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INDIANAPOLIS – Neither candidate for governor is wasting any time.
Within hours of winning the Democratic nomination, Jill Long Thompson was taking aim at Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels’ folksy image, while the incumbent was airing an in-your-face ad touting his accomplishments.
The ad has a lot of people talking, probably because it is a complete departure from the campaign’s usual warm-and-fuzzy tone.
There are no spoken words or pictures in the ad, just an addictive orchestral score that sounds like a trailer for a summer blockbuster movie, while phrases pop up on the screen about accomplishments during Daniels first term.
“Just three years – a world of change,” the 1-minute ad begins. Then it plugs everything from balanced budgets and record-breaking job creation to decreased property taxes and more children in full-day kindergarten.
“And we’re just getting started,” the ad states. “Courage. Vision. Results. Mitch Daniels.”
This is what Long Thompson has to combat to win in November. And she will need a united Democratic party to do so.
Long Thompson prevailed but only with a razor-thin margin over Jim Schellinger, who was perceived to be the establishment candidate from the beginning.
“Always after a primary it takes a little bit of time,” said Dan Parker, chairman of the Indiana Democratic Party. “But Democrats understand we need a change in this state.”
Former state Democratic Chairman Robin Winston echoed Parker, saying “the fight with Hoosiers is not between Jill Long Thompson and Jim Schellinger. It’s restoring some things that have been taken away by the last four years of a Daniels administration.”
But it will be an uphill battle, especially given the commanding fundraising lead that Daniels has amassed.
Long Thompson raised more than $1 million for her primary challenge while Daniels has topped $8 million.
Cam Savage, spokesman for the Daniels campaign, said its overall fundraising goal is $17 million – the amount spent in the 2004 election against former Gov. Joe Kernan – but it could end up eclipsing $20 million.
And, Savage said, ads will continue on television non-stop through the Nov. 4 election.
“Our campaign will be divided between talking about the progress we’ve made, the way in which we are now clearly surpassing other states. But then primarily about constructive thoughts about how we keep this going and how we extend it,” Daniels said. “It’s only a start. We’ve got so much more to do.”
Long Thompson essentially has to start over again, having spent her resources on getting the nomination in the first place.
Parker already is trying to assist, sending out an e-mail to Democrats on Thursday that offered his congratulations to her.
“United behind her, we can beat Gov. Daniels in the fall and give this state back the responsible leadership it deserves,” the e-mail said. The next line asked supporters to contribute to Jill’s campaign and linked to her official Web site.
Long Thompson’s campaign also will take over some office space from the party in downtown Indianapolis as early as next week.
But Parker doesn’t think she needs to compete dollar-for-dollar with Daniels – “she needs to raise just enough to compete and get her message out.”
This is evidenced by several recent races – including Long Thompson’s win over Schellinger and Hillary Rodham Clinton’s win over Barack Obama – in which both winners were heavily outspent.
“We are still crunching those numbers,” Long Thompson said. “It’s important for us to be very strategic. I’ve always been good at spending money wisely.”
She does have a few areas where her campaign can concentrate its efforts, including some fairly significant voter discontent.
“As a governor he’s still not the most popular governor in the country,” said Leonard Williams, professor of political science at Manchester College. “His approval ratings are better than the president, but not stellar by any means.”
A poll conducted by the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics a week before the primary election showed Daniels’ performance rating at 5.3 on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest.
Participants also were asked whom they would support between Daniels and Long Thompson. She held a statistically insignificant lead of 49 percent to 46 percent.
“This election is shaping up to be a referendum on Governor Mitch Daniels,” the poll said.
Long Thompson will likely hit Daniels hard on privatization, including a $1 billion welfare eligibility contract and the lease of the Indiana Toll Road.
“She has offered her own vision, but she would be remiss not to acknowledge the failures and the style of leadership,” Winston said.
Meanwhile, Daniels will have to fit campaigning into a busy schedule as governor. In 2004, he was free to roam the state all day, every day in an recreational vehicle.
“It’s a first-time experience, and we’re working on it,” Daniels said. “The starting point in seeking to be rehired is to do a good job, and I’m not going to take my eye off the ball. I don’t think a great campaign would matter much if we didn’t really handle our stewardship of state government. I think there’s time enough for both. I can parallel process. I can multitask.”
Williams said Long Thompson was extremely successful in northern Indiana, including Allen County, where she captured 70 percent of the vote. But she needs to improve in other population centers, such as Indianapolis, Evansville and South Bend.
“She might take a page or two from the Clinton campaign and run a little more populist in an effort to appeal to all voters,” he said. “Maybe tell more of her story in terms of background and years of growing up on the farm.”
Her first major announcement of the general campaign will likely be a lieutenant governor running mate. She told reporters Wednesday that she has some ideas but played coy in naming any possibilities.
Several names did surface during the week in various publications and Internet blogs, including former Fort Wayne Mayor Graham Richard, former House Speaker John Gregg and Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel.
All three would bring state legislative experience to the team, but Richard could be problematic if she wants a geographically balanced ticket because she grew up in Whitley County and he still lives in northeast Indiana. Meanwhile, Weinzapfel is just starting his second term, meaning he would have to leave office if elected.
But Parker says Long Thompson has time to make a choice that works best for her campaign, noting the nominating convention isn’t until June 21.
And he said the only measure that really matters in a lieutenant governor is a “person who is ready to be governor at a moment’s notice.”
nkelly@jg.net
