TERRE HAUTE — More than a dozen Wabash Valley political candidates sought support from union members at a candidates forum Monday night at the Wabash Valley Labor Temple in Terre Haute.
Democrats and Republicans asked a room of dozens of union members for their support on Election Day, Nov. 4.
Many Democratic candidates urged union members to vote against Gov. Mitch Daniels and several candidates spoke against Public Question One, which would eliminate township assessors in Indiana.
If assessors are eliminated, “they will start whittling” away other county offices, said Judy Anderson, a Vigo County commissioner running unopposed in the November election.
Several Democratic candidates also said they oppose “right-to-work” laws, which weaken mandatory union membership regulations in some states.
“We’re not going to let [right to work] happen,” said Democrat Clyde Kersey, who is seeking re-election to Indiana’s 43rd House legislative district. Kersey said he has voted against right-to-work legislation at least twice.
Kersey also said he opposes state privatization programs and said some money Indiana received from leasing an Indiana toll road was invested in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Kersey’s Republican opponent, Ryan Cummins, told union members he favors reducing government interference in “my life and everybody else’s life. Your money is your money and your life is your life,” Cummins said.
Other state representative candidates at the forum included Democratic incumbent Vern Tincher, D-Riley, and his Republican opponent Bob Heaton. Tincher and Heaton are running for the seat from Indiana’s 46th House District.
Tincher said he opposes right-to-work legislation and noted the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, which favors right-to-work laws, endorsed Heaton.
“I want to make sure Indiana is a good place to work,” Tincher said. “When you have right-to-work, you’re not going to have health and welfare and you’re not going to have a pension. That’s going to be gone,” he said.
Tincher also said he favors a bill that would punish employers who hire illegal immigrants in Indiana.
“It’s estimated there are 100,000 illegal immigrants in this state taking our jobs,” Tincher told the gathering. “You can go down the Children’s Museum [in Terre Haute] and see the illegal immigrants laying brick. We don’t have a single union bricklayer on that job,” he said.
Heaton agreed he is endorsed by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce.
“The thing about the Indiana Chamber is that they are pro business. They want industry and what’s important is to get industry over here to western Indiana, jobs over here to western Indiana,” Heaton said. “That’s what people are talking about.”
Other speakers included candidates for Vigo County Council at large, including Democrats Bill Bryan and Ed Ping and Republicans Tim Hennessy and Angela Miller-Treadway.
Commissioner candidates Paul Mason, a Democrat, and Brad Anderson, a Republican, also spoke to the union members as did Republican candidate for Vigo County clerk, Bill Treadway.
Vigo County judge candidates Mike Rader and Dan Kelly also spoke, as did Indiana House candidates Nancy Michael and Rick Marshall. Vigo County Recorder Nancy Allsup and her Republican opponent, Bruce Royer, also spoke at the forum.
Rhea Marrie, an organizer with the Barack Obama presidential campaign, told the crowd Obama has received strong labor union support. “I’m so excited to be here in these last seven days” before the election, Marrie told the audience. “It is the organized labor movement that is making this happen,” she said. “I love you guys.”
Arthur Foulkes can be reached at (812) 231-4232 or arthur.foulkes@tribstar.com.
Election 2008
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October 28, 2008
More than a dozen candidates ask union members for their help
- Election 2008
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Vigo County election results
More than 44,000 ballots were cast Tuesday of the nearly 80,000 registered voters, giving Vigo County a 55.76 percent voter turnout. Voters who cast provisional ballots have until noon Nov. 14 to show proper identification in the clerk’s office. Members of the Election Board will certify the results by the end of Nov. 14.
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Obama triumphs, will be first black U.S. president
Barack Obama swept to victory as the nation’s first black president Tuesday night in an electoral college landslide that overcame racial barriers as old as America itself. “Change has come,” he told a huge throng of jubilant supporters.
- Ellsworth downs Goode in District 8 In a strong Democratic election year, U.S. Rep. Brad Ellsworth was re-elected Tuesday to a second term as the 8th District congressman representing southwestern and western Indiana.
- House District 44: Former Greencastle major wins A former Greencastle mayor will head off to the Statehouse come January, and she said Tuesday night she’s ready to go.
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YOUTH VOTE: Sarah Scott students elect Obama, Daniels
Tribune-Star
Students and staff at Sarah Scott Middle School voted to make Barack Obama president and Mitch Daniels governor during a mock election Tuesday. - Vigo picks presidential winner again Vigo County voters chose Democrat Sen. Barack Obama as president, maintaining its status as a “bellwether” county, picking the winner in every presidential election since 1892 with only two exceptions.
- Harrison Township opts to keep assessor Voters in eight precincts in Harrison Township opted to retain a township assessor under a referendum vote on Tuesday’s election ballot. That’s was good news to Mick Love, who will retain his elected seat as Harrison Township assessor. The final tally on Public Question No. 1 was 6,587 for a “yes,” which would remove the office, to 9,506 for “no” which would retain the office.
