Pence Talks Election, Endorsement, Regional Cities at GOP Fry
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By David [email protected]
The special guests included Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, Lt. Gov. Eric Holcomb and Rafael Cruz, father of Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz.
“It is the largest turnout I’ve ever seen,” former Republican Party Chairwoman Jean Northenor said.
“I’m very surprised” at the turnout, Northern District County Commissioner Brad Jackson said. “I’ve been here every year, 20 years I think, I don’t think I’ve ever missed one, and this is the biggest it’s ever been.”
Current Party Chairman Randy Girod said the turnout was “phenomenal” and “absolutely” the largest turnout he’s ever seen with a lot of new faces at the event.
“I really think people are concerned about the direction our government is going, and then want to get involved,” he said.
This morning, Girod said 1,212 fish dinners were purchased, including carryout.
In a group interview with media, Pence said, “This is Republican politics at its best. Being in Kosciusko County at the fairgrounds fish fry and seeing the enthusiasm that we see here, it gives me great confidence that we’ll have a great election year ahead of us and we’ll have a lot of support all over this state of Indiana.”
Asked by a television reporter how exciting it was that Indiana matters this year to the presidential election, Pence responded, “Not just as a Republican, but really as a Hoosier, I’m frankly very excited that both parties are going to have to come here to compete for votes in the state of Indiana. That’s happened a few times. Eight years ago, it happened in the Democratic primary, but often times our primary comes a little bit too late to see a lot of these presidential candidates, but to know they’re going to be here over the next month, I think it’s a great thing for Hoosiers in both political parties, and I’m looking forward to the national debate coming right here to the Hoosier state.”
He said it’ll provide a great opportunity for Hoosiers to talk about the state’s priorities and all the good things that are happening in Indiana.
When asked if he would endorse any particular candidate, Pence said, “I haven’t ruled out making an endorsement. I will tell you I’m looking very much forward to supporting the Republican nominee for president because I need a partner in the White House for Indiana economic growth and jobs. The truth of the matter is, the last eight years here in Indiana, we’ve been prospering, setting records in job creation almost in spite of the policies coming out of Washington, D.C. So we’ll let the debate go forward, we’ll let our nominee, our team, our ticket be developed and I’m going to strongly support the Republican team because Indiana needs a partner for growth in the White House.”
Asked by another television reporter if he was going to support the Republican nominee no matter who it is, Pence responded, “I’m going to be supporting the Republican nominee for President of the United States because I believe whether it’s Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders, that we’ll see more of the same kind of policies that will be stifling growth in the Hoosier state with higher taxes, more regulations and more federal interference in what we know how to do here in Indiana.”
This week Pence signed House Enrolled Act 1001, which will provide $42 million for each of the three Regional Cities initiatives, including the Northeast Region, of which Warsaw and Kosciusko County is a part. The Initiative encourages communities to work together to develop and implement regional plans, according to a press release from Pence’s office Wednesday.
At the fish fry, Pence said, “I really believe that in the balance of the 21st century, the states that are going to grow the most are the states that think and plan regionally, and I think that the time for communities and counties to look beyond their boundaries and think about how they can improve the quality of life in those areas is the best way for us to retain and attract the workforce that we need in growing the Indiana economy. North-central Indiana, Northeast Indiana, Southwest Indiana really are just the beginning of what I think is going to be a real renaissance of regional thinking, regional planning and ultimately jobs and opportunities for Hoosiers.”
Cruz was at the fish fry for about two hours before heading to Victory Christian Fellowship Church, North Manchester, to speak. He did not give any interviews at the fish fry, but Monica Boyer, co-founder of the Indiana Liberty Coalition, explained how she helped land Cruz at the event.
“I met Rafael about two years ago at an AFP (Americans for Prosperity) dinner and banquet and got to know him then. And then, of course, I supported Ted Cruz and the grassroots effort. They’re starting to want to come to Indiana now and send their advance crews in so they contacted us and said, ‘Where can we send him?’ So I said, ‘Right here,’” Boyer explained.
