Democrats hope for a strong midterm election

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GREENFIELD — Indiana Democratic candidates say as they’ve stepped up to run for key races in a mostly conservative state, they hope voters come out to the polls this November and push the party forward.

Several Democrats running for local, state and national positions spoke to a crowd of about 60 people at Hancock County’s annual Jefferson Jackson dinner Saturday in downtown Greenfield. They discussed affordable health care, qualms about the Trump administration and how to advance the party.

Randy Johnson, chair of the Hancock County Democratic Party, said the county party has been gaining participation at monthly meetings and in the number of volunteers assisting candidates and working on behalf of Democrats at fairs, festivals, parades and other community initiatives.

One of the candidates who spoke at the dinner, Jeannine Lee Lake, is running against Greg Pence for Indiana’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. She wants Indiana Democrats to get past their differences and come together for this midterm election. Two of the state’s nine U.S representatives are Democrats, and Sen. Joe Donnelly is in a tight race with Republican Mike Braun for U.S. Senate.

Lake said she decided to run following a series of conversations she had with her daughter about President Donald Trump. After hearing Trump’s various controversial comments about minorities and women, Lake said her daughter asked her if the president hates them because they’re black women.

The keynote speaker at Saturday’s Hancock County Democratic Party’s Jefferson Jackson Dinner, Bill Groth, talks about his passion for political activism. (Ben Middelkamp | Daily Reporter)
The keynote speaker at Saturday’s Hancock County Democratic Party’s Jefferson Jackson Dinner, Bill Groth, talks about his passion for political activism. (Ben Middelkamp | Daily Reporter)
Pictured: Democrat Jeannine Lee Lake is running against Greg Pence for Indiana’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. She spoke about her campaign at the Hancock County Democratic Party’s Jefferson Jackson dinner on Saturday. Ben Middelkamp | Daily Reporter
Pictured: Democrat Jeannine Lee Lake is running against Greg Pence for Indiana’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. She spoke about her campaign at the Hancock County Democratic Party’s Jefferson Jackson dinner on Saturday. Ben Middelkamp | Daily Reporter

“I told her, ‘You know what sweetie, the Bible says no man knows the heart but God,” Lake said, adding that according to the Bible, she is made in the image of God and shouldn’t need to question her identity because of what someone says.

Lake, a resident of Muncie and a 30-year veteran in journalism, said she wanted to make a difference on the national level and help Democrats flip the House this November and make a push to impeach Trump.

“Nothing will give me the pleasure of standing there in the House of Representatives and being able to be a part of and initiating the articles of impeachment,” she said. “We are at a time and it has to be done.”

Nancy Tibbett, a candidate for Indiana House District 53, Poonam Gill, who’s running for Indiana House District 88. and the Democratic candidate for Indiana auditor, Joselyn Whitticker, also spoke at the dinner.

Gill is running against Indiana Speaker of the House Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis. Gill, who’s an engineer and mother of three young children, said not many Democrats chose to run for the seat that represents parts of Marion, Hamilton and Hancock counties.

“Instead of waiting for someone else,” she said. “I was going to step up and run for office.”

Gill, whose parents immigrated to the United States from India, said she’s been encouraged by Hancock County voters through her door knocking campaign. She said some lifelong Republican candidates said they plan to vote for her since Republican candidates for the district have never knocked on their doors.

Whitticker formerly served on the City of Marion’s Common Council. She encouraged the Democrats in the room to tell their neighbors about the party’s candidates and about their values. She wants to give a different perspective to Statehouse discussions and keep the Republicans in power accountable.

“Silence is not consent,” she said. “We can no longer consent to being invisible.”

Tibbett will run another time against Rep. Bob Cherry, R-Greenfield, and has a background in advocacy.

The keynote speaker at the dinner was Bill Groth, the Indiana Democratic Party’s 2018 Activist of the Year. He said the political climate in Indiana is changing, with more Democrats stepping up and getting involved, especially after the election of Trump.

Groth has been a strong proponent of state redistricting to avoid gerrymandering and of restructuring election laws. Referencing Indiana voter turnout in the 2014 midterm election being the lowest in the U.S, Groth said he’s worked to expand early voting centers and argued against Indiana’s voter ID law.

The 2018 and 2020 elections are not just important for Democrats, but the entire country, Groth said.

“In the remaining days before this election, let’s all go out and re-double our efforts, knock on doors and do whatever we can to elect” all Democratic candidates, he said. “Let’s use this midterm election to send a resounding message to Republicans and the country that we’ve had it with their divisiveness.”