INDIANAPOLIS — The three candidates for governor kept it cordial at the second gubernatorial debate Monday night until they left the stage. The candidates threw quick-witted jabs at each other’s policies on the economy, education, gun control and Syrian refugees at the media conference at the University of Indianapolis.
Democratic candidate John Gregg said he hoped Republican candidate and Lt. Gov. Eric Holcomb would change his mind on some of his policies, or just vote for Gregg instead. Libertarian candidate Rex Bell addressed the media last, saying “basically the strongest point of tonight was our whole platform.”
Holcomb entered the gubernatorial race after Gov. Mike Pence announced his vice presidential candidacy with Republican nominee Donald Trump. Holcomb also served as an adviser to Gov. Mitch Daniels, R-Ind. and Sen. Dan Coates, R-Ind.
He said he believes the state is on the right track for economic growth because the unemployment rate is at 4.5 percent. Holcomb will continue the momentum from Pence’s governorship, he said.
“We need to continue what we’ve been doing on steroids,” Holcomb said.
The state not only needs to retain talent from the universities, but attract new talent to the state, he said. The question is how to get Indiana’s ingenuity and international flair known across the country, Holcomb said.
Bell, a small business owner, said he wants to jumpstart Indiana’s economy by keeping government’s hands out of business.
Government does not create jobs, Bell said. However, the government can establish an atmosphere where jobs can be created by citizens and businesses by eliminating property taxes and reformatting the tax code overall, Bell said.
Gregg, former Indiana house speaker, said the state needs a governor that respects all Hoosiers, focuses “like a laser on the economy.”
High growth, high-wage job potential are the kind of jobs Indiana should emphasize creating, he said. These jobs are primarily in the biolife, agriculture science and information science.
In reference to Religious Freedom Restoration Act, Holcomb said there are good people on both sides of the issue. However, he did not take a clear stand on the issue.
In contrast, RFRA does not illustrate respect for all Hoosiers and the act has hurt the Indiana economy, Gregg said.
Bell said he would like to see a state where every one has the same rights, so he does not support RFRA. Groups of people should not be deprived of their rights because of their sexuality, he said.
“Libertarians look at all people as individuals,” Bell said.
When it comes to gun control, Bell said Indiana residents should be weary any time government tries to tread on Second Amendment rights.
Holcomb’s wife is a certified handgun shooting and safety instructor, and he is a staunch defender of the Second Amendment, he said. The government should not intrude on Hoosier’s daily lives, particularly when it comes to the economy and taxation, Holcomb said.
“Every dollar that we take from the taxpayer takes a little bit of freedom away from that taxpayer,” he said.
Infrastructure, such as broadband internet, should be built up in rural areas of the state, Holcomb said. However, he is concerned about who will pay for it. Holcomb said he would like to see the state make land broadband ready, then allow the private sector to come in and install broadband networks.
Gregg said he believes infrastructure in rural areas should be built up, particularly broadband internet. Fourteen percent of Indiana residents do not have broadband internet, he said.
“Indiana is falling further and further behind,” Gregg said.
Gregg said he and his running mate Christina Hale have a $3.2 billion infrastructure plan that will improve the state, including focus on broadband, green spaces, state roads and clean water.
On education, Bell said pre-K should not fall under the government’s umbrella, otherwise it will become mandatory.
“We need to re-examine the proper role of government and get it out of the family right quick,” Bell said.
Holcomb said he would like to expand pre-K to the counties in most need by expanding the program, but the program is not ready to be enforced statewide yet.
Gregg said as the former president of Vincennes University, he recognizes the importance of pre-K. He said he also realizes the concept of teaching to the test has failed, and the education system in Indiana must be re-evaluated.
“The teachers are a part of the solution, not the problem,” Gregg said. “We can do better in Indiana.”
The final gubernatorial debate is Oct. 25 at the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville.
