The state of the election cycle
Published July 26th, 2024
By Dylan Noble, Activism Director
In the two weeks since the Indiana Democratic Convention, both the state and the country have been rocked with headline after headline of shocking political news. The night of the convention, July 13, was the evening of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. Just a few days later, the RNC began, and not even a week after that came the news that Joe Biden is ending his reelection bid, followed by a record-breaking $100 million raised for Kamala Harris immediately thereafter.
With all of this national news, state and local politics can be easily overshadowed. But here in Indiana, 2024 will see several incredibly consequential state elections. Regardless of whether Harris or Trump wins the presidency in November, there is a good chance that Hoosiers will be much less affected by the federal government versus the state government. State government sets taxes, determines education requirements and policies, allocates funds and resources to the roads, decides what local governments can and can’t do, and much more. If you live in Indiana, these things will likely affect you far more than whatever Congress or the President does in the next four years.
This is why it is important to pay attention to what is going on with state elections, and most importantly, to vote and to get involved with these races. But what is the state of the cycle right now?
Firstly; at the Indiana Democratic Convention, candidates for Attorney General and Lieutenant Governor were voted on. In Indiana, state parties choose their candidates for those offices, not primary voters. Terry Goodin, a former Democratic state representative from southern Indiana, was chosen to be Jennifer McCormick’s Lt. Governor candidate; and Destiny Wells, 2022 candidate for Indiana Secretary of State, was nominated as Attorney General candidate. Goodin handily defeated Tamie Dixon-Tatum, Clif Marsiglio, and Bob Kerns for the nomination, and Wells defeated Beth White by a large margin as well.
Controversy has surrounded the selection of Goodin, as he has a legislative track record of voting against abortion access and same-sex marriage rights. Goodin has since apologized for those votes and stated he has changed his mind on those issues. McCormick and Goodin will face the far-right Mike Braun and self-proclaimed Christian Nationalist Micah Beckwith: the most extreme, theocratic, election-denying, intolerant ticket put forth by the Indiana GOP in recent history, if ever, especially when joined by the radicals Jim Banks for Senate and Todd Rokita for Attorney General.
The governor’s race is joined by several exciting statehouse races. Despite Democrats being in the minority, 2024 is an exciting time for Indiana Democrats as there is an opportunity to break the Republican supermajority by flipping just four House seats. Candidates such as Josh Lowry in District 24 or Matt McNally in District 39 are within grasp of victory, fighting in extremely competitive districts. Despite Republican gerrymandering, demographic and political shifts in many districts around Indianapolis are favoring Democrats. Senate candidates such as Katrina Owens in District 32 and Joel Levi in District 20 are likewise in competitive districts and have a shot at beating their Republican opponents. Finally, incumbents like Mitch Gore of House District 89 or Fady Qaddoura of Senate District 30 are defending their seats.
If Democrats are able to break the supermajority in 2024, the party would have greater power in house committees, and, since the General Assembly would not be able to reach quorum without at least one Democrat, Democrats would have a much stronger position in which to negotiate or hold up proceedings if needed.
With the ballots on both sides now finalized, and with the critical months of September and October creeping ever closer, election season is about to be in full swing. Prepare for fights to amp up, spending to skyrocket, and for countless numbers of political ads to grace your phone and TV screens. For us College Democrats, now is the time to host voter registration drives, join canvasses and phone banks for candidates, and educate our friends and family on the stakes of this election. Any contribution of time, resources, or money counts — the only unacceptable thing to do is to sit on the sidelines.
