State party chairs lay out strategies going into Election Day

By GARRETT BERGQUIST
WISH-TV | wishtv.com

The two major parties’ state chairs both said they see openings to flip key statewide and Congressional seats in Tuesday’s election.

Indiana Democrats in recent weeks unveiled their Contract With Women campaign pledge, placing access to abortion services front and center in Democrats’ election efforts.

Indiana Democratic Party Chair Mike Schmuhl defended his party’s choice to focus heavily on abortion and child care issues, saying Indiana’s new abortion ban crystalizes for voters the danger of having a supermajority in the state legislature. He says voters have shown interest in the Contract With Women’s proposals.

“We are at the bottom of the barrel in so many rankings and to become the first state in the country, in special session, post-Dobbs, to pass a near-total abortion ban, I think is unfortunate,” Schmuhl said.

State Republican Party Chair Kyle Hupfer says he did not believe abortion would turn out to be a deciding factor in the election. He pointed to polls that consistently show the economy and inflation top voters’ lists of concerns.

“Certainly there was some attention around (abortion) at the time,” Hupfer said. “But as we get closer and closer to Election Day, as we’re looking at polling, voters are going back to what they always go back to – pocketbook issues.”

Republicans need to gain five seats to win control of the U.S. House. Polls have put Democratic Congressman Frank Mrvan in a tossup with Republican Jennifer-Ruth Green for the First Congressional District seat in northwest Indiana.

Hupfer says Green has run a “tremendous” campaign and her message is resonating with voters in that district. He says high Republican turnout and support for Republican policies nationally could help her take the seat.

Schmuhl says it’s essential for Democrats to hold on to the seat. He says Mrvan is doing what he needs to do by keeping his head down and focusing on delivering results for his constituents. Both parties have diverted national-level funding to the race.

The race for secretary of state has been especially contentious due to questions surrounding Republican candidate Diego Morales’ military service, his stance on the 2020 election, and allegations of sexual assault made by two women.

Morales has denied those allegations and told News 8 in a recent interview he believes Joe Biden is the legitimately elected president.

Hupfer says he didn’t believe those concerns would sink Morales’ campaign. He says one of the women who accused Morales of wrongdoing approached him two months after the state GOP convention in May. When News 8 asked him to detail what she told him, Hupfer said he would refer to the statements both the women involved and Morales have put forward.

Schmuhl, for his part, says all of the questions surrounding Morales are a serious cause for concern and have generated significant interest in Democratic candidate Destiny Wells. He says Wells’ small-town upbringing and long military career appeal to a broad range of Indiana voters.

All Indiana Politics airs at 9:30 a.m. Sunday on WISH-TV.