EVANSVILLE, Ind. — The candidates for Indiana governor made their final appeals to Hoosier voters Tuesday during a third debate that remained exceedingly civil despite tackling several highly divisive issues.
On abortion, Republican Lt. Gov. Eric Holcomb and Democratic former House Speaker John Gregg both declared themselves “pro-life” and indirectly chided Republican Gov. Mike Pence for seeking and approving unconstitutional abortion restrictions earlier this year.
Holcomb pledged, if elected, to work with the Republican-controlled General Assembly to temper any future abortion limitations.
Gregg said the state should do more to reduce abortion by supporting programs that prevent unplanned pregnancies.
The candidates diverged sharply on legalizing Sunday alcohol sales and medical marijuana use, with Holcomb favoring no change in the status quo and Gregg open to acting on both.
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“I would support medical marijuana,” Gregg said. “If it would be a benefit to a patient they should be allowed to use it.”
Holcomb insisted, “Having any discussion about legalizing drugs at this time seems to be off-key.”
Both candidates did express support for county needle exchange programs to reduce disease spread by Hoosier heroin addicts that share dirty needles.
They also endorsed drug treatment instead of imprisonment for individual users.
In terms of Hoosier health generally, debate moderator Mizell Stewart III, former Evansville Courier and Press editor, pointed out that Hoosiers eat more and exercise less than other Americans causing the state to rank 41st out of 50 for overall health.
Holcomb proclaimed there’s plenty of options already out there for Hoosiers to improve their health and he twice recited the telephone number for state’s quit smoking hotline. He also said he wants to reduce food deserts and increase bike trails.
Gregg asserted that Indiana hasn’t sufficiently prioritized the health of its citizens. He pledged not to only improve health education but also funding for public health programs, such as infant mortality reduction.
In what was billed as a “social issues” debate, Stewart did not ask about the Pence administration’s 2015 “religious freedom” debacle that many Hoosiers believed created a license to discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals.
Nevertheless, Gregg used an open question period to vow that he will enact LGBT anti-discrimination protections and promised he will “never embarrass the citizens or the state of Indiana.”
Holcomb used his open response time to tout his record of public service alongside Pence, former Gov. Mitch Daniels and U.S. Sen. Dan Coats. He said he believes in “serving a cause greater than myself.”
When asked how their Christian religious beliefs would guide their actions as governor, both Gregg and Holcomb said they live their faith privately and respect those with other beliefs or no beliefs at all.
They also both committed to preserving open access to public records, finding more employment opportunities for disabled Hoosiers and using their pardon authority more generously than Pence has.
Rex Bell, the Libertarian gubernatorial candidate, stuck to a consistent theme no matter the question during the hour-long debate at the University of Southern Indiana.
“My plan for Indiana is to get government out of your way,” Bell said. “I want the government to protect you from force and fraud, perform its constitutional duties, but other than that I’d like to leave you alone to live your own life.”