Tagged: Indiana

Social issues are becoming the focus of the Indiana gubernatorial race.

Democrat John Gregg has released a new television ad targeting Republican opponent Mike Pence over pay equity for women and access to Planned Parenthood’s preventative health programs. In 2011, Pence led the fight to to cut funding for the group.

Watch the ad:

In the Indiana gubernatorial race, a new poll shows Republican Mike Pence leading Democrat John Gregg by an 18-point margin.

The Indiana Chamber of Commerce released the survey Thursday showing that among 600 likely voters, Pence has 50 percent while Gregg is being backed by 32 percent in the fall election. Polling also shows Libertarian candidate Rupert Boneham with about 3 percent support, and that 15 percent of Hoosier voters are still undecided.

Pence campaign spokeswoman Christy Denault says they haven’t focused on the poll numbers, but instead on touting their platform.

"Mike has a vision for how to make this a state that works, we’re focused on jobs and education," she says. "We have a whole slate of policy rollouts already scheduled and we’re going to keep rolling out our ideas so that the people of Indiana get an idea who Mike Pence is and what he will do should he become governor of this great state."

Indiana Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Gregg unveiled his first campaign television ad Tuesday that highlights his small town roots.

The 30-second spot features the former state House speaker criticizing political advertisements and instead talks about his longtime friends from his hometown of Sandborn, Indiana.

Gregg tells the story of a friend who caught cancer and moved in with others, adding he wants to keep Indiana "a place where people look out for each other.

Watch below:

In the Indiana Senate race, Democratic Congressman Joe Donnelly has released a poll showing a statistical tie with Republican State Treasurer Richard Mourdock in the fall election.

The internal survey of 601 likely voters shows Donnelly leading by 1 percentage point with 44 percent over Mourdock at 40 percent and Libertarian Andrew Horning with 4 percent. Indiana is leaning Republican in the presidential race and will likely go to Mitt Romney in the presidential race, but the Senate contest is gaining national attention for its competitiveness.

Donnelly says the race will be competitive and close until November, but that his polling shows voters are exhausted with partisan bickering in Congress.

"You know it is about as close to a tie ballgame as you can get. And what that’s about is the people of Indiana just want solutions. They don’t want people fighting or being extremely partisan. We want more jobs and more opportunity, and people to work together," he says. "And that’s why I think we’ve been successful to this point because we’re talking about issues."

The lingering drought has led the U.S. Department of Agriculture to declare a natural disaster in 14 more of Indiana's 92 counties.

The USDA added the north-central Indiana counties today.  Along with adjacent counties, they qualify for low-interest relief loans from the federal government.

Fifty counties earlier had been declared natural disaster areas.  

Indiana Democratic Senate candidate Joe Donnelly released a new television ad Wednesday that once again lampooned Republican Richard Mourdock as a heckler.

Last month, the Donnelly camp ran a spot with a Mourdock impersonator jeering the congressman from the bleachers. In the latest 30-second ad, Donnelly touts his small business background and advocates for cuts to government spending.

Donnelly also criticizes his GOP opponent for filing a lawsuit against the auto bailout and the commercial features a Mourdock impersonator driving by in a car yelling, "it's my way or the highway."

Check it out: