Democrat and former Congresswoman Jill Long Thompson announced Tuesday that she will run for governor in the 2008 election.
Long Thompson, 54, a Whitley County native, said she is running to lead Indiana in a new direction.
"It is important that we have leadership that recognizes spending versus investing," Long Thompson said in a telephone interview Wednesday.
She previously attended the Northern Indiana Democrat dinner in Columbia City April 21 with her parents where she announced she was considering running for governor.
She made stops in South Bend, Fort Wayne and Indianapolis Tuesday to announce her candidacy. She also stopped Wednesday in Evansville and Terre Haute.
She was born in Warsaw, and grew up on a family farm outside Larwill in Whitley County. She currently lives on a farm in Marshall County near Culver and Argos.
Long Thompson said issues of importance to her are economic growth and reinvesting in higher education to keep skilled graduates in Indiana.
She said she feels she is well-qualified to serve as Indiana's governor.
Long Thompson was first elected to Congress in 1989, and was re-elected in 1990 and 1992.
She served three-terms in the U.S. House of Representatives for Indiana's fourth congressional district from 1989 to 1995.
"My experience as a member of Congress, working with the Republican district, helped provide me with opportunities to work with people who have difference of opinions and helped us learn to find a common ground," she said.
She also served as Undersecretary of Agriculture for Rural Development and was recently the CEO for the National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy.
Other candidates running for governor include State Senate Minority Leader Richard Young, Milltown, and Jim Schellinger, president of an Indianapolis architecture firm.
For more information about Long Thompson, visit www.hoosiersforjill.com
