Gubernatorial candidate John Gregg visited Muncie for the Jefferson Jackson Day Dinner on Sept. 17 to speak to prospective voters about his campaign.

Gregg spoke about issues such as higher wages for working-class families in Indiana, education, state infrastructure and rehabilitation for victims of the drug epidemic.

Gregg also answered questions on issues that might relate to college students, such as LGBTQ rights and cyberbullying laws. Gregg said working on LGBTQ rights starts with working on the economy.

"The only way we grow our economy in Indiana is to be a welcoming place, and we can only be a welcoming place if we have civil rights protection for all members of the LGBT community. All Hoosiers deserve it," Gregg said. 

When it came to Indiana's cyberbullying laws, Gregg seemed impressed with the way state police have handled the issues but felt there needed to be improvement in awareness among educators. 

“The Indiana state police really have an excellent cyber task force, and we talk about the need to adequately fund our state police … It’s also [about] teaching awareness — how educators and people in authority can spot this,” he said.

Members of the Muncie community commented on Gregg’s campaign as well.

“[Gregg] doesn’t just want to be governor, he wants to serve the people," Brookville resident Tom Vohland said. "I think too many politicians in office, unfortunately most of them on the [conservative] side, they’ve kind of forgotten … that instead of being a politician, they have to be more of like a statesman."

Vohland is the Chairman of the Franklin County Democratic Party as well as the 6th Congressional District Secretary, and said he believes Gregg would do a satisfactory job serving the people. 

"You know, to really serve the people ... I think John would convey that and I think he would do an excellent job,” Vohland said.

Muncie resident Donna Roberts agreed.

“John Gregg seems like a good candidate for governor for the state of Indiana. I’ve never met him personally, but I believe he’d be a good governor … He seems like he’s for the people, and that makes a difference when you’re for the people,” Roberts said.

After Gregg’s remarks, keynote speaker Evan Bayh got up at the podium. Bayh is a former governor of Indiana as well as a former junior US Senator from Indiana. He is currently campaigning to reclaim his seat in the US Senate.

“If I’m privileged to be your United States senator once again, I’m going to do what I have always done, and that’s fight to preserve social security and Medicare for our senior citizens so they will have a safety net in their golden years that they can rely on. That is the fundamental pledge that we will honor,” Bayh said.

Both the Senate and Indiana gubernatorial elections will take place on Nov. 8.

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