Democrat Jennifer McCormick selects Terry Goodin as preferred lieutenant governor

Democratic Indiana gubernatorial candidate Jennifer McCormick announced Terry Goodin on Thursday afternoon as her preferred choice for lieutenant governor.

As a state representative representing the 66th District in southern Indiana for two decades (2000-2020), Goodin became known as a “socially conservative Democrat”—a reputation that adds another layer to the centrist image McCormick is hoping to show voters to counter what her campaign is calling an “extreme agenda” by her Republican opponents Mike Braun and Micah Beckwith.

“My selection of Dr. Terry Goodin is aligned to our unwavering, unwavering, commitment to restoring reproductive rights and freedoms, prioritizing education and ensuring good-paying jobs,” McCormick said. “It is also a selection that stays true to empowering all Hoosiers and all means all.”

Being chosen by McCormick does not automatically make Goodwin the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor. Democratic delegates will head to Indianapolis July 13 to select its party’s candidates for lieutenant governor and attorney general.

Goodin, 57, was chosen as minority leader by his caucus in the Indiana House of Representatives in 2017, but he lost his House seat to Republican Zach Payne in 2020.

His marquee legislation as a representative centered on uplifting rural communities through better education, development and broadband access.

He vice-chaired the House Ways and Means Committee and served as a member of the committees on Agriculture and Rural Development, Natural Resources, Roads and Transportation, International Trade, Banking and Finance, and Elections and Apportionment. He also spent time on the State Budget Committee.

Since his time in the Statehouse, Goodin has served as the Indiana state rural development director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

Similarly to McCormick, Goodin has a background in education, serving as the superintendent of Crothersville Community Schools. There, he oversaw the creation of a college credit program and greenlit vocational training that allowed students to earn certifications. He also was an assistant principal and teacher. 

Where Goodin and McCormick might deviate ideologically is their opinions on social issues. Goodin has a history of aligning with Republicans on issues including gun rights, gay marriage and abortion.

Goodin gave an animated speech outlining his priorities, including improving rural opportunity, wages and education. He also recanted and apologized for several of his previous votes, including on women’s reproduction rights and gay marriage.

McCormick has said they are “lockstep” in their stances on women’s reproductive rights, union support, wage growth, infrastructure development and education. 

“The beautiful thing about the Democratic Party is we are a huge tent, and in that big tent comes a lot of ideas and a lot of events and a lot of big hearts and a lot of personalities,” she said about party divisions. “I know people are trying to find that divisive stream, but I will tell you we will come together.”

Goodin also represents a demographic McCormick needs to persuade. As a native of Austin, Indiana, he grew up on a cattle farm and still tends to his family farm today. His former district was entirely rural. He also identifies as Pentecostal. 

He also belongs to the Indiana Farm Bureau and the National Rifle Association as well as beef cattle, religious and superintendent groups. 

“I know in my 20 years of service in the legislature, my vote on women’s reproductive rights have been somewhat spotty at best,” he said Thursday. “The Dobbs decision was an all-out assault on a woman’s personal freedoms and individual rights. It was politically motivated. It was a partisan decision, and it was wrong.”

McCormick’s decision comes after months of rumors and discussions about the health of the Indiana Democratic Party and her ability to be competitive in a state that has not had a blue top state official in more 20 years. Rumblings ensued when Vatican Ambassador Joe Donnelly said he planned to leave his post and return to Indiana days before the Democratic State Convention.

Besides Goodin, delegates’ options also include perennial political candidate Bob Kern and activist Clif Marsiglio. Marsiglio said he would “walk away when we have a candidate who shares the loving values we all desire,” He since has said that Goodin does not qualify based on his prior votes opposing gay marriage. 

A gubernatorial candidate’s pick is not automatically confirmed. Delegates of both political parties tend to lean more left or right than the candidates, who need to appeal to a larger voter base. 

On the other side of the aisle, Republican candidate Mike Braun’s preferred running mate Rep. Julie McGuire narrowly lost to minister Beckwith at last Saturday’s GOP convention. 

McCormick, the former state superintendent of public instruction, will face Braun and Libertarian Donald Rainwater in November’s election to replace Gov. Eric Holcomb, a Republican, who could not run for reelection due to term limits. 

McCormick and State Party Chair Mike Schmuhl said at a press conference Tuesday morning that Beckwith’s upset win last Saturday is emblematic of the direction the Republican party is headed in. 

They touched on Beckwith’s previous comments about God sending Jan. 6 insurrectionists to the Capital, his charge to remove certain books while on the Hamilton County School Board and the potential for his religious views to blend into state politics. 

“To put someone in that position from either party that is not equipped to do that job is irresponsible,” McCormick said. “There’s where it lies as far as making sure we are selecting people of character, competence and who are committed to all Hoosiers—and not just to a small minority group of folks who are trying to push an extreme agenda.”

The events at the GOP convention didn’t surprise her, she said, but reminded her why she left the party. McCormick previously served as the state’s superintendent of public instruction as a Republican, but she switched party affiliations in 2021.

“Beckwith is in control of the party in this moment, and that is very unfortunate for the Republican Party of Indiana,” she said. ‘The days of Lugar are gone.”

Schmuhl said he believes Beckwith’s win is a loss for Braun and weakens his campaign’s reach. He added this convention and the crowded gubernatorial primary shows widening cracks within the state party.

“That to me is a sign for the party. A party that has serious divisions,” Schmuhl said. “A party that has serious gaps, and a party that knows no end to how extreme it will become and how much power they will try to take in our state.”

Braun’s campaign rebuked the Democrats’ front Tuesday afternoon in a statement, saying the Republican ticket is seeking to improve Hoosiers’ lives and boost the state’s entrepreneurial posture. 

“McCormick’s troubles are rooted in the fact that she’s a dishonest progressive who can’t even tell Hoosiers who she voted for in previous presidential elections, which even Democrats admit is embarrassing,” Braun Senior Advisor Josh Kelley said in the statement.