MUNCIE — Jeannine Lee Lake has been running a different kind of political campaign this year.
It’s not just different because Lake, the Democratic nominee for Indiana’s 6th Congressional District, is the only Black woman running for federal-level office in Indiana.
It’s also different from her previous campaign for the office two years ago. Amid the coronavirus pandemic and a reckoning with race relations, the majority of Lake’s in-person interactions with voters this year have been at protests.
“I have been invited to protests all the way from down south by the Ohio River to Randolph County,” Lake said, referring to the sprawling congressional district now represented the man she is challenging, Greg Pence. (The 6th District, which includes Hancock County, extends from her hometown of Muncie nearly to the Ohio River.)
Lake, who also ran for the seat two years ago, said she has been heartened to see the number of peaceful protests that have been held in the 6th District in response to the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and broader issues of police violence and racism. She has attended about 12 protests, most of them organized by white people. The events have made her more optimistic about unity on an issue where she sees multiple sides as a Black person with family members who work in law enforcement.
“You can do two things at the same time,” Lake said, sounding a theme she hopes will resonate with voters. “I support law enforcement officers, but police brutality is wrong.”
In addition to protests, Lake has also been playing host to a series of prayer gatherings in cities throughout the district, meeting with faith leaders and other members of the public. One such event was scheduled Saturday, July 18, in downtown Greenfield.
An Indiana native and Ball State University graduate, Lake has previously worked as a journalist in Muncie and owned the local Grandma Betty’s Ice Cream Shop. She now publishes The Good News, a publication focused on covering religious topics and minority communities in Muncie.
Lake garnered only about a third of the vote against Pence’s well-financed campaign in 2018. The incumbent figures to be a heavy favorite again in November. Libertarian Tom Ferkinhoff, an accountant from Wayne County, also will be on the ballot, as he was in 2018.
Though the 6th District is heavily Republican, Lake believes many of the concerns her campaign is speaking to are shared by voters regardless of party. Despite her loss in 2018, she believes the political climate has changed enough that she has a chance of winning this year.
“They were concerns in 2018, but there’s a greater sense of urgency during a pandemic,” she said.
She also criticized the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, saying it has offered Americans insufficient health and economic protection.
“Courageous, calm, and compassionate leadership could have made a difference,” she said.
Lake’s Christian faith is important to her. Kathy Haltom, a friend of Lake’s family, met her at church when she was a child, and the two have remained close.
“I always told her she could do anything she wanted to, and she has,” Haltom said.
Haltom said Lake has always had a strong personality and an interest in making the world a better place, which makes politics a good fit for her.
“She cares about this country, and people,” Haltom said. “I think she’d be very attentive to her job and fight for the right things.”
Andrea Yovanovich, a McCordsville resident, met Lake at a Democratic Party dinner during her first campaign for the House of Representatives two years ago. Yovanovich was impressed by Lake’s knowledge and passion and they became friends. Yovanovich said she was excited to see Lake running again.
“She reaches out and speaks to everyone in the district, even those that don’t align with her,” Yovanovich said.
Lake emphasized that she arrives at her positions independently and doesn’t always toe the Democratic line. For example, she is a strong supporter of gun rights. But she does take positions more in line with her party on other issues: She said, for example, that she would oppose the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, something Pence has supported. She also supports a federal minimum wage of at least $15 per hour and said she would prioritize spending on infrastructure and education.
She does, however, depart from activists who have advocated reducing the funding and responsibilities of police departments. Instead, she said, budgets should make sure police have the funding to receive training that helps them do their jobs properly and without bias. In that way, her position aligns with the one expressed by Pence.
“We certainly have enough money that we can help police and make a better America,” she said.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”The Lake file ” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Age: 50
Party: Democratic
Office sought: U.S. Representative (District 2)
Political experience: Ran for House of Representatives in 2018
Family: Husband Aaron, four children, two grandchildren
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