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John Gregg (Indiana)
John Gregg was a candidate for governor of Indiana in the 2016 elections. On April 30, 2015, Gregg stated that he would challenge Governor Mike Pence (R), due in part to Pence's position on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Gregg cited the contentious debate over the act for damaging the state's reputation on a national level.[1] He and running mate Christina Hale were defeated by Lt. Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) and Auditor Suzanne Crouch (R) in the general election.
Gregg was the Democratic candidate for governor in the 2012 elections. He was defeated by Pence in the November general election. Gregg is a former state representative in Indiana and served as speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives from 1996 through 2002.
Gregg officially announced his candidacy for the 2012 gubernatorial election on August 2, 2011.[2] Known for his handlebar mustache, Gregg made the image a centerpiece of his campaign, putting a blue mustache on most campaign material and using it as the official campaign logo.[3]
Biography
Gregg was born, and still lives, in Sandborn, Ind. He worked as an attorney before running for public office and was first elected to the Indiana House of Representatives in 1986. He became the chamber's House Majority Leader in 1990 and was elected Speaker of the House in 1996. When he retired in 2002, Gregg was named a "Public Official of the Year" by Governing Magazine. After leaving office, he served for two years as interim president of Vincennes University before resuming his private law practice.[4]
Education
- North Knox High School (1972)
- Vincennes University (1974)
- Indiana University (1976)
- J.D., Indiana State University (1978)
Elections
2016
On April 30, 2015, Gregg announced plans to seek the governor's office in 2016. The race was initially set to be a rematch of the 2012 election, when Mike Pence defeated Gregg to win the governor's seat. However, Governor Pence withdrew from the race on July 15, 2016, in order to join Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's ticket as his running mate and vice presidential pick. It would have been only the second time in Indiana history, and the first since Whig Noah Noble defeated Democrat James Read in 1831 and 1834, that two candidates for governor have faced each other in consecutive elections.[5]
The Republican state committee had 30 days from the date Pence withdrew to select a replacement candidate for governor and nominated Lieutenant Governor Eric Holcomb on July 26. State Auditor Suzanne Crouch (R) joined the Republican ticket as the lieutenant gubernatorial nominee—replacing Holcomb, who was initially running as Pence's running mate. Gregg selected state Rep. Christina Hale (D) as his running mate. Gregg and Hale competed in the November 8 general election with Holcomb and Crouch; Libertarian Rex Bell and his running mate, Karl Tatgenhorst; and independents Christopher Stried and Adam Adkins.
Eric Holcomb and Suzanne Crouch defeated John Gregg and Christina Hale, Rex Bell and Karl Tatgenhorst, Christopher Stried, and Adam Adkins in the Indiana governor election.
| Indiana Governor, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Eric Holcomb and Suzanne Crouch |
51.4% | 1,396,460 | |
| Democratic | John Gregg and Christina Hale | 45.4% | 1,234,546 | |
| Libertarian | Rex Bell and Karl Tatgenhorst | 3.2% | 86,964 | |
| Independent | Adam Adkins | 0.00% | 14 | |
| Independent | Christopher Stried | 0.00% | 8 | |
| Total Votes | 2,717,992 | |||
| Source: Indiana Election Division | ||||
| Indiana Governor Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | John Gregg (unopposed) |
100.00% | 547,375 | |
| Total Votes | 547,375 | |||
| Source: Indiana Secretary of State, | ||||
Campaign media
|
2012
- See also: Indiana gubernatorial election, 2012
Gregg was the Democratic candidate for Governor of Indiana. He ran unopposed in the May 8th primary election and lost to Mike Pence (R) in the November 6, 2012 general election. Rupert Boneham (L) and write-in candidate Donnie Harold Harris also ran.[6]
| Governor/Lieutenant Governor of Indiana General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | John Gregg / Vi Simpson | 46.6% | 1,200,016 | |
| Republican | Mike Pence / Sue Ellspermann |
49.5% | 1,275,424 | |
| Libertarian | Rupert Boneham / Brad Klopfenstein | 4% | 101,868 | |
