Long Thompson supporters gather

Supporters lined the block near the Sample Gates anxiously awaiting Jill Long Thompson’s pre-debate rally to begin. As students and volunteers arrived, people began passing out signs and pamphlets.

Before the gubernatorial debate Tuesday, Long Thompson supporters met off of Kirkwood Avenue for the event. Among the crowd were local supporters, the IU College Democrats, Lt. Gov. candidate Dennie Oxley and Attorney General candidate Linda Pence.

Oxley touted IU alumna Long Thompson’s experience in the Clinton administration.
“I think she has an incredible amount of experience for the race,” he said.

Student supporters of Long Thompson said they were looking forward to the debate.

“Mitch Daniels doesn’t fully listen to the people,” sophomore Shawn Walter said. “Unlike Mitch, with Jill you get the feeling that she actually listens to people.”

A number of Long Thompson’s supporters said they believed the Democratic candidate was one of them.

“She is ... near where I am from,” said sophomore Cole Dietrich. “She really cares and seems generally concerned about the issues.”

IU College Democrats President Anna Strand said she was looking forward to the debate and hoping the candidates would focus on some of the major issues facing Indiana right now, such as the economy, education and taxes. Many supporters agreed the major issues that concerned them about Daniels were his work in those areas.

And so did Oxley.

“The key issues of the debate will be economy and jobs,” he said. “The Bush/Daniels administration is devastating the state.”

Walter said Daniels hasn’t accomplished what he thinks he has.

“He thinks he has helped Indiana schools, but he hasn’t,” he said, also claiming under Daniels the price of college has risen substantially in the last four years.

Dietrich said he went to school at South Side High School in Fort Wayne, where he said programs were constantly cut.

“Mitch balanced the budget by cutting it off education,” he said.

But Oxley said a backward-looking focus was not the point; he said he wanted to focus on change in the future. 

“We are going to see great things happen,” Oxley said, “because we have been hungry for change.”