Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller said when he was in college, he had no interest in politics at all.
But since then, he has served as a lawyer and attorney general and is now running for Congress to represent the 9th district, which includes Bloomington.
Zoeller spoke to about a dozen students from the IU chapter of No Labels, a bipartisan activist group, Thursday night about his experience in government and his goals for his Congressional campaign.
“I’ve been very upset when I see what Congress has become,” Zoeller said. “The partisanship has made it very dysfunctional and it’s hard to remember a time when they could get anything done.”
Failures to pass a national budget and persistent fighting between Democrats and Republicans over the 2010 Affordable Care Act show Congress has abandoned its purpose, Zoeller said.
Zoeller said his primary goal in Congress would be to serve as a mediator to build legislation that could be amended to meet the needs of both political parties.
“It’s not about fighting over which party will win or lose,” Zoeller said. “It’s about finding and using the best out of each agenda that the parties bring.”
Zoeller’s visit was meant to allow students to get a sense of how he would act as a member of Congress, said Kyle Osting, a junior and the president of IU’s No Labels chapter.
No Labels aims to support candidates seen as “problem solvers” who can create collaboration between Democrats and Republicans, Osting said.
“This visit is an opportunity for students to inform our votes and therefore inform our future,” Osting said. “It’s important for IU students to know who could be representing them and whether they can make decisions that matter.”
The 9th Congressional district is based in Bloomington and covers 13 counties in southern Indiana.
The representative seat is up for election Nov. 8 this year.
Zoeller graduated from IU’s Maurer School of Law in 1982.
He worked as an executive assistant for Dan Quayle in the United States Senate Office and the Office of the Vice President of the U.S. He has served as Indiana Attorney General since 2009.
“My desire to work in law and politics has always been to serve the needs and interests of others,” Zoeller said. “I was elected as a Republican, but once I’m in the office, I work with and serve everyone regardless of their party. Partisanship may be necessary for election, but not for how you govern.”
Students attending the event had the opportunity to ask questions after Zoeller’s speech.
Zoeller answered questions on political issues such as privacy and climate change with plans based on state and citizen action rather than focusing on the federal government as a whole.
“It seems to me that he always makes sure to focus on the issues that citizens think are important, rather than his personal thoughts,” junior Julie Ross said. “Even though I don’t vote in the 9th district, I’m glad I could learn about the values he stands for, because each representative in Congress directly affects all of us.”
Zoeller encouraged students to vote in each election they could and to get involved in political campaigns they cared about.
“Dialogue between parties and between people is important if your goal is to get any work done,” Zoeller said. “You need to get that dialogue started, because there is a lot of hard work to do.”
