The Indiana Democratic Party has formally nominated former state representatives Terry Goodin and Destiny Wells, along with gubernatorial candidate Jennifer McCormick, to face off against the Indiana Republican Party in the November election.
In a fiercely contested Indiana Democratic Party convention attended by nearly 2,000 people from across the state on Saturday, Goodin handily won the party’s nomination as McCormick’s running mate, receiving 1,209 votes. No other candidate for lieutenant governor received more than 175 votes. Goodin’s Republican counterpart is Micah Beckwith.
“For a great state like Indiana, it’s not enough to just get along,” Goodin said. “Indiana can do better.”
Wells and Beth White’s race for the Democratic nomination for Attorney General against incumbent Todd Rokita was fierce. Wells won the Democratic nomination with 1,057 votes, beating White, who received 475 delegate votes.
“I am honored to continue my path to attorney general,” Wells said after the vote. “Now it’s up to each and every one of us.”
Wells said he plans to “sprint” from tomorrow through November to appeal to a bipartisan voter base.
“Vote your votes,” Wells said after his win.
more:Democrats are hoping to defeat Todd Rokita in November. Could a close state attorney general race hurt their chances?
Voting began around 5 p.m. at the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis and lasted for more than two hours.
The results were not tallied until after 7:30 p.m. Delegates were still voting when news broke that former President Donald Trump had been escorted off the stage at a rally in Pennsylvania, bloody from his ears, in what was being investigated as an assassination attempt. Convention chair Robin Winston urged delegates to maintain order, saying “violence has no place in American politics.”
“This is wrong,” Winston said. “We shouldn’t run elections like that. We’re not a Third World country.”
more:Donald Trump jumped off the stage at a rally and appeared injured, with blood on his face.
Although the race for lieutenant governor was technically contested, it was clear even before the convention began that Goodin had the overwhelming support he needed to secure the formal nomination (also running in the race were Bob Kahn, Cliff Marsilio and Tammy Dixon Tatum).
State Senator J.D. Ford gave a speech formally nominating Goodin for lieutenant governor, signaling to delegates that the party was united behind McCormick’s selection, despite Goodin having come under fire from Ford and other Democrats for his past votes against LGBTQ+ rights and abortion. Ford is the first openly LGBTQ+ member elected to the Indiana General Assembly.
Ford said Goodin was “committed to being a force for progress and justice.”
“I know Dr. Goodin is up to the task,” Ford said. “I’ve spoken to him personally. We’re talking about real work, not the dangerous fantasy world that Micah Beckwith inhabits.”
The real battle on Saturday was the Attorney General election.
Before the vote, White said he was “cautiously optimistic” about his chances of being elected. After a brief speech to the Indiana African American Legislative Caucus, people chanted White’s name, while Wells received muted applause from the group.
“I’ve called all of our representatives individually,” White said. “Personal interactions make a difference. Now it’s up to them.”
Meanwhile, Wells’ campaign has framed the attorney general race as a battle between the Democratic Party’s past and future.
Two rising stars in the Indiana Democratic Party, Indianapolis State Sen. Andrea Hanley and Terry Haut Mayor Brandon Sakbun, nominated Wells and spoke on her behalf.
“Both of our candidates are incredibly strong women,” Hanley said. “It’s not about which one I like better. It’s much more important than that. Today is about a shared vision, a shared strategic vision for the future of the Indiana Democratic Party.”
Meanwhile, former state Rep. Vi Simpson, who served in the state House from 1984 to 2012, and three-term Boonville Mayor Charlie Wyatt nominated White.
“It’s time to get this MAGA-loving ambulance chaser out of office,” Simpson said of Rokita, adding, “I think I know the best person for the job. … She will lead with integrity and fairness and bring her years of experience to restore trust in the office.”
After Wells was selected as the Democratic nominee, Rokita adviser Brent Littlefield released a statement calling Wells a “cheerleader for the Biden-Harris agenda.”
“Destiny Wells was rejected by Indiana voters less than 24 months ago because of her radical and extreme views,” Littlefield said in a statement.
more:For Indiana Democrats, every year has been a rebuilding year lately.
State Democratic Party Chairman Mike Schmuhl called for Democrats to come together after the convention to defeat what he called “MAGA front-runners” in November.
“We need to stop them,” Schmuhl said. “I think we can do that if we work together. You can’t get that far to the right before it starts to crack from within. … Let’s get behind all of our candidates and come together, OK? Let’s take on the Republicans.”
But Schmuhl suggested they have a tough road ahead: Democrats haven’t won a statewide election since 2012, and there is disagreement within the party about the path to do so again.
“I know it’s not easy at times to be a Democrat in our state, but I truly believe our brightest days are yet to come,” Schmuhl said.
