On Thursday, the Democrat will make appearances at 11 a.m. in Indianapolis, 2 p.m. in Terre Haute and 4 p.m. in Evansville. On Friday, she will make stops in Fort Wayne, South Bend and Hammond, Ind.
Many are speculating a gubernatorial campaign is in the works. Though no members of Ritz’s team have confirmed a run for governor, Indy Pride tweeted a photo Wednesday morning of a letter they had received from Ritz. It featured a bright yellow banner reading “Ritz for Governor 2016” and referred to Ritz as “Candidate for Indiana Governor” in the signature.
Rumors of the gubernatorial campaign began after the Facebook events were created, when representatives from the Northeast Indiana Friends of Public Education told the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette that Ritz would be running. Representatives from the group later confirmed the information to the Indiana Daily Student.
“We talked to Superintendent Ritz’s spokesperson last Friday, and at that time he confirmed that she was going to announce in Fort Wayne this coming Friday,” the group said in the email.
In the Democratic primary, Ritz will be facing John Gregg, former speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives who narrowly lost to Governor Mike Pence in the 2012 gubernatorial race. Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Portage has also announced her candidacy.
If Ritz wins the primary, she will go on to face Pence in the general election. A feud between Pence and Ritz became the focus of much media attention earlier this year. As the only Democrat in a statewide office in Indiana, it was difficult for Ritz to accomplish many of her goals for education. She and Pence disagreed on fundamental aspects of the office, such as whether public or charter schools should receive the most funding.
Eventually legislators created a bill that would remove Ritz from her position as chairman of the Board of Education.
