Earlier this week, both Indiana gubernatorial candidates announced their choices for Lt. Governor. Republican Mike Pence announced state representative, Sue Ellspermann as his choice and Democrat John Gregg said Vi Simpson would fill the position if he were elected to office.
Pence, who is notoriously conservative and blurs the lines that exist between church and state, opinion and right, is likely to be the predecessor of current Gov. Mitch Daniels.
Elected to Congress in 2000, Pence was most recently appointed to his sixth term in November 2010, and according to his campaign website, he is a self-described "Christian, conservative and Republican - in that order."
Now don't get confused and think that this is some kind of anti-Republican, radical liberal, feminazi rant on how Pence is the devil. I don't want Gregg in office either.
Gregg, who was a state representative in the Indiana house from 1986-2002, took a break from politics at the end of his term. In a state where Pence is a household name, this could have possibly been one of Gregg's biggest mistakes.
That, and his decision to side with Pence on a major hot-button issues including same-sex marriage and abortion.
Not many people seem to have heard of Gregg whenever his is mentioned in conversation. After a little bit of prodding, one usually remembers he is the "guy running against Pence."
These are facts that I find disheartening, to say the very least.
With both candidates agreeing on the "unconstitutionality" of same-sex marriage, and the "immorality" of abortion, it's difficult to feel comfortable casting my vote for either one.
According to a poll conducted by pollster Howey-Depauw, Pence has an overall approval rating of 44 percent, whereas Gregg has a 31 percent approval rating. Yet, with 25 percent of the vote being categorized under "undecided" or "other," the race may not necessarily be over.
The thing I think that really matters is what these numbers are saying. They're saying that nearly half of Indiana residents approve of Pence and Ellspermann's initiatives, which include defunding Planned Parenthood and voting in favor of laws that would block Medicaid patients from using Planned Parenthood because some of their clinics offer abortions.
(And by some, they mean an overwhelming 3 percent of all services.)
They're also saying that they're okay with a candidate who agrees with his opponent on some pretty big social issues, yet chooses a running mate that feels the exact opposite.
Simpson, who is a the current minority leader of the Indiana senate, has notably supported same-sex marriage and reproductive rights.
According to an Evansville Courier and Press article, Gregg has said the fact he and Simpson differ on social issues is not really an important factor. Hoosiers are more concerned with creating jobs and the economy than they are with social issues.
He might be right... to a certain extent.
Of course people are heavily concerned with the economy, job security and the ever-looming thought of where their next meal is coming from. Hoosiers, like millions of other Americans, are struggling and have been for some time.
But to have such a seemingly disorganized view on social issues seems irresponsible in this writer's opinion.
I'm not trying to attack either candidate in a way that is unfair. I just find it hard to back a candidate that doesn't hold stock in social issues.
Social issues may not be what people are the most concerned about, but maybe they should be.
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