V 12, No 35 Thursday, May 4, 2006 The flogging of Senate hubris Robert Garton’s defeat is another legislator should go unopposed. In a district designed to pro- tect the tenure of Sen. Garton, the primary was a way to stim- indicator of the Old Guard out of touch ulate that debate. Just as Jeff Drozda did in 2002 against By BRIAN A. HOWEY in Indianapolis Sen. Steve Johnson. Just as Brent Waltz did in 2004 against On a stark January day, I received a phone call from Senate Finance Chairman Larry Borst. Just as Richmond the 812 area code. It was from Council President was doing in a guy named Greg Walker. He Sen. Allen Paul’s district, Tom asked me if he should run for Dermody in Rep. Mary Kay the legislature, against one of Budak’s district, Commissioner the true, legendary powerhous- Rick Eller in Rep. Rich McClain’s es, Senate President Pro district. Tempore Robert D. Garton. “You probably won’t win,” I It was about a 10 told Walker. “Don’t run specifically minute conversation. He made to win. It might happen. But there’s it clear he was pro-life, a home a greater role for you in this. You schooler. He favored Right to will be fulfilling our forefather’s Work legislation. There was no intention of good citizenship.” question that he was right of This is a story of power and center, right of my own moder- of commonality. It is a story of ate politics. hubris. It is a story about redemp- And I gave him an tion, and callousness. answer that I would give just about any Hoosier but a Nazi, At odds with the President a Kluxer or an anarchist: Run, Sen. Garton personified the Mr. Walker. Not so much as to status quo. There is no doubt that win, but as an instigator of a community conversation. No Continued on page 3 Memo to Bauer: Health care peril By BRIAN A. HOWEY Memo to House Minority Leader B. Patrick Bauer: Your promises to House Democrats to bring back lifetime health care for legislators should your party return to the majority this November is fraught with peril. If Rep. Bauer isn’t convinced, then “It wasn’t our organization. I’m let’s revisit the scene of the second titanic defeat of a political powerhouse in two convinced that organizations win years: Senate District 41 in Johnson and elections and candidates lose them. Bartholomew counties, which for 36 years was served by Senate President Pro And this candidate lost.” Tempore Robert D. Garton. In the 1998 and – Senate President Pro Tempore Robert 2002 primaries, Garton ran unopposed and received 11,930 and 10,106 respectively. In his last general election, D. Garton HOWEY Political Report Page 2 Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Thursday, May 4, 2006 he received 21,000 votes and defeated a Libertarian by 18,000. Senate leadership battle p. 11 But in his crushing defeat on Tuesday, by a landslide 58-42 per- Bayh and Electoral College p. 12 cent margin, Garton was defeated by Columnists: James, Shabazz p. 14 Columbus accountant Greg Walker 2,767 to 2,130. Only 4,897 people Horse Race: Donnelly polls more votes showed up. Folks, that’s what we in the political world call base suppres- than Chocola, Stemler defeats Bottorff p. 15 sion. Walker won, in part, because his Right to Life network turned out. Ticker: Helmke to head gun control group p.17 But the larger factor was because a huge percentage of Garton’s previ- ous supporters didn’t bother to vote. The reasons for this could be many: The Howey Political Report is The Howey Political Report Gas prices, the war, the higher prop- PO Box 40265 published by NewsLink Inc. It was Indianapolis, IN 46240-0265. erty taxes in places such as Franklin. founded in 1994. And, of course, lifetime www.howeypolitics.com health care for legislators. This was Brian A. Howey, Publisher [email protected] the program that House Speaker Mark Schoeff Jr., Washington Writer Indianapolis Office: 317-506-0883. Brian Bosma found so politically Mark Curry, Washington Writer Indianapolis Fax: 317-254-0535. explosive that he ended it in Jack E. Howey, Editor Washington, DC Office: 202-256-5822. February, calling it an “inappropriate” Business Office: 317-254-0535. perk. But Garton didn’t, insisting that Subscriptions: he needed to keep his promise to $350 annually HPR via e-mail; ©2006, The Howey Political Report. All rights reserved. Photocopying, Internet forwarding, faxing the 50 senators and staff who were $550 annually HPR & HPR Daily Wire. Call 317-254-0535. or reproducing in any form, in whole or part, is a given this benefit in clandestine fash- violation of federal law and is strictly prohibited ion