She said she was a “big” Ted Cruz supporter and didn’t know what she was going to do if Donald Trump ended up being the Republican presidential nominee.
Boyer said the Indiana Liberty Coalition was applying for a C3, a C4 and a Political Action Committee so eventually through the PAC it would be able to endorse candidates, but wouldn’t be able to this session “because the IRS is pretty slow.” She noted it would be a state PAC so it wouldn’t affect the federal candidates, just the state-level candidates.
“Our focus is going to be laser-focused on the statehouse. (Co-founder Amy Schlicther’s) focus is on life. My focus is religious freedom, and then the third component would be the Constitution, so a lot of things could fall under that – the Second Amendment, limited government, anything. Just going to be a watchdog of what’s happening. My focus is 100 percent religious freedom,” Boyer explained.
Schlicther, from Jay County, said in her whole adult life she’s struggled with infertility and pregnancy loss. “So that was already kind of like this heart string inside of me that I’ve always had like this exhuberant love for the pre-born.”
Then Boyer introduced her to the HeartBeat Bill in Ohio. After learning more, Schlicther asked Boyer why nothing like that bill was introduced here in Indiana with “all the pro-life groups in Indiana and being one of the highest-ranked pro-life states.” The answer, she said, was that no one ever stepped up to introduce one.
A heartbeat bill is anti-abortion legislation which makes abortions illegal as soon as the fetus’ heartbeat can be detected, based on the belief that a fetus is a person as soon as it has a heartbeat.
Along with Indiana Sen. Jim Banks and District 22 Rep. Curt Nisly, a heartbeat bill was filed in the House and Senate, she said, but it didn’t get a hearing.
“The fight continues, and next year we’ll fight harder. We’ll fight along religious freedom and we’ll bring the grassroots effort along with us, and they’re going to have a harder time saying no,” Schlicther said.
Boyer said a lot of people read about their Coalition in Tuesday’s newspaper and were asking about it at the fish fry.[[In-content Ad]]
The special guests included Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, Lt. Gov. Eric Holcomb and Rafael Cruz, father of Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz.
“It is the largest turnout I’ve ever seen,” former Republican Party Chairwoman Jean Northenor said.
“I’m very surprised” at the turnout, Northern District County Commissioner Brad Jackson said. “I’ve been here every year, 20 years I think, I don’t think I’ve ever missed one, and this is the biggest it’s ever been.”
Current Party Chairman Randy Girod said the turnout was “phenomenal” and “absolutely” the largest turnout he’s ever seen with a lot of new faces at the event.
“I really think people are concerned about the direction our government is going, and then want to get involved,” he said.
This morning, Girod said 1,212 fish dinners were purchased, including carryout.
In a group interview with media, Pence said, “This is Republican politics at its best. Being in Kosciusko County at the fairgrounds fish fry and seeing the enthusiasm that we see here, it gives me great confidence that we’ll have a great election year ahead of us and we’ll have a lot of support all over this state of Indiana.”
Asked by a television reporter how exciting it was that Indiana matters this year to the presidential election, Pence responded, “Not just as a Republican, but really as a Hoosier, I’m frankly very excited that both parties are going to have to come here to compete for votes in the state of Indiana. That’s happened a few times. Eight years ago, it happened in the Democratic primary, but often times our primary comes a little bit too late to see a lot of these presidential candidates, but to know they’re going to be here over the next month, I think it’s a great thing for Hoosiers in both political parties, and I’m looking forward to the national debate coming right here to the Hoosier state.”
He said it’ll provide a great opportunity for Hoosiers to talk about the state’s priorities and all the good things that are happening in Indiana.
When asked if he would endorse any particular candidate, Pence said, “I haven’t ruled out making an endorsement. I will tell you I’m looking very much forward to supporting the Republican nominee for president because I need a partner in the White House for Indiana economic growth and jobs. The truth of the matter is, the last eight years here in Indiana, we’ve been prospering, setting records in job creation almost in spite of the policies coming out of Washington, D.C. So we’ll let the debate go forward, we’ll let our nominee, our team, our ticket be developed and I’m going to strongly support the Republican team because Indiana needs a partner for growth in the White House.”
