INDIANAPOLIS - Green and white balloons fell onto the stage where incumbent Gov. Mitch Daniels stood as a crowd of more than 600 supporters lifted cheers and chants of "My Man Mitch."
Standing in the crowd, the only thing Daniels' supporter Rema Duncan, 24, could do was smile.
Duncan, who attends Indiana Bible College in Indianapolis, has lived in the Hoosier state since 2006. He said he's been pleased with Daniels' leadership the past two years, and he's confident the next four will be even better with the governor's direction.
"I think it's going to be good for Indiana," Duncan said. "We really do need somebody with that type of vision that can promote change and stimulate excitement in the people."
Daniels won a victory Tuesday night with 58 percent of the vote compared to 40 percent for Democratic challenger Jill Long Thompson.
Although Daniels didn't focus on higher education in his acceptance speech Tuesday night, Campaign Communications Director Cam Savage said the governor places high importance on the collegiate system. One of Daniels' proposals for higher education, Savage said, is the Hoosier College Promise. Savage said Daniels plans to give financial aid to in-state students from families making less than $60,000.
"The governor wants to make Hoosier College Promise a reality," Savage said. "He wants to be able to promise every high school grad in Indiana two years of college paid for. They want to have that guarantee so they can stay in school and know that they can go on to college if they want to. That's something we're going to start to work on right away as soon as the legislature comes back."
Daniels ran his second campaign for governor with the promise to continue the positive change he brought to the state four years ago. His young supporters praised Daniels for his government reform and economic policies.
Daniels balanced the state's budget from a $2 million deficit to a $1.4 billion surplus during the last four years, according to his campaign Web site. He also secured 60,000 new jobs, according to the Web site, that will be in Indiana by 2012.
Daniels' supporters said they were as pleased with the way he ran his campaign as the things he's accomplished in office. Amy Freiburger, 22, a member of the Governor's Fellowship Program, said Long Thompson's campaign was too negative and didn't focus on her policies.
"I think Jill Long Thompson, the only thing she brought to the table was a negative campaign in things she was upset with in Gov. Daniels," Freiburger said. "She didn't bring anything to the table. When you're voting for a new candidate, you need to stay in the qualities that the other candidate brings, and she didn't bring anything."
Daniels said his victory was a testament to Hoosiers' desire to continue the path toward an improved state for the next four years. He said their voices will help Indiana not only lead the Midwest but develop into one of the leaders of the nation.
"The historians will have to take new look at Indiana," Daniels said. "Never again will they be able to say this is a change-never state. We proved tonight we are not only ready to accept change, we're ready to lead change. Let the rest of America follow us."
College PromiseOne of Governor Mitch Daniels' plans involves helping Indiana high school graduates go to college. The plan, called the Hoosier College Promise, would mostly help students whose families earn less than $60,000 a year.Free Tuition- Households that qualify could receive two years of free tuition at Ivy Tech Community College.Alternative Option- If the students choose, they could receive $6,000 to use for their first two years at another college or university instead of the free tuition. The school must be recognized by the State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana to be eligible. Requirements- Students must be enrolled full time to be eligible for the program.- Students must also maintain a "C" average in their degree program of choice.
Indiana EducationThese are some facts about education in Indiana from Mitch Daniels' Web site:
- 651,609 Hoosiers completed high school but have no college education
- 524,029 Hoosiers have not completed high school or its equivalent
- Indiana ranks 44th among states for the share of population older than 25 with a bachelor's degree
- Indiana ranks 41st among states for share of working-age adults with an associate degree or higher
- Approximately two-thirds of all students borrow money to pay for college. The average debt load for a student graduating with a bachelor's degree has climbed to $20,000 up from $9,000 in 1993
- Over the last 10 years tuition at Indiana's public four-year universities has risen an average of 105 percent. Over the same period Hoosiers' personal income grew by 44.2 percent
- 69 percent of Indiana high school juniors from families without a college graduate in the house and 40 percent with a college graduate in the house did not think they could afford to go to college
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