In an effort to better inform voters at the University of Indianapolis’ campus, Editor-in-Chief of “The Reflector” Mia Lehmkuhl sat down with Democratic Candidate for Governor Jennifer McCormick to ask about her stances on popular issues and her plans if she is elected.
United States Senator and Republican Candidate for Governor Mike Braun did not respond to requests for an interview.
Why sit down one-on-one with a student journalist?
“It’s incredibly important that we inform Hoosiers and that they go and inform others. And there’s so much at stake this year from the federal level, from the state level, even the local level, that there is no opportunity here and no room for anyone to sit this out. But I know it’s a matter of getting to that voter and doing everything we can, through social media, through TV, through any interviews we can get to make sure people are informed.”
According to your campaign website, you list “commonsense” plans for Indiana. Why “commonsense?”
“We’ve been without common sense for too long. So when I was at the state house, I served as the last elected state superintendent of public instruction, and when I was there for four years, it was a four-year term, I saw a lot of things that were being done with the absence or the lack of common sense. And so, for me, Indiana prides itself on strong Hoosier values, and one of those is we are common sense oriented, and we just get things done. But we use a lot of what makes sense and what’s practical and what’s reliable in order to do that. So that’s common sense, and it just makes sense that we’re trying to bring that back to the state house.”
A 2022 study from the Indiana Chamber of Commerce found that nearly 40% of Indiana college graduates will move out of state within a year of graduation. Over half will leave within five years. How can Indiana keep and attract younger generations?
“Young people, that’s our biggest export. It really is because, you know, we call it brain drain. We call it a lot of different things. And the goal is to make sure that we have very talented individuals, and we hang on to all of them, but we’ve not talked about it, but we’re not doing anything in order to make that happen. So a lot of it is making sure, being diligent in creating jobs that are good, paying jobs. You have affordable housing, that you have access to healthcare, but you also have costs that you can manage. Then there’s such a bigger piece of the puzzle than just saying, ‘Hey, we’re business friendly’ and assuming everybody’s going to want to stay here, part of it too. What I hear from young people is that they like diversity. They like inclusion. They like people to get along. They don’t like petty infighting. That’s just not who young people are, for the most part. And so making sure that we are creating a state environment in which people want to live here, thrive here, play here, be educated here and work here is incredibly important, but that takes work, and that takes leaders who understand that. You know, a lot of that is our rhetoric, but it’s also our actions.”
How will you make a splash in a state house that has a red supermajority, given that Indiana has not had a Democratic governor in 20 years?
“We’ve never had a female governor, one of the few [states] that’s never had a female governor. We haven’t had a Democratic governor for 20 years, and so it’s time and making sure that we’re doing our due diligence in the responsibility that comes with that, and I’m well aware of that. I was the first female principal in my elementary school. I was one of the few female superintendents in my district. And so I get what that means. … So with that comes a responsibility and to make sure that I’m representing women well, so I take that very, very seriously. But that 20 years has also been an absence of a lot of people’s voices. So making sure that we’re being diligent in working across the aisle, being very open about bipartisanship, which I have, and that’s why we have so many Republicans supporting us and independents, because they like how we’re staying true to the issues that really matter to to Hoosiers, but also making sure that we’re expressing our interest to work with all not just small pockets of people. And we’ve done that during a campaign, and we’ll stay true to that once we get elected.”
In 2016, you ran and won the Indiana superintendent of public instruction election. However, you ran as a Republican and on a GOP platform, earning the endorsement of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and Republican representatives. Now, you run as a Democrat and advocate for the Democratic platform. What changed?
“It’s not about party, it’s about people. And when I was elected in 2016 the Republican Party was very different, and my values didn’t change. The party changed. My values have always been about people, and I told kids for 20 years as an educator that character mattered and that we should take care of each other, and we’re stronger together, and we should embrace diversity and inclusivity, and we’re better when we’re educated, we’re better when we’re healthy. And what I saw at the state house was a party who simply did not get aligned with that. And so, for me, my values didn’t change ….”
How does your background in education correlate with the office of governor?
“We’re over half of the state budget, so we’re expensive, but we’re an investment. So I was in charge of over $9 billion and so I took that very seriously. I’m very fiscally conservative, and I know people work really hard. We don’t waste our money, but education is a huge part of what we do in the state, not just K-12 but post high school. … I mean, our economic developments are based upon that. Our safety and security is based upon education. How we get along with each other is our educational level. I mean, there’s so much at risk. Democracy is about education. So that educational piece is huge, and there’s no one who’s better equipped and suited for that than an educator. And so I look forward to bringing my skills and my passion to that office. Our kids deserve it, and also our economy is dependent upon it.”
How can the governor effectively help to reduce gun violence and work with the state legislature to pass bipartisan gun legislation?
“We have to have mental health, we have to have common sense gun violence prevention laws, which are so welcomed by 80% of Hoosiers. We have to have some common sense approaches to community safety, and that means partnering at the local level trying to pass those common sense gun violence prevention laws. Why are we trying to — my opponent [Sen. Mike Braun] is trying to roll back red flag laws. And red flag laws are simply when someone’s in crisis, you have the ability to go take their weapons so they don’t hurt themselves or hurt someone else. And my opponents like, leave people alone, and I’m like, ‘No, we need to educate people on how to use those wisely.’”
As part of your 2016 campaign, you pointed out an aura of divisiveness plaguing your community. Now, the Pew Research Center reports that there continues to be “wide gaps on cultural issues” among American voters. How will you maintain bipartisan support or unity in an increasingly partisan political environment?
“And so finding that common ground, but being an example of that, being top of the ticket and the leader of the executive branch, we need to have someone who will show that this can be done in Indiana, because we deserve that. As Hoosiers, we deserve if there’s an answer to a problem, let’s find a solution. Who cares who puts it forth? Who cares? The political party. We need the solution so we all are in a state that’s better.”
