I
was wanting to do this post sooner, but the primary was delayed, even though
there was only one candidate for each of the major parties in the race at one
point leading into the primary. Thus, we have the two candidates and I need to
explain who both of them are while ignoring any of the third party candidates
in the race.
The
incumbent governor of Indiana is Republican Eric Holcomb. He was once the
lieutenant governor under the previous governor, Mike Pounce. (Trump said that
was his vice-president’s name once.) Despite Mike Pounce originally running in
the last Indiana governor race in 2016, when he dropped out and Eric was
allowed to be a late entry into the race as a replacement, Eric wound up
winning the race and became governor as a result.
My
irritation with him came from an ad he did in the 2018 Illinois governor race
where I dubbed him one of the four horsemen. Joining two others governors,
namely Scott Walker and Eric Greitens, he endorsed former Illinois governor
Bruce Rauner and blamed all of the problems that Bruce had on the admittedly
terrible Illinois speaker of the house, Michael Madigan. I was not liking him
as a result.
While
looking up more information about him in preparation for this post, I wind up
learning about a possible Amazon factory scandal that might have happened as he
or people in his administration might have tried to get a factory there in that
state using questionable and possibly illegal means. But that doesn’t seem to
be the case. It seemed like it was covered well, this issue, and there were no
problems that I could make sense of.
I
think that I changed to more neutral feelings towards Eric when covid19 hit
since some of the governors formed an alliance. Eric joined one that was formed
with others from all the states that border Indiana and a few others as well. This
alliance will affect me and what I want to do in politics in the future. The alliance
includes Eric Holcomb, Illinois Democrat J. B. Pritzker, Minnesota Democrat Tim
Walz, Kentucky Democrat Andy Beshear, Wisconsin Democrat Tony Evers, Ohio Republican
Mike DeWine, and Michigan Democrat Gretchen Whitmer. It seems that Eric still
has friendships with other governors on his mind, but now, it is good.
The
fact that he can work with so many Democrats and the replacement to Bruce
Rauner proves that he might not be as bad as I thought that he was. It is also
worth wondering how much of this alliance is just for show as there might not
be too much coordination between these states in the end. But I may not want
Eric out like I used to.
Still,
it is worth noting that there is a Democrat in the race. This man, Woody Myers,
was health commissioner and ran for office, but hasn’t held it yet. I couldn’t
find out that much about him and don’t know if Eric is too bad a leader to need
replaced.
Thus,
surprising me and tons of others, I see no choice but to endorse Eric
Holcomb in this race for office. He isn’t such a terrible leader that he
needs replaced. He has shown to at least me that he is willing to work or at
least seem like he works with members of the other party. I also do plan to
write all of the governors of this alliance a letter at some point and I may
have to owe Eric a bit of an apology. I could turn back to hate him again in
the future, but don’t know yet if I will and can only hope that he doesn’t do
anything I don’t like again, especially before the election this year. Maybe he’ll
even make me actually like him.