| Independent | Donnie Harold Harris / George Fish | 0% | 21 | |
| Total Votes | 2,577,329 | |||
| Election results via Indiana Secretary of State | ||||
| Governor of Indiana Democratic Primary, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
| John Gregg |
100% | 207,365 | ||
| Total Votes | 207,365 | |||
| Election results via Indiana Secretary of State. | ||||
Issue positions
- Economic Development:
Gregg said some parts of the state were not receiving equal benefits from state economic development programs. "We need to do everything that we can to promote Indiana's business, regardless of where they're located," he said.[7]
- Health care:
On August 27, 2012, Gregg said he was leaning towards the creation of a hybrid healthcare exchange for Indiana, which would be operated jointly by the state and federal authorities. He said use of that model would allow some state control while being able to shift costs to the federal government.[8]
- Jobs:
The major issue of the 2012 campaign was jobs, with each candidate detailing their plan to get citizens back to work. Gregg said Indiana needed to examine its energy resources and that wind turbine parts should be manufactured in the state rather than overseas.[9]
Endorsements
Gregg's endorsements included the following:
- IN AFL-CIO[10]
Campaign themes
2016
According to the NWITimes.com, Gregg said his platform included plans to increase the quality of jobs in addition to their quantity, increase funding for state and local roads, improve educational outcomes, establish a statewide preschool program and prevent discrimination against LGBT citizens.[5]
Campaign finance summary
Ballotpedia currently provides campaign finance data for all federal- and state-level candidates from 2020 and later. We are continuously working to expand our data to include prior elections. That information will be published here as we acquire it. If you would like to help us provide this data, please consider donating to Ballotpedia.
Awards
In 2002, Governing magazine named Gregg and Minority Leader Brian Bosma of the Indiana House of Representatives as two of 11 "Public Officials of the Year" for their collaboration in restructuring the state tax code.[11] Other honorees included New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. Each year since 1994, Governing has selected a handful of state and local officials to honor for standout job performance. The Public Officials of the Year program "recognizes leaders from state, city and county government who exemplify the ideals of public service."[12]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms John Gregg Indiana Governor. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- State executive official elections, 2016
- Indiana gubernatorial election, 2012
- Governor of Indiana
- Lieutenant Governor of Indiana
| Indiana | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
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External links
- Gregg for Governor (2016 campaign website)
- Gregg for Indiana (2012 campaign website)
- Facebook, "Gregg for Governor"
- Twitter, "@GreggForGov"
- YouTube, "Gregg for Indiana"
- Project Vote Smart biography
- Campaign contributions: 2012, 2000, 1998, 1996, 1994
Footnotes
- ↑ WANE, "John Gregg announces run for governor, April 30, 2015
- ↑ Courier Press, Democrat John Gregg enters Indiana gubernatorial race, Aug. 2, 2011
- ↑ The Republic, "Democrat Gregg's campaign for governor draws heavily on trademark handlebar mustache," November 20, 2011
- ↑ Gregg for Governor, "John's bio," accessed February 21, 2012
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Dan Carden, NWITimes.com, "Pence, Gregg rematch for Indiana governor is on," February 3, 2016
- ↑ Indiana Secretary of State, "Election results - Governor," accessed May 9, 2012
- ↑ South Bend Tribune, "Governors race ready to ramp up," May 13, 2012
- ↑ Courier-Journal, "Indiana gubernatorial candidate John Gregg backs health care hybrid," August 27, 2012
- ↑ The Herald Bulletin, "Ind. governor hopefuls detail jobs ideas for race," May 13, 2012
- ↑ Gregg for Governor, "IN AFL-CIO Endorses Gregg-Simpson Ticket," June 25, 2012
- ↑ Alan Greenblatt, Governing, "House Mates: Bipartisan Buddies Broker a Tax-Restructuring Bill," 2002
- ↑ Governing, "GOVERNING Announces 2012 Public Officials of the Year," October 19, 2012
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