EDITOR'S NOTE:  This article is part three of a three part series based on sit downs with candidates from all three political parties. This article features the democratic slate, stories featuring the Libertarian candidates and Micah Beckwith can be found online. The Ball State Daily News and NewsLink Indiana reached out to the Republican Party of Indiana and various contacts related to Mike Braun for Indiana and Mike Braun for Senate teams. After working for nearly two months to get in touch with Braun, he ultimately rejected the opportunity to interview with the Ball State Daily News and NewsLink Indiana. His team said he would be unavailable due to a “busy schedule.”

The upcoming gubernatorial race has been one of much anticipation for Hoosiers, largely due to the close nature of the election. Recent polls from Activote, a nonpartisan political education app, show the Republican Party only has an eight-point lead over the other candidates — a closer margin than the last election cycle in 2020. 

The Ball State Daily News and NewsLink Indiana sat down with candidates from all three political parties represented in the race to answer questions on topics facing students and community members that related to their campaign plans, past statements and personal stances.

Jennifer McCormick (D) believes that she is the true representative of the modern Hoosier. Previously holding the State Superintendent of Public Instruction position as a Republican, the Yorktown local and Ball State alumna switched parties after seeing the direction the state was heading politically. 

“So many people come up to me and say, ‘I’m you …  I was a Republican, and I switched parties,’" McCormick said. “For me, it was about values. I am very fiscally conservative, but I also believed in empowering opportunities for people … I also believe in diversity and inclusion and that we are better when we are all together.” 

McCormick is running for governor with her running mate Terry Goodin (D). 

Goodin, a previous representative for District 66, also served as superintendent of Crothersville Community Schools and the USDA’s Indiana state director for rural development, according to a press release from the Indiana Democrats. 

“He will work with farmers; it’s not top down,” McCormick said about Goodin. 

McCormick and Goodin summarized their campaign as one focusing on restoring political balance in the statehouse, reproductive rights, affordable healthcare, the economy and education “across the board.” 

Specifically concerning education, McCormick looks to create a plan of universal pre-K that includes the ages of 0-5 and creates affordable childcare, citing that “a third” of Indiana counties don’t have accessible and affordable childcare. 

According Early Learning Indiana, two-thirds of Indiana counties lack the capacity to provide childcare. 

When addressing K-12 education, specifically high school curriculums and graduation requirements, McCormick puts the importance of “transferable skills,” like exposure to many ideas, class subjects and a “well-balanced curriculum.” 

“I was a teacher and local school superintendent and principal, but I'm also a mom,” McCormick said. “It’s nonsensical. I’m not sure why we would tell kids that bringing down the rigor and exposing them to less is a good thing,” McCormick said, regarding the proposed changes to Indiana high school diplomas that many parents had concerns about. 

McCormick and Goodin have intentions of reinstating abortion access in the state, which was overturned after the passing of Senate Bill (SB) 1 and the overturning of Roe v. Wade. 

“I am the only candidate who has been pregnant, has given birth and is a mom,” McCormick said, “I know firsthand the complexities of pregnancy … I trust women. I trust healthcare providers … The concern is it’s healthcare and we need autonomy to make decisions.” 

According to her website, McCormick’s campaign has intentions to “examine all potential paths to a constitutional amendment that restores access to abortion services,” “appoint Indiana Supreme Court justices who believe in upholding reproductive rights and freedoms,” protect IVF care and “work to provide statewide access to maternal health services, addressing our state’s 25 counties deemed 'maternity care deserts' while understanding 30 percent of our counties are without an OB-GYN.” 

McCormick has also boasted of her campaign’s “common sense cannabis legalization plan,” which would include a path to medical usage with an eventual path to legalization for adult recreational use. It would also include the creation of a cannabis commission, citing the employment and revenue increases it would bring to the state. 

“It's already in Indiana. A lot of people are going to Illinois or Ohio to get it … We want to look at states who did it well and states who struggled and get the best of the best and go into adult use eventually,” McCormick said. 

One of the ways the McCormick and Goodin ticket plan to tackle agriculture is through environmental protections and sustainable energy. 

According to the McCormick and Goodin campaign website, they plan to “create an Office of Environmental Justice,” “create an overall water management plan,” “promote policies that protect our wetlands, water, air, soil, recreational forests and wildlife,"  “join the bipartisan group of governors in the U.S. Climate Alliance," and “uphold protections on the ownership and stewardship of our farmland against foreign adversaries.” 

“I grew up taking care of your water and your air and your soil conservation … you do your cover crops … so making sure we are doing our due diligence,” McCormick said, referring to her experience growing up with a father who was a farmer. “That's where our lieutenant governor comes in … But the first part of it is acknowledging [the climate crisis].” 

All three candidates for governor will meet for a debate hosted by the nonpartisan Indiana Debate Commission Oct. 24, which will be televised by WFYI.

Contact Olivia Ground via email at olivia.ground@bsu.edu.

NewsLink Indiana Members Abby Urban, Gavin Smith, Brooke Follrad and Sophie Schick contributed to this article. 

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