. We can’t be a state where only three or four counties are thriving, we must be a state where all 92 counties are thriving. My Indiana Main Street Initiative gives Indiana an economic development plan and playbook for the 2.7 million Hoosiers who live in small towns. We will reclaim our historic downtowns, restore community pride, enhance small business formation, and stimulate economic and population growth for small-town Indiana. I am dedicated to governing by the small town values that career politicians have failed to remember, and I pledge to be a conservative champion for small towns across the state.
Curtis Hill: My number one priority is ending the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. I will use an executive order on day one to end this and restore fairness to all institutions. We must reward excellence and pick the best person for every role. I will not play into identity politics.
Jamie Reitenhour: Overhaul public education by getting back to academic basics, removing DEI and SEL, removing technology from K-5, introducing technology in 6th grade with input from private sector, a renewed focus on trades classes for 7th-8th graders, providing vision for high school, where their path prepares them toward their college, career, or calling, and apprenticeships for all seniors. Elevating teachers' experience and feedback through school and district climate audits. Improving student outcomes with assessments, monitoring, and early interventions. Grouping students by ability to ensure they achieve their best. Rewarding teachers for meeting improvement plan goals. An education plan and system headed by a career successful teacher.
What changes do you have for changes in Indiana tax law?
Eric Doden: Indiana tax law provides a great opportunity to work with the legislative body and create change Hoosiers can feel in their pocketbooks. The American Dream seems out of reach for many Hoosiers as they struggle to pay for everyday expenses and high property taxes. I plan to work closely with the legislature to build a statewide plan that brings down these high tax rates and caps property taxes for seniors. I support a tiered approach to property taxes that allows Hoosiers who are over 65 to receive relief and stay in their homes by capping the amount their property taxes can increase each year. As governor, I will not leave Hoosiers with promises that can’t be kept, but commit instead to working with the General Assembly to lower taxes.
Curtis Hill: We must return the gas tax to pre 2018 levels. Big government Republicans pushed this through and it hurts the average Hoosier. Reducing this tax would also help farmers who have to operate heavy machinery on a regular basis. This is a sensible and achievable goal, not a gimmick.
Jamie Reitenhour: I support reduction of wasteful and excessive spending to reduce taxes. 1) Eliminate property tax for Indiana homesteads, to be worked toward in phases: First, eliminating property tax for senior citizens’ homesteads; their fixed incomes can’t keep up with assessment increases. Second, homestead assessed values that are fixed upon purchase. I’ll coordinate with all 92 counties (and their taxing units) about their base taxes, referendum taxes, budget efficiency, and how their spending has changed with rapid increases over recent years. 2) In the meantime, I will consider specified holidays on consumption taxes, like gas tax and sales tax, to offer immediate price relief to Hoosier families. 3) Income tax reduction, as goals are met.
How will you improve the management of Medicaid and Medicare funding to ensure adequate health care coverage for these recipients?
Eric Doden: First, we need to avoid errors like the billion-dollar budget projection deficit revealed last legislative session. That starts with leadership in the governor’s office and in our state agencies. I’m the only candidate in this race on the record saying each agency head will be required to reapply for their job. For Indiana’s Medicaid and Medicare programs specifically, management of these programs is a vital part of the state’s overall budget along with education, transportation, infrastructure, and public safety. That means working with the General Assembly to live within our means and bring these programs out of their projected deficits, making sure able-bodied people are working, and preserving access for the most vulnerable Hoosiers.
Curtis Hill: I will always protect seniors and low-income Hoosiers. Funding healthcare is important, including attracting qualified medical professionals to Indiana to provide world class care. My economic plan addresses this through targeted tax breaks.
Jamie Reitenhour: Indiana needs able bodies to work and the private sector and churches to step in to meet more of the needs that the government is meeting poorly. We need mentoring programs in the private sector and job fairs across the State to encourage the already-established Hoosier way, we work hard for what we have… in the meantime, each program will have to be evaluated on the basis of its Constitutionality, the need of Hoosiers, and the Hoosier majority view of smaller government and less taxes.
Do you support or oppose current Indiana laws on abortion?
Eric Doden: As a husband, father, and faithful Christian, I am 100% pro-life. For me, being pro-life is a human rights issue: it means being pro-mother, pro-child, and pro-family. In the office of governor, I will be a champion for life by supporting legislation and policies that protect unborn children and mothers. Our Zero-Cost Adoption Plan will lead the way in ensuring mothers who choose life and families who choose adoptions receive the support they need to provide safe and loving homes for Hoosier children. Together, we can build a culture of life in Indiana by protecting the vulnerable and making Indiana one of the first states in the nation to provide zero-cost adoption.
Curtis Hill: I support the current law but believe it needs to be properly enforced. We must demand Terminated Pregnancy Reports (TPRs) from the Indiana Department of Health so that only those with truly extraordinary circumstances are using these exceptions. I believe in a culture of life and will fight for it.
Jamie Reitenhour: Abortion laws are laws that have been written based on the outcry of the public in the State of Indiana. I do not believe the laws as they are written were 1) written well, and 2) reflected the Hoosier pro-life voice that has taken to the polls for over a decade and continues to show a consistent majority in the voter base. I will support laws that uphold a culture of life at all stages.
Do you support or oppose the sending of Indiana National Guard troops to the Texas/Mexico border?
Eric Doden: We must hold the line at home against Washington’s immigration crisis. I boldly support the sending of Indiana National Guard troops to the border, along with an increase in border protections and the heavy persecution of drug dealers. Unlike some D.C. politicians, I refuse to cave under liberal pressure and will lead where D.C. has failed to keep drugs and violence out of Indiana. I pledge to give border states the tools they need to keep illegal immigrants out of the United States and stop the flow of drugs and illegal immigrants over our border. Your safety will always come first, and my bold vision for Indiana will protect our borders and restore our communities.
Curtis Hill: I support sending National Guard troops to the border. I publicly called on Governor Holcomb to do just that and days later he did. I will stand up against the crime and drugs coming over our border. I will always put Hoosiers first.
Jamie Reitenhour: I believe that the recent federal policy and the border crisis that it has created are dangerous and offensive to citizens and legal migrants. The Indiana National Guard is an integral part of not just keeping our state ready, but assisting in a ready state within our nation and around the world. I cannot make any specific comment as to what I would do with the National Guard until I hear the debrief on Indiana’s threat level, but in general, I support the lawful security of our state and nation.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Crowded field in Republican primary election for next Indiana governor
