The Indiana Democratic Party has a lot of room for improvement.
The Indiana General Assembly is currently dominated by the Republicans, who have a supermajority. During the 2020 gubernatorial election, the Democratic candidate Woody Myers managed to secure only 32% of the vote, leading to a rather lackluster end to his campaign.
In 2024, the Indiana Democratic Party appears to have taken a curious approach to winning a statewide election. They have chosen to field two former Republicans, who have maintained their views since their time in the GOP. While Jennifer McCormick’s selection could be justified, her running mate Terry Goodin has not displayed any inclination towards the values of the Democratic party.
As progressives in Indiana, we have made compromises in the past with the goal of winning, but supporting Terry Goodin is a step too far. It begs the question, what does it even mean to be a Democrat if someone like Goodin is considered one?
The Indiana Democratic Party has failed to secure electoral victories despite its move towards the right. Perhaps it’s time for the party to consider a new approach and provide its supporters with a candidate that they can truly get behind. It may not necessarily have to be for the governor position, but perhaps for the role of lieutenant governor. With the current state of the party, taking a different direction seems like a risk worth taking.
