“We’re disappointed that we won’t get the chance to take on Mitch Daniels in November, but we wouldn’t trade the last 15 months for anything,” Schellinger said. “It truly was an amazing journey for me and my entire family.”
Earlier in the day, when more precincts were still unreported statewide, it appeared that the race was too close to call; however, the vote margin increased by a few thousand votes throughout the day. The final margin will likely be less than 0.5 percent.
“This was a hard-fought race that unfortunately was overshadowed by the presidential campaigns in Indiana,” Schellinger said. “I want to thank my fellow Democrats, my staff and my family for all of their support and kindness. We’ll never forget this experience.”
More information: Jennifer Wagner, 317-752-6497
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]]>Goodin, superintendent the Crothersville Community Schools who also serves as vice chairman in the state budget-writing House Ways and Means Committee, said “public schools in the state of Indiana are the number one economic tool across our state.”
Davison said he thinks Schellinger can help to return Indiana to a strong manufacturing state. “In our of world of manufacturing since Mitch Daniels became governor, we’ve lost over 27,000 manufacturing jobs in Indiana, from Delphi in Kokomo and Anderson and Guide Corp. in Anderson to Tower Automotive in Kendallville,” he said.
“Our governor stood at the headquarters in Delphi in Kokomo and said $10.50 an hour is a good living wage for those people who are taking a $15 an hour cut,” Davison said. Workers had made $24 and $27 an hour before a bankruptcy restructuring.
“I think Jim Schellinger is committed to keeping good-paying jobs in Indiana and bringing more jobs to Indiana and working with labor, because working together as a team with the governor, we can succeed and bring Indiana back to being number one in manufacturing in the United States,” Davison said.
]]>In interviews last week in southern Indiana and the cities of Kokomo, Gary and Indianapolis, some voters said they did not believe there was another race on the ballot beyond the presidential question. Others said they knew there were other races but did not know who was running.
Among the fears of local party officials are, what if voters cast votes in the presidential race, then skip the rest of the ballot or, perhaps worse, vote randomly?
After speaking at an event for volunteers in an Indianapolis union hall on Friday, Mr. Schellinger played down worries about people who might not be paying attention to his efforts.
“I’ve been all around this state and the grass-roots people, they understand what’s happening, they understand how important this governor’s race is,” he said.
That said, Mr. Schellinger seemed to leave room for the possibility that some had not taken notice.
“My parents taught me that there are some things in life we cannot control,” he said, “and this is one of them.”
]]>The Indianapolis architect has a detailed plan called "Pick Up Indiana" that's almost 50 pages long, covering jobs, health care, education and government reform.
Jill Long Thompson, who has had an impressive public service career, just doesn't compete with the details Schellinger offers.
Schellinger, a South Bend native, says Indiana can improve its environmental image and create jobs at the same time. Among other job plans, he wants to increase help for small business, which accounts for two-thirds of job growth.
To increase health care in the state, he says he'll increase preventive care plans, push for expanded coverage for children -- in a state where 123,000 are uninsured -- and increase health workers.
Schellinger's plan to reform government revolves around a commission that, like the Kernan-Shepard Commission, would gather information from across the state to streamline government and make it more open to the public.
Finally, he calls his education plan the catalyst to all other components of what he would do as governor. The most intriguing of his ideas is building an education trust fund in good economic years that will stabilize school budgets in bad years.
]]>How can you help?
It's easy! Just download and print this one-page flyer about Jim and his vision for Indiana and give a copy to your friends, neighbors and colleagues. It doesn't take long to knock on a few doors or pass out flyers at a community event.
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Thanks for your help!
]]>Long Thompson has years of government experience, beginning as a Valparaiso City Council member but also including time as a congresswoman and as an undersecretary for rural development issues.
Schellinger is an architect whose firm has built a number of schools across the state.
That background influences their outlook on the state's problems and solutions. Schellinger's strongest selling point is that he has fresh ideas as well as a strong business background.
We endorse Schellinger.
Read the full endorsement here.
Osborne, 63, of Cayuga and her husband Dowane have been volunteering for Schellinger’s campaign since November.
“[Schellinger] said he’ll restore collective bargaining for state workers, and they need that,” said Dowane Osborne, 65. “They need it badly.”
Schellinger, who’s running against Jill Long Thompson for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, was in Terre Haute to thank volunteers and pump them up for a day of canvassing Saturday at the Laborers Local 204 on Poplar Street.
“… The investment that the laborers have made in this campaign has often left me speechless,” Schellinger said.
“I don’t know what to say, I keep getting support from all of you, I know how hard you work for all your money … I’m so overwhelmed at the investments you guys have made in my campaign.”
For all the investments and support, Schellinger pledged to be there and never let them down and urged them to keep up the good work in the last few days leading up to Tuesday’s election.
Though much of the publicity for the Indiana primary has come for the national election, Schellinger said he doesn’t feel like his race has fallen by the wayside.
“I’ve traveled all around the state and at the grassroots level, which has been the basis of my campaign, people are very interested in the governor’s race and they’re very in-tuned,” he said, noting that the best part of the national race attention is that it’s going to increase voter turnout.
]]>Since Schellinger, in Crown Point for a town hall meeting Friday at the Civic Center, has studied the talking points of his fellow candidates, Gov. Mitch Daniels and former U.S. Sen. Jill Long Thompson, he knows them as well as his own. As such, he played each part.
Schellinger would've much rather had warm bodies to talk to. "I want people to talk about issues," Schellinger said. "I've asked (Long Thompson) to debate several times -- in fact, I'm headed to LaPorte County right now, where she is. But she won't."
Schellinger, who's conducted a grassroots campaign, put to rest negatives in Long Thompson's latest campaign ad. He also spoke candidly about trying to avoid hitting below the belt when on TV with Long Thompson.
"She went to the negative, so I laid out the facts: Jill voted to cut Medicare, one of the only Democrats to do so. She voted to cut Social Security. She voted to give favored nation status to China, and she voted for GATT," he said. "The only thing they could counter with was, 'Oh, that was 13, 14 years ago. Well, we're still paying for it now."
]]>Schellinger, 48, the president of CSO Architects in Indianapolis, spoke to about 25 members of the state employees union for about 20 minutes before answering their questions.
He faces former U.S. Rep. Jill Long Thompson in Tuesday's primary for the Democratic nomination. The winner will try to unseat Gov. Mitch Daniels in the general election.
"The plan I put out yesterday calls for a focus on putting pressure on Washington," Schellinger told the union. He was joined by Richmond Mayor Sally Hutton, who is also the chairwoman of the Wayne County Democratic Party. Hutton says she does not endorse candidates in the primary.
"See, our federal government is the reason we have this gas problem," Schellinger said. "It's not our sales tax. The federal government has allowed Mobile, Exxon Mobile, it's allowed Shell, it's allowed BP to gouge us. It's allowed these big oil companies to make these unconscionable profits."
Schellinger said reducing gas prices is one way he plans to stand up for working families across the state. He also chided the Kernan-Shepard report, released in 2007, which among other things, calls for the consolidation of Indiana's smallest school districts and other governmental offices.
" ... We've got work to do to reform state government," he said. "We should be doing that first -- lead by example -- and then let's partner with local government.
"We've got three choices, guys. Choice No. 1: Increase taxes. That's happened way too much under this governor. Choice No. 2: Cut essential services, firefighters, police officers. That adds to the quality of life that we have in our communities. Or choice No. 3: Figure out a way to reform state and local government in unison with one another in a team-like manner, working together."
Schellinger's campaign also visited Kokomo and New Castle before arriving in Richmond.
"I think Jim will do a better job in serving the public across the board," said Jim Mills of Williamsburg, who is a Laborers member.
"He'll listen," he said. "And he'll pay attention to what his workers and the people he has working for them have to say."
Fellow member Bob Brown, who lives in New Castle, echoed Mills' thoughts.
"What we like is the fact he's agreed to give us respect back," Brown said. "In other words, reinstate collective bargaining for state employees. We're a state employees union. (Gov.) Mitch Daniels decimated us. We're scattered in the wind. He's privatizing. The services he's privatizing, in my opinion, are a miserable failure. We'd like to see collective bargaining back, respect back. We want to deliver good services back to the public once again."
Thursday's visit was Schellinger's second local stop before the primary.
His first visit was March 29, during which he spoke to about 50 members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees at the Holiday Inn.
]]>Among other things, he said he would study the idea of making the state sales tax on gasoline a flat tax so it would not go up as prices go up.
Schellinger announced the proposals or possible plans as the price of a regular unleaded hit an all time high in Indiana. His primary opponent - former U.S. Rep. Jill Long Thompson - continues to tout her plan to cap the state sales tax on gasoline at a pump price no higher than $2.75 per gallon.
The Long Thompson campaign was quick to respond to Schellinger's ideas.
"As gas prices hit $3.75 or more all across the state, we are glad that Mr. Schellinger finally recognizes that this is a problem for working Hoosiers," said Long Thompson spokesman Jeff Harris.
"It is surprising that after criticizing Jill's plan for weeks, now, six days before the election, Mr. Schellinger is trying to change his position and redefine himself," he said. "This is an act of desperation, and I think the voters will see right through it."
The price of a gallon of regular unleaded hit an all time average high of $3.66 in Indiana on Wednesday, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Price Gauge. The national average was $3.61 per gallon, also a record.
Schellinger had said earlier that gas prices were out of control, but said Long Thompson's plan might be too expensive for the state and that a more comprehensive approach was needed at the state and federal level.
"We have to make responsible decisions and not knee-jerk decisions in an election year to try to win voters over," he said during their lone formal debate on April 15.
Besides pressuring Washington for solutions, he said Wednesday he would consider two long-term state solutions. One would be creating a trust fund in which the state could set money to provide future relief.
]]>“As gas prices continue to rise, Hoosiers are struggling to make ends meet, but we need to focus on real solutions, not election year pandering, to address this critical issue,” Schellinger said. “I’ve taken the time to look at the many facets of this problem, and my proposal addresses those facets in a comprehensive way.”
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