By RAY ADLER
Ask Adler
Hamilton County sent 116 delegates to the Republican State Convention held last weekend in Indianapolis.
Some of the 116 delegates favored one candidate and some favored another. In the end it was Hamilton County that provided the winning margin to Daniel Elliott with 50.10496 percent of the vote to Elise Nieshalla’s 49.89504 percent of the vote in the race for State Treasurer. In the Secretary of State race, Diego Morales came out on top with 52.19 percent of the vote. The party was blessed to have good candidates all around.
The convention activities brought to mind some of the political statements made in times past:
- “Those that know it all are not smart enough to know that they’re not smart enough.”
- “It’s an awful small pancake that doesn’t have two sides.”
- “A friend in need is a pest.”
- “To the best of my recollection, I don’t recall remembering.”
- “I disagree with what you have to say but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”
- “A house divided cannot stand but it is no good to unite around corruption.”
- “The Republican Party has room in the tent for many views but does not have all things for all people, as there can be no compromise on values.”
- “If you can’t make them see the light, make them feel the heat.”
- “If you are with me 80 percent of the time you are a friend, not a 20-percent enemy.”
There also were impressive facts and figures reported:
- All 92 Indiana counties are represented by at least one Republican and only 13 counties are represented by a Democrat.
- The legislature recently passed the largest tax cut in history.
- Indiana has the largest school choice by parents in the nation.
- The Republican Party will support restricting abortion should Roe v. Wade be reversed.
- Indiana is the only Midwest state to grow in population the last five years.
- Interstate 69 is almost done.
- Indiana has 2.2 percent unemployment, the lowest in history.
- A total of 71 Indiana mayors are Republican and 88 percent of all countywide offices in Indiana are held by Republicans.
- Indiana has been rated third in the nation in quality of infrastructure and fifth in the nation in good business environment and is returning $1 billion of taxpayer money to the taxpayers.
- Republicans support increased law enforcement.
- Republicans support only having women in women’s sports.
- All 92 counties will have additional monitoring systems to ensure voting integrity, even though Indiana has won national awards on security and training for its elections.
Click here to view the full Indiana Republican Party platform.
Rumors abounded. Mitch Daniels is running for governor. Senator Mike Braun is running for governor. Congresswoman Victoria Spartz should run for governor. Chris Quakenbush should run next time for Sheriff.
Past true stories were told as well. An Indiana delegation was visiting with Senator Todd Young in D.C. They were talking on the Capitol’s portico overlooking the Washington Mall. The House side is to the left as you look out and the Senate side is to the right with the entrance area about six feet wide in the middle. Sen. Young stepped to the left to allow one of his constituents to take a better picture, and Nancy Pelosi’s sent a staffer to ask him to get off the House side. The cord cordoning off the House side had been moved by him perhaps as much as two inches as he had stepped aside. No wonder his job is so hard in D.C.
Of course, there were the candidates running for offices. Todd Rokita, the current Indiana Attorney General was on hand. Candidates included everyone from Eric Doden, running for governor to Tiffany Pascoe running for Hamilton Southeastern School Board. Noblesville’s Micah Beckwith seemed to be one of the most popular folks at the convention. On Friday night, he received friends and well-wishers for four straight hours and had so many wishing to talk to him he could barely get out the door.