back in 2001 and 2002. without consent of the publisher. In his slick TV ads, voters were told that Garton’s “word was his Woodruff, Bill Davis and Billy Bright used commission to go to Boston and bond.” The problem with that is that the issue against Democratic incumbent Montpelier, size up the issue and bring a 800,000 Hoosiers – 14 percent – are legislators John Frenz, Ron Liggett and comprehensive bill into the 2007 legisla- without health insurance. And for Markt Lytle in November 2004 with dev- tive session. hundreds of thousands of others who astating results. So the casualty total on It will be interesting to see if have developed sole proprietor busi- lifetime health care is now five. Bauer, who hopes that Democrats will nesses and have a pre-existing med- The senators who were with regain their majority this fall and return ical condition, we either go without at Garton at the disastrous February press him to speaker, will now renounce his the risk of personal financial calamity conference in which he defended the pro- plans to bring lifetime health care back or we pay through the nose (two gram – Republicans Luke Kenley, David for his members while 800,000 Hoosiers years ago, I paid over $15,000 in Long, James Merritt and Democrats Vi go without. This should be a hot issue. health insurance). So who was Simpson and Earline Rogers – have a big As for the political death knell of Garton keeping his bond to: his 50 problem. Major Moves and Daylight-Saving time, fellow senators, or the other 60,000 It was at that presser that I well, disgruntled Hoosiers ticked off about citizens in his district? The lifetime asked Kenley (lucky for him he’s not run- change, it didn’t happen. Major Moves health care issue has now claimed ning this year) if there would be a sum- never surfaced in the Garton-Walker two of the most powerful legislators mer study committee on health care ini- race. in the history of Indiana in two con- tiatives in Vermont (and, since, There were three House secutive primaries. In 2004, it was Massachusetts, where everyone will be Republicans – State Reps. Timothy responsible for Brent Waltz’s 30-vote covered). Kenley was dismissive. Didn’t Neese, Don Lehe and Rich McClain – upset of Senate Finance Chairman know, didn’t care. who faced credible primary challenges Larry Borst. Waltz’s polling showed Garton might have met a different where the issue was raised. Lehe won that 80 percent in his district were fate had he, Kenley and Simpson stood 4,370 to 2,729; Neese 2,862 to 1,169; revulsed by the perk. up and announced a bipartisan study and McClain 2,046 to 1,714. Republican challengers Troy HOWEY Political Report Page 3 Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Thursday, May 4, 2006 Of the two other legislative incumbents who lost – challengers, saw their opponents get around 30 percent of State Reps. Mary Kay Budak and Carlene Bottorff – Major the vote. Moves was not an apparent factor. Both Budak and her oppo- So the answer to that question, as I spend $120 to fill nent, Tom Dermody, supported Major Moves. Bottorff was a up my gas tank, is yes, people are PO’d. We want to hear vocal opponent. solutions. We want both parties to lay out a vision on health As for that voter angst and anger that I wrote about care, energy policy, immigration and the war. last week, did it surface? And we the people will be more than willing to destroy Well, I can’t remember a primary where three incum- the careers of politicians who don’t. Right Bob? bent legislators lost. Meanwhile, Republican U.S. Reps. Chris Chocola and Mark Souder – both facing underfunded gadfly indirectly criticizing Borst. The man called and I was afraid he Garton’s Exit, from page 1 was going to have a heart attack or seizure. His attorney sug- gested legal action. I remember storming back, saying that Sen. Garton had restored integrity to the scandal-marred tiny little HPR was the only entity willing to take on powers Indiana Senate in 1980 after Chip Edwards was indicted and like Garton and Borst. The lobbyists like to talk a good game convicted of bribery. But, in my view, he also became the of reform, but when it came time for a contested primary, they agent for preserving the status quo, sometime with disastrous acted as if the sky was going to fall. consequences. One of the first issues I covered as an Elkhart When the revenue numbers came in late that spring, Truth reporter at the General Assembly was the Senate Bill 1 the leadership of Garton and Borst finally let their clutches off of 1985, the banking reform bill.