Goodin chosen by McCormick; party has final say

(The Center Square) – A former state lawmaker from southern Indiana who worked in the Biden administration is the preferred nominee for lieutenant governor by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jennifer McCormick.

Terry Goodin, an Austin native, had served until recently as the Indiana state office director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development. He also served 20 years in the Indiana House of Representatives and rose to become minority leader for one year in 2017.

On Thursday, McCormick said, “Given the critical role that lieutenant governor plays in our state and the responsibilities associated with the office, specifically with an emphasis on ag and rural development, I am well aware of how important it is to make this selection based upon character, based upon credentials for the office and a commitment to public service.”

Goodin’s nomination must be confirmed by the state Democratic Party when it holds its convention July 13 in Indianapolis. The Republican Party went against the wishes of its gubernatorial candidate, U.S. Sen. Mike Braun, when it voted for Micah Beckwith to be the lieutenant governor nominee instead of state Rep. Julie McGuire of Indianapolis.

Democrats can also buck with their gubernatorial candidate, as at least two other candidates have filed for the second position on the ticket.

On Monday, Clif Marsiglio, an Indianapolis mayor candidate last year, posted his candidacy form on his website. Bobby Kern, another Indianapolis resident, submitted his paperwork last month. Kern, a perennial candidate for office, initially planned to run for governor.

However, in a December interview with the Indiana Daily Student, he said he would back McCormick and run for lieutenant governor instead.

Goodin’s background may make it hard for some Democrats to support him next month. During his time as a state lawmaker, he earned an endorsement from the National Rifle Association in 2020, according to votesmart.org. He also voted to place a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage on the Indiana ballot in 2011 and espoused anti-abortion positions in the Statehouse.

McCormick told reporters she believes the Democratic Party is “truly a big tent” and that the campaign has received a lot of positive feedback on the selection.

Still, rumors of McCormick picking Goodin circulated in social media channels on Wednesday, with some responding that a more conservative candidate would not help win over enough voters for Democrats to take back the governor’s office for the first time since Joe Kernan held it 20 years ago.

Both McCormick and Goodin made it clear in their remarks to reporters Thursday afternoon that they will fight for all Hoosiers. The gubernatorial candidate, who won the state’s superintendent of public instruction election eight years ago as a Republican, added her preferred nominee “is aligned to my unwavering commitment to restoring reproductive rights and freedoms.”

Goodin, in his remarks to the press, noted that he did not realize how many people he “hurt” with his vote against same-sex marriage. He also said that while his record on the abortion issue was “pretty spotty at best,” with female lawmakers telling him that any bill he supported would be nullified by Roe v. Wade if it went too far.

The 2022 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to throw out that landmark ruling changed all that, he said.

“We are in a completely new universe,” he said. “The Dobbs decision was an all-out assault on women’s personal freedoms and individual rights. It was a politically motivated, partisan decision, and it was wrong. As defenders of individual rights and personal freedoms and plain good old common sense, we must do everything we can to restore the rights of women to make decisions about their own bodies.”