INDIANAPOLIS —
Indiana Gov.-elect Mike Pence said he’ll make job creation “job one” when he takes office in January and promised to abide by his campaign’s “Roadmap for Indiana” plan, which includes support for education reforms that voters seemed to reject and a tax cut that legislative leaders oppose.
At a Wednesday morning news conference with current Gov. Mitch Daniels, the Republican congressman also said he’ll return to Washington, D.C., for the lame duck session of Congress after he appoints some key members of his gubernatorial transition team.
Pence opened his remarks to the press by echoing comments he made during his late-night victory speech Tuesday, acknowledging his win over Democrat John Gregg was due in part to the popularity of the Republican Daniels.
“I believe last night’s election was as much a vote of confidence in this administration as it was an affirmation of the vision and plans that we articulated in our candidacy for governor,” Pence said.
Pence pledged to keep up what he said was Daniels’ focus on “excellence, reform, and results.”
That quickly lead into questions from reporters who pressed Pence for his opinion about Tuesday’s surprising defeat of Republican Tony Bennett, the high-profile superintendent of public instruction who spearheaded the massive education overhaul that Daniels had championed and the Republican-controlled legislature approved.
Pence dodged some of the more pointed questions about Bennett, saying he’d leave it to the press to speculate about the reasons for Bennett’s loss.
But he also rejected the notion that Bennett’s ouster at the hands of Democrat Glenda Ritz was a sign that voters rejected the sweeping changes in education, which include vouchers for private schools, merit pay for teachers, and more high-stakes testing for students.
Pence said the more important signal was the super-majority that Republicans won in the Indiana House, taking 69 of the 100 seats.
“We have strong affirmation on the progress of education reform in this state,” Pence said.
Ritz beat Bennett with 52 percent of the vote and winning more votes statewide than Pence won in his election. Ritz ran a distinctly anti-Bennett campaign, and promised she’d do whatever she could to roll back some of the new education policies that the legislature has put into law.
Pence said he’d work with Ritz to find “common ground” but also said he favors the path that Republicans have taken on education, which includes more charter schools and creating the nation’s largest private school voucher program.
Pence and Daniels also reminded reporters that Ritz will have to answer to the State Board of Education, whose members are appointed by the governor. Daniels described the current board as “rock solid” on the education reforms that have been passed.
Daniels also raised the notion that the Republican-controlled legislature may take a look at changing state law to make the superintendent of public instruction position an appointed one rather than an elected one. It’s an idea floated by both Democrats and Republicans in the past, who’ve argued that the state’s education policy should reflect the intent of the governor. Pence said he has “no opinion” on whether the issue should be pushed in the next legislative session.
He did, however, make clear that he intends to keep his campaign pledge to cut Indiana’s personal income tax rate by 10 percent, to make it the lowest rate in the Midwest.
That’s a pledge that Republican legislative leaders have looked upon with skepticism. In October, GOP House Speaker Brian Bosma predicted legislators will be wary of reducing state revenue, after already passing legislation to phase out the state’s inheritance tax and cut the corporate tax rate.
“Any tax cut in addition to those has to be sustainable,” Bosma said at the time. “Our team definitely has a long-term vision, not a campaign-oriented vision, for how we budget.”
Maureen Hayden is the Indiana Statehouse bureau chief for CNHI, the parent company of the Tribune-Star. She can be reached at maureen.
`hayden@indianamediagroup.com.
Election 2012
Pence promises to go forward with education overhaul, tax cut pledge
- Election 2012
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Indiana House leader pledges no abuse of super-majority power
Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma promised not to exploit the super power of the Republicans’ new super-majority status in the Statehouse, saying he hopes Democrats will be “partners” in passing legislation to benefit Hoosiers.
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Vigo ballots saw lengthy list of presidential candidates
While most voters on Tuesday knew the names of Democrat President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney, there was a long list of other presidential candidates on the Indiana ballot.
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Pence promises to go forward with education overhaul, tax cut pledge
Indiana Gov.-elect Mike Pence said he’ll make job creation “job one” when he takes office in January and promised to abide by his campaign’s “Roadmap for Indiana” plan, which includes support for education reforms that voters seemed to reject and a tax cut that legislative leaders oppose.
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Anderson tops Mason: GOP candidate unseats incumbent Dem Commissioner Paul Mason
Republican Brad Anderson pulled off the lone upset at the county level Tuesday, defeating long-time Democrat incumbent Paul Mason for the District 3 seat for Vigo County Commissioner.
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Clay County election 2012
A massive turnout by Clay County voters had general election participation nearing 60 percent by the final unofficial count.
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Parke County election 2012
A majority of Parke County voters selected Mitt Romney as their president by a vote of 4,228 to President Barack Obama’s 2,106 votes, while the governor’s race went to Mike Pence with 3,366 votes to John Gregg’s 2,818 votes.
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Vigo sees strong voter turnout for presidential election
Vigo County saw a strong voter turnout — 52.5 percent — in Tuesday’s 2012 general election, but that total fell short of the nearly 56 percent voter turnout in the presidential election four years ago.
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Vermillion County election 2012
Voter turnout in Vermillion County Tuesday was 59 percent Tuesday as more than 6,750 voters cast ballots in 17 precincts.
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Obama wins re-election
President Barack Obama won re-election Tuesday night despite a fierce challenge from Republican Mitt Romney as well as the weak economy and high unemployment that encumbered his first term and crimped the middle class dreams of millions.
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Incumbent Anderson retains seat
Democratic incumbent Judith Anderson won a fourth term for Vigo County Commissioner District 2 in a race that was close with a first-time challenging candidate.
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Congressman Bucshon retains seat in House
Indiana Congressman Larry Bucshon, a Republican, held off a tough election challenge to retain his 8th District U.S. House seat.
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Dems sweep Council At-Large seats
Democrats swept all three Vigo County Council At-Large seats Tuesday, returning two incumbents plus adding a newcomer to the body.
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Crockett wins to take over Vigo clerk’s office
In the Vigo County clerk’s race, Democrat Dave Crockett defeated Republican Mike Morris by a vote of 21,025 to 16,857.
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Challenger Ritz knocks off Bennett in state superintendent race
Democrat challenger Glenda Ritz pulled off a stunning upset Tuesday night, beating incumbent Republican Tony Bennett in the unexpectedly tight race for Indiana superintendent of public instruction.
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Donnelly gives Democrats Indiana Senate victory
Democrat Joe Donnelly triumphed Tuesday in one of the nation’s most tumultuous Senate races, capitalizing on fallout over his tea party-backed opponent’s comment that a pregnancy resulting from rape is “something God intended” to capture a seat that just a year ago looked to be a lock for Republican U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar.
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Heaton wins re-election in Indiana House District 46
In House District 46, incumbent Republican Bob Heaton won re-election to a second term, defeating Democrat James Mann II, who ran for elected office for the first time.
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Longtime Rep. Borders loses re-election bid
Indiana State Rep. Bruce Borders, a long-time Republican representative from Greene County, apparently lost his re-election bid Tuesday by a razor-thin margin to Democrat Rep. Kreg Battles, also a member of the Indiana House.
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Phone system glitch slows vote counting in Vigo Courthouse
A phone system problem at the Vigo County Courthouse has slowed down vote counting tonight.
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SLIDESHOW: General Election 2012
Photos by Tribune-Star photographers Bob Poynter, Joe Garza and Jim Avelis. Check back for more photos.
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Vigo County seeing strong voter turnout
Voter turnout appears strong in Vigo County as election 2012 reaches its climax.
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Indiana voters can buy alcohol after voting this year
This Election Day marks the first presidential election year in several decades where Indiana voters can buy alcohol after casting their votes.
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What Indiana voters have to say about 2012 races
Across Indiana, thousands of people are casting votes for dozens of races, including the White House, Senate, Congress and the General Assembly. Here’s what they’re saying about why they cast their votes:
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Voting machine problems delay some Indiana voters
Voting machine problems have caused delays and long lines in Hamilton County, a heavily populated Indianapolis suburb that’s a Republican stronghold.
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Indiana race could be showdown over school changes
The campaign to lead Indiana’s education department is being watched as a referendum on school policies pushed by conservatives across the country.
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Congressional, State Representative debates set for October
The League of Women Voters of Knox County (Vincennes) will host two live televised debates in Vincennes in October.
The first debate will be Oct. 11 at 8 p.m. EDT between the candidates for Indiana House of Representatives, District 45, Rep. Kreg Battles and Rep. Bruce Borders.
The second debate will be Oct. 24 at 8 p.m. featuring the candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 8th District, Congressman Larry Bucshon, Dave Crooks, and Bart Gadau. This Congressional debate will be co-hosted by the League of Women Voters of Vigo County (Terre Haute). -
AG candidate spells out concerns
Indiana’s sex offender registry, consumer protection and protecting children from abuse while improving the state’s Child Protective Services agency are among the top issues for Indianapolis attorney Kay Fleming, Democatic candidate for Indiana Attorney General.
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Dates set for Indiana Senate, governor debates
Two debates have been scheduled for next month between the candidates for Indiana’s U.S. Senate election, although organizers are still calling them tentative as final details are worked out.
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Lieutenant governor candidates debate farm issues today
The three candidates for Indiana's lieutenant governor are meeting to debate farm issues.
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Candidates agree to three gubernatorial debates
Indiana’s three gubernatorial candidates have committed to three televised debates this fall through the Indiana Debate Commission.
Candidates include Democrat John Gregg, Republican Mike Pence and Libertarian Rupert Boneham. -
Gregg introduces State Sen. Vi Simpson as choice for lieutenant governor
Indiana Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Gregg this afternoon introduced State Sen. Vi Simpson, D-Ellettsville, as his running mate for the 2012 election.
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