GOPs gather to watch president

Lieutenant governor candidate and State Senator Becky Skillman headed a bevy of republican candidates and supporters at a rally in support of the Republican National Convention. Thursday night, 150 Grand Old gatherers met at the AmVets Post 2000 to dine and watch President Bush speak at the convention on television.\nRepublican gubernatorial candidate Mitch Daniels was in New York and could not attend the rally.\nThe Monroe County Republicans Party Convention Watch was coordinated through the Bush-Cheney Web site, according to party organizer Lori Aiken. Plates -- chicken or steak -- were $10 a piece, and a free salad bar and drinks were included. \nRed-white-and-blue hats adorned with similar balloons framed the tables.\n"Our state is at a crucial turning point in our history," Skillman said. "Mitch Daniels is the right man at the right time to lead this state forward."\nSkillman, of Bedford, has been the state senator of the 44th district since 1992. She also serves as the senate majority caucus chair.\nParty organizer Dan Aiken sang the praises of Skillman and Daniels.\n"We need Mitch Daniels and Becky Skillman to lead this state into a realm of prosperity we've never seen before," he said.\nRepublican candidates, ranging from city council members to a county surveyor, spoke briefly at the event. county commissioner candidate Jeff Ellington promised Daniels and Skillman his help. \n"You're going to win," he said, "and we're going to help you win."\nSkillman stressed that the Daniels campaign focuses on the brain-drain situation in Indiana. A Daniels-Skillman ticket would create programs to keep "home-grown talent" in Indiana, she said.\nThe state senator shared the story of how she met Daniels and later became his running-mate.\nSoon after "My Man Mitch" declared his candidacy in 2003, he began his year-long tour, stopping first in Skillman's district. \n"When we were in Hendricksville, (Ind.), we shared a breakfast of biscuits and gravy," she said. "And I told him I'd do anything for him. One year later, he called my bluff."\nWith economic turmoil setting a shadow over the citizens of Indiana, Skillman set her sights on the workers.\n"Job creation is job one throughout our administration," she said.\nWhen asked what excited her about the future of the Republican Party in Indiana, Skillman was quick to dismiss her party allegiance.\n"Mitch Daniels and I have not had discussions on the Party," she said, adding that they have been garnering support from independents and democrats alike.\n-- Contact senior writer Rick Newkirk at renewkir@indiana.edu.