By Whitney Downard
Indiana Capital Chronicle
In a showdown between the old guard and the younger faction of Hoosier Democrats, party delegates chose Destiny Wells as their nominee for attorney general in a 1,067-475 vote while also easily nominating former state lawmaker Terry Goodin for lieutenant governor.
Wells enlisted in the Army National Guard at 19, working her way up to lieutenant colonel, and attracted party members seeking to take a new direction while White, a longtime politico currently leading the Indiana Coalition to End Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking, had steadfast support from traditionalist Democrats.
“I think this was the conclusion of that rebuilding,” Wells said about the party. “This vote was about moving into the future and folks seeing younger candidates and saying,’ Let’s give them a chance.’”
Wells will face Republican nominee Todd Rokita in November. A statement from Rokita campaign advisor Brent Littlefield sought to tie Wells to President Joe Biden.
“… Wells cheerleads for the Biden-Harris agenda of dangerous open borders, job-killing inflation that puts less money in Hoosiers’ pockets and moves to force girls to accept boys in their locker rooms and sports teams,” Littlefield said. “Hoosiers oppose this radical and extreme agenda.”
Meanwhile, Goodin easily beat back challenges from Tammie Dixon-Tatum, Bob Kern and Clif Marsiglio, winning 1,209 votes — compared to 162 for Dixon-Tatum, nine for Kern and 145 for Marsiglio. Goodin had the support of Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jennifer McCormick but was criticized for his conservative voting history on abortion access and gay marriage.
News of an attack on former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania disrupted proceedings Saturday, with Democrats repeatedly denouncing the incident and sharing their prayers.
“There is no room for violence in our political discourse,” McCormick said.
The McCormick-Goodin ticket will face U.S. Sen. Mike Braun and conservative Noblesville pastor Micah Beckwith in the fall. In the Republican nomination last month, party delegates spurred the establishment choice put forth by Braun in favor of Beckwith, a self-described “Christian nationalist.”
Before the shooting, Indiana Democratic Party Chair Mike Schmuhl denounced the Republican ticket from Trump down to U.S. Rep. Jim Banks, who is running for the U.S. Senate — calling them the “MAGA starting lineup.”
“I tell people all across our state that this is the most extreme ticket Republicans have ever put forward in our state’s history: Donald Trump, Mike Braun, Micah Beckwith, Jim Banks and Todd Rokita,” Schmuhl said. “They need to go down this November.”
Democrats face tough odds in the November general election. Only GOP nominees have won statewide races in the last 12 years. Party candidates for attorney general and lieutenant governor are filled by a convention vote rather than a primary election.
Additionally, as one of the resolutions adopted by party officials, Indiana Democrats signaled their unflagging support for President Joe Biden’s re-election run — countering headwinds pushing the 81-year-old politician to step aside for a younger candidate.
Focused on running against Republicans
None of the lieutenant governor candidates addressed delegates, but Wells and White gave five-minute speeches — with both heavily focused on the actions of the office’s current inhabitant.
Both specifically denounced Rokita’s actions concerning the conduct of Dr. Caitlin Bernard, an Indianapolis doctor who provided an abortion to a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio. He is the second attorney general to be reprimanded by the Indiana Supreme Court for actions taken while in office.
“The current attorney general is everywhere he is not supposed to be … He is in our doctor’s offices, scaring our health care providers from wanting to even practice here,” Wells said in an appeal to delegates. “Indiana is hungry for changing this office, and Hoosiers aren’t going to tolerate this alerting anymore.”
Wells said her race is the “most flippable” Republican-held attorney general position in the country, a claim she previously pinned on a prediction from Sabato’s Crystal Ball. The well-respected political rating shifted the seat to “leans Republican” earlier this year, citing Rokita’s conduct.
“He doesn’t care about you or about me. He cares about getting himself on TV. He cares about his own political future. He cares about furthering the MAGA agenda in the Statehouse,” White said in her speech. “ … We are better than this Indiana. Todd … does not reflect my values, and I don’t think that it reflects yours.
The first to nominate Goodin was a politician previously rumored to be considering an independent convention run for lieutenant governor: state Sen. J.D. Ford. Notably, Ford is the first and only openly gay politician in the Indiana General Assembly.
Ford spoke highly of Goodin’s credentials, noting that both he and McCormick have extensive classroom and educational experience.
“I know Dr. Goodin is up to doing this job. I have spoken to him personally. And when I say, ‘this job,’ I mean the actual job of a lieutenant governor — and not the dangerous fantasy land that Micah Beckwith lives in,” Ford said. “That’s why I support them … because, unlike the other side, they represent hope and progress.”
In his acceptance speech, Goodin described a complacency under decades of Republican leadership, calling for a change by putting Democrats in charge.
“‘Just getting along’ is not enough for the state of Indiana,” Goodin said. “And Indiana’s better days are ahead of us.”
With the ticket set, both nominees emphasized a desire to get started on the campaign trail, promising more news to come. Election Day is November 5.
