State senator bids for governor

INDIANAPOLIS -- Promising to make openness, accessibility and consensus-building the hallmarks of her administration, Democratic state Sen. Vi Simpson formally announced her candidacy for governor Wednesday.\n"Hoosiers want a governor who knows how to get things done," Simpson told more than 150 cheering supporters at the Statehouse. "And you know what? They want the best man for the job -- even if that happens to be a woman."\nSimpson, of Ellettsville, and former national and state Democratic chairman Joe Andrew are both seeking the Democratic nomination in 2004. Democratic Gov. Frank O'Bannon is barred from seeking a third consecutive term.\nSimpson has served more than 18 years in the state Senate and has carved out a reputation for expertise in such areas as health care, the environment and tax and budget matters.\nSimpson was chairwoman of the State Budget Committee last year and helped win passage of the sweeping tax-restructuring package in the General Assembly last June.\nShe said in January she was strongly considering a run for governor and kicked off her formal announcement Wednesday near her Ellettsville home, just northwest of Bloomington.\nMore than 20 Democratic legislators attended her noon rally at the Statehouse, as did former U.S. Rep. Andy Jacobs Jr. and former state Democratic chairwoman Anne Delaney. They and others greeted her arrival with cheers and chants of "Vi, Vi, Vi."\nIf successful, Simpson would become the first woman elected governor in Indiana. But she said she was not running to make history.\n"We need to transform and rebuild our economy," she said. "We need to invest in highways and bridges and the information super-highway. And we need to make job creation our first, second and third priorities."\nIndiana has lost about 110,000 jobs to the recession over the past two years.\nShe promised in the coming months to develop a specific plan for leading the state and said it would specify how much it would cost and how it would be paid for.\nSeveral Republicans already have announced plans to run. They include former U.S. Rep. David McIntosh, the party's nominee in 2000; state senators Luke Kenley of Noblesville and Murray Clark of Indianapolis; conservative activist Eric Miller; and Petersburg Mayor Randy Harris.\nMany state Republicans are urging White House Budget Director Mitch Daniels, a former Eli Lilly and Co. executive, to enter the race, but he has not announced his intentions.