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> IN governors races heating up
Southsider2k12
post Nov 21 2011, 09:11 AM
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http://www.journalgazette.net/article/2011...9929/-1/LOCAL11

QUOTE
Governor’s race to heat up
Businessman, reality TV star seek to spoil apparent Pence-Gregg face-off

Niki Kelly | The Journal Gazette
GOP gubernatorial hopeful Rep. Mike Pence, R-6th, visits the Charles A. Tindley Accelerated School in Indianapolis.
Courtesy photo
Democratic gubernatorial hopeful John Gregg, a former House speaker, meets with potential supporters.

INDIANAPOLIS – With municipal races in the books, the battle gaining attention now is the 2012 governor’s contest – which features two political heavyweights, an underdog executive and an eccentric reality show survivor.

“Right now, the talk on the street is that both parties have candidates they can really get behind,” said Andy Downs, director of the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics at IPFW.

It’s tempting to jump right to the featured bout – a general election contest between Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Pence and Democrat John Gregg, a former House speaker.

They both have political experience and fundraising networks and even worked together on a radio show years ago. Pence has a full-time staff of seven with three part-time; Gregg has three full-time and two part-time campaign workers.

But there are two other candidates in the battle who hope to make a dent in their plans – Republican businessman Jim Wallace and Libertarian Rupert Boneham, a former reality show contestant who heads an at-risk youth foundation in Indianapolis.

“We’re definitely ramping up the intensity. Now is the time to push on the issues that we’ve heard a lot about in the last year and a half,” Wallace said. “Our phones, fundraising and volunteers ramped up literally the day after the municipal election.”

Wallace also said he is pragmatic and finds the fact that most people have dismissed his candidacy almost amusing.

“It’s not any different than I experienced in the military or as an entrepreneur,” Wallace said.

Boneham, meanwhile, got into the race only a few weeks ago and is just now building a campaign organization and profile.

Pence said his campaign is hitting its stride.

“We ramped up in June, so our activity level won’t dramatically change,” he said. “We’ve pretty much been spending every waking hour that Congress doesn’t demand of me back in the Hoosier State.”

No specifics

Gregg, an attorney, filed to run in August but officially kicked off his campaign Nov. 12. He has spent the last week visiting churches, eating fried chicken and touring businesses around the state.

“We’re doing a lot of listening,” he said of his travels. “We remind Hoosiers that the good ideas don’t have to come from Washington or Indianapolis. They come at a basketball game or a lunch counter.

“I tell them I’m about ideas, not about ideology. I’m not a career politician.”

Downs said he doesn’t think Pence will have any trouble in the Republican primary, though if he must exert effort to get the nomination that will work in Gregg’s favor.

One similarity of both the Pence and Gregg campaigns, so far, is they aren’t talking policy specifics.

Political experts said it could conceivably be July before the candidates start laying out proposals rather than generic statements.

“It’s like begging for abuse,” said Robert Dion, associate professor of political science at the University of Evansville. “You’re just asking for someone to pick you apart. You roll things out slowly. You don’t want to come out with a rigid program this early.”

Underdog Wallace doesn’t mind talking ideas, noting he has a list of 500 smaller infrastructure projects he feels are blocking economic development around the state. For instance, fixing a sewer system in Greensburg would allow Honda to grow, or finishing a road extension in Portland would allow better access to an industrial park.

He proposes using about $500 million of the state’s surplus on those projects to spur immediate job growth.

Wallace also would like to encourage unemployed Hoosiers to take lower-paying jobs by providing a portion of unemployment compensation to make up the difference.

Boneham is advocating the phase-out of income and property taxes and an eventual move to relying solely on Indiana sales tax.

Campaign cash

The 2004 governor’s race between Republican Mitch Daniels and then-Gov. Joe Kernan broke records with $31.4 million in contributions. The money financed an unparalleled TV ad strategy, with Daniels hitting the airwaves in January and never letting up.

In the July campaign finance reports, Pence reported raising $1.6 million. Since then, he has banked at least an additional $400,000 in large donations.

Gregg didn’t file a July report because he wasn’t yet an official candidate. Since then, he has reported almost $100,000 in large contributions.

Wallace reported almost $1 million raised in July, though the majority of that was a loan from himself.

Rupert has not yet reported any fundraising information.

“I don’t have Washington, D.C., connections so I’m sure we’re going to be outraised,” Gregg said. “But we’re campaigning the old-fashioned way. We will have enough money to define ourselves.”

Ironically, former President Bill Clinton headlined a small fundraiser for Gregg last week.

“This is going to be a high-dollar race,” Dion said. “I think they could exceed 2004.”

He noted that Gregg might have an advantage over the 2008 Democrat on the ticket – Jill Long Thompson – because a cascade of Democratic dollars likely won’t be leaving the state this year for President Obama.

Everyone in the race seems a bit mystified by Boneham’s entry. While major party candidates can usually discount Libertarians, Boneham comes with higher name recognition than usual because of his reality TV résumé.

“I’m tempted to dismiss him as a novelty candidate, but you never know what could happen,” said Dion, noting Jesse Ventura’s highly improbable gubernatorial victory in Minnesota. “What remains is the degree to which he can shape the outcome. In Indiana, a greater portion of the Libertarian vote comes from Republicans.”

Gregg agreed, saying having a Libertarian on the ballot historically helps Democrats. He also noted Rupert’s profile and personality as positive attributes.

Pence sidestepped any discussion of Rupert’s effect on the race.

“I’ll leave that to the political pundits” he said, adding he welcomed any willing man or woman into the race.

Wallace is the only one to be slightly critical of the Libertarian candidate, saying he fears that fringe candidates don’t have the skill set to run a state with a $13 billion annual budget.

Boneham disagreed.

“My opponents have some political experience, but I don’t know if that’s an asset or not,” he said. “I want to take both Republican and Democrat votes because I want to be the next Indiana governor.”

nkelly@jg.net
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Southsider2k12
post Jan 19 2012, 10:22 AM
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http://www.ibj.com/pence-dominating-money-...S/article/32035

QUOTE
Republican Rep. Mike Pence is dominating the money race for the Indiana governor's office.

Campaign finance numbers released Wednesday show Pence raised $5 million last year and has $3.7 million in the bank. Former Democratic Indiana House Speaker John Gregg has raised $1.7 million so far and banked $1.2 million.

Pence's strong fundraising puts him well ahead of a pack of candidates running to replace Gov. Mitch Daniels in November. Daniels is term-limited against running for re-election.

Fishers businessman Jim Wallace said he raised more $1 million last year and has $800,000 in the bank. Almost all of that came from money he has lent his campaign.

Libertarian candidate and "Survivor" star Rupert Boneham's campaign manager said he raised $16,000 and has more than $4,000 in the bank.
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