Former Ind. House Speaker John Gregg announces candidacy for governor

“From Indiana. For Indiana. In Indiana.”

Thus ends a video by former House Speaker John Gregg announcing his candidacy for the Democratic Party’s nomination for governor of Indiana.

John Gregg, a native of Sandborn, Ind. in Knox County, served as Speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives for six consecutive years before retiring in 2002. He then served for a period as Vincennes University’s interim President, the Honorary Chair of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and as a lawyer in private practice.

U.S. Representative Mike Pence and Hamilton County businessman Jim Wallace — both Republicans — are the only other declared candidates for the 2012 governor’s race.

Emphasizing his position as a moderate Democrat, Gregg said “No one tells their neighbor, ‘I’ve got this Democratic problem or this Republican problem ...’ our problems don’t belong to one party or the other. Neither do our solutions.”

The Republican Governor’s Association released a statement stating “John Gregg’s attempt to turn back the clock by exploring a run for governor is doomed to fail and signifies the weakness of the Democratic Party in Indiana.”

Dan Parker, the state chair of the Ind. Democratic Party stated that “I’ve known John for almost 20 years, first as my leader and now as my friend. I’m delighted that he’s taking these steps to explore a run for Governor.”

No other Democrats have announced their intentions to run for governor.