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Linda Lawson

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Linda Lawson
Image of Linda Lawson
Prior offices
Indiana House of Representatives District 1
Successor: Carolyn Jackson

Elections and appointments
Last election

November 3, 2020

Personal
Profession
Law enforcement
Contact

Linda Lawson (Democratic Party) was a member of the Indiana House of Representatives, representing District 1. She assumed office in 1998. She left office on November 7, 2018.

Lawson (Democratic Party) ran for election for Lieutenant Governor of Indiana. She lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Lawson has served as House Minority Leader. In January 2018, Lawson announced that she would not seek re-election.[1]

On May 8, 2020, gubernatorial candidate Woody Myers announced he had chosen Lawson as his running mate in 2020.[2][3][4][5][6]

Biography

Lawson's professional experience includes working as a Police Officer/Captain with the Hammond Police Department.

Committee assignments

2017 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:

Indiana committee assignments, 2017
Employment, Labor and Pensions
Natural Resources

2015 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Lawson served on the following committees:

2013-2014

At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Lawson served on the following committees:

2011-2012

In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Lawson served on these committees:

2009-2010

In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Lawson served on these committees:

Issues

Legislative walkout

Lawson and 36 other Democratic representatives participated in a legislative walkout on February 22, 2011, in opposition to proposed right-to-work legislation that would have limited union powers in Indiana. The Democratic departure left the House void of a quorum, leaving only 58 of the 67 representatives needed to establish a quorum.[7] Terri Austin, Steven Stemler and Vanessa Summers stