Andrew running mate quits campaign

INDIANAPOLIS -- Democratic gubernatorial candidate Joe Andrew said Tuesday he was surprised by running mate Bren Simon's decision to drop out of next year's governor's race without telling him first.\nAndrew said in an interview that when he last spoke to Simon, Friday, she gave no indication she was quitting the campaign after two months.\nHe said Simon had earlier expressed concerns that the campaign was reducing her time with her husband, Mel Simon, the co-chairman of Indianapolis-based shopping mall company Simon Property Group and co-owner of the Indiana Pacers.\nHowever, Andrew said Simon had told him she intended to wait until Gov. Joe Kernan announced whether he would run for governor next year before deciding whether to continue as his running mate.\n"I was surprised that she got out period, but I was surprised that she got out at this point," Andrew said. "She had told me that we should all wait to see what Joe Kernan was going to do."\nSimon, a longtime Democratic activist and fund-raiser, told The Indianapolis Star Tuesday that she was dropping out of the race. She said she had been naive about the time commitment it would take to be involved in the campaign and still run her business, MBS Associates.\n"It's a very, very difficult decision to make," Simon told The Star for a story posted on its Web site.\nShe told The Star she began considering quitting the race three weeks ago when her husband came to her and said, "Bren, you're exhausted, you can't do it all and I want my wife back."\nJeff Harris, a spokesman for state Sen. Vi Simpson of Ellettsville, who is also seeking the Democratic nomination for governor, said Simpson would have no immediate comment on Simon's decision.\nAndrew, a former national and state Democratic Party chairman, said he had no regrets about choosing Simon. She was a surprise pick when Andrew announced Aug. 13 that he had tapped her as his running mate for lieutenant governor.\nSimon, 60, had never sought or held elected office before. Doubts about her qualifications to be lieutenant governor were raised after her selection by Andrew, who also had never before sought elected office.\nAfter that announcement, political insiders and outsiders said Andrew's choice was all about money. Simon and her multimillionaire husband have given heavily to big-name Democrats over the years.\nLuke Messer, executive director of the Indiana Republican Party, said Simon's abrupt decision to exit the race casts doubt on Andrew's ability to make important decisions.\n"Any way you look at it, this can't be considered a bright day for the Joe Andrew campaign," Messer said. "This was his first opportunity to show Hoosier voters what kind of a decision-maker he would be as governor and the results of that first decision make you question his judgment."\n"It's not a positive indicator of where his campaign is. You have to wonder, is he next?"\nEllen Whitt, the deputy campaign manager for Republican gubernatorial candidate Mitch Daniels, said the campaign had no immediate comment on Simon's decision.