- House District 46: Tincher pulls out win The race between Democrat incumbent Rep. Vern Tincher and Republican challenger Bob Heaton for the Indiana House District 46 seat went down to the wire Tuesday night, with Tincher pulling out a win.
- Republican Daniels wins 2nd term as Indiana governor Republican Mitch Daniels defeated former Democratic congresswoman Jill Long Thompson on Tuesday to win a second term as governor, but he may need a supply of olive branches to advance his agenda if Democrats retain control of the Indiana House.
- House District 45: Borders wins close race The Indiana House District 45 race between incumbent Republican Bruce Borders and Democrat Rick Marshall was too close to call for much of the evening Tuesday, with the final outcome apparent near midnight.
- House District 43: Kersey remains in seat Rep. Clyde Kersey, D-Terre Haute, will remain in the Indiana General Assembly for another two years, as the 12-year incumbent defeated Republican challenger Ryan Cummins for the House District 43 seat.
- Clay County's turnout one for record books Clay County’s voter turnout was one for the record books, officials said Tuesday evening.
- Parke County incumbents retain their seats Parke County incumbents retained their seats in Tuesday’s election. Republican County At-large Councilmen Dale Gerrish and John Pratt will be joined by fellow Republican J.B. Butler, a newcomer who received more votes than Gerrish and Pratt. The three GOP candidates won over the three Democrats in that race.
- Nearly 64 percent of registered Vermillion voters cast ballots Vermillion County voters turned out in big numbers Tuesday to hand victories to Democrats up and down the ballot. Nearly 64 percent of registered voters turned out in the mostly rural county, which includes the towns of Clinton and Newport.
- Sullivan County votes Repbulican in national election For the second time in its traditionally Democratic history, Sullivan County voted Republican in the national election. Overall, Democrats saw unexpected upsets, incumbent Republicans lost a few offices, and voter turnout here was exceptionally high, as expected.
- Indiana State students await impact of their votes Ashley Roce sat in the Cunningham Memorial Library eating pizza with her friends, waiting to see the impact of her first vote in a presidential election.
- Indiana transplants watch from east coast Indiana has done what couldn’t have been predicted in 2004: It has gone Blue — and by so doing, the Hoosier state has broken its 44-year tradition of being a Red state, and helped put a Democrat in the White House.
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Voter turnout in Clark County, Ill., highest it's ever been
Voter turnout in Clark County, Ill., was the largest it has ever been, but it wasn’t as high as County Clerk Bill Downey had hoped for.
- Presidential election turnout down in Edgar County Despite an increase in registered voters for Tuesday’s election, turnout was lower than the last presidential election in Edgar County, Ill.
- Incumbents easily win school board seats Three Vigo County School Board incumbents readily won re-election Tuesday. In District 1, Mel Burks and Jackie Lower retained their seats, defeating Larry Faulkner. In unofficial results, Lower had 24,321 votes, Burks, 19,253, and Faulkner, 11,383.
- Democratic Commissioner Mason gets another four years Vigo County voters on Tuesday returned Democratic Commissioner Paul Mason for an additional four-year term as one of the county’s top executive officials.
- Rader wins Vigo judge Superior Court Divisioin 5 The winner of Vigo County judge for Superior Court Division 5 is Dr. Michael Rader. With 23,636 votes, or 56 percent, Rader defeated Republican challenger Dan Kelly, who earned 18,216 votes, or 44 percent. Totals are unofficial results from the Vigo County Election office.
- Allsup defeats Royer in Vigo Recorder race In a night that was friendly to Democrats, Nancy Allsup won the office of Vigo County Recorder, defeating Republican Bruce Royer. Allsup, with 26,486 votes, or 65 percent, celebrated her victory Tuesday night with friends and family at the Paradise Pavilion in West Terre Haute.
- Mansard wins another term as Vigo County clerk Democrat Patricia “Pat” Mansard has won another term as Vigo County clerk. Mansard, who has served as county clerk for 20 years, was busily working Tuesday night to finish up election results, but she took a minute to savor her win.
- FINAL: VIGO COUNTY ELECTION 2008 RESULTS Final election night results from Vigo County
- FINAL: VERMILLION COUNTY ELECTION RESULTS 2008 Election results from Vermillion County
- FINAL: CLAY COUNTY ELECTION 2008 RESULTS Election results from across Clay County
- FINAL: PARKE COUNTY ELECTION 2008 RESULTS Election results from Parke County
- FINAL: SULLIVAN COUNTY ELECTION RESULTS 2008 Results from Sullivan County
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NEW: Vigo County’s election record cited by Karl Rove
Karl Rove, the man credited with orchestrating President George W. Bush’s two successful campaigns for the presidency, reportedly singled out Vigo County as a place to watch tonight when election returns start coming in.
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