Asked by another television reporter if he was going to support the Republican nominee no matter who it is, Pence responded, “I’m going to be supporting the Republican nominee for President of the United States because I believe whether it’s Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders, that we’ll see more of the same kind of policies that will be stifling growth in the Hoosier state with higher taxes, more regulations and more federal interference in what we know how to do here in Indiana.”
This week Pence signed House Enrolled Act 1001, which will provide $42 million for each of the three Regional Cities initiatives, including the Northeast Region, of which Warsaw and Kosciusko County is a part. The Initiative encourages communities to work together to develop and implement regional plans, according to a press release from Pence’s office Wednesday.
At the fish fry, Pence said, “I really believe that in the balance of the 21st century, the states that are going to grow the most are the states that think and plan regionally, and I think that the time for communities and counties to look beyond their boundaries and think about how they can improve the quality of life in those areas is the best way for us to retain and attract the workforce that we need in growing the Indiana economy. North-central Indiana, Northeast Indiana, Southwest Indiana really are just the beginning of what I think is going to be a real renaissance of regional thinking, regional planning and ultimately jobs and opportunities for Hoosiers.”
Cruz was at the fish fry for about two hours before heading to Victory Christian Fellowship Church, North Manchester, to speak. He did not give any interviews at the fish fry, but Monica Boyer, co-founder of the Indiana Liberty Coalition, explained how she helped land Cruz at the event.
“I met Rafael about two years ago at an AFP (Americans for Prosperity) dinner and banquet and got to know him then. And then, of course, I supported Ted Cruz and the grassroots effort. They’re starting to want to come to Indiana now and send their advance crews in so they contacted us and said, ‘Where can we send him?’ So I said, ‘Right here,’” Boyer explained.
She said she was a “big” Ted Cruz supporter and didn’t know what she was going to do if Donald Trump ended up being the Republican presidential nominee.
Boyer said the Indiana Liberty Coalition was applying for a C3, a C4 and a Political Action Committee so eventually through the PAC it would be able to endorse candidates, but wouldn’t be able to this session “because the IRS is pretty slow.” She noted it would be a state PAC so it wouldn’t affect the federal candidates, just the state-level candidates.
“Our focus is going to be laser-focused on the statehouse. (Co-founder Amy Schlicther’s) focus is on life. My focus is religious freedom, and then the third component would be the Constitution, so a lot of things could fall under that – the Second Amendment, limited government, anything. Just going to be a watchdog of what’s happening. My focus is 100 percent religious freedom,” Boyer explained.
Schlicther, from Jay County, said in her whole adult life she’s struggled with infertility and pregnancy loss. “So that was already kind of like this heart string inside of me that I’ve always had like this exhuberant love for the pre-born.”
Then Boyer introduced her to the HeartBeat Bill in Ohio. After learning more, Schlicther asked Boyer why nothing like that bill was introduced here in Indiana with “all the pro-life groups in Indiana and being one of the highest-ranked pro-life states.” The answer, she said, was that no one ever stepped up to introduce one.
A heartbeat bill is anti-abortion legislation which makes abortions illegal as soon as the fetus’ heartbeat can be detected, based on the belief that a fetus is a person as soon as it has a heartbeat.
Along with Indiana Sen. Jim Banks and District 22 Rep. Curt Nisly, a heartbeat bill was filed in the House and Senate, she said, but it didn’t get a hearing.
“The fight continues, and next year we’ll fight harder. We’ll fight along religious freedom and we’ll bring the grassroots effort along with us, and they’re going to have a harder time saying no,” Schlicther said.
Boyer said a lot of people read about their Coalition in Tuesday’s newspaper and were asking about it at the fish fry.[[In-content Ad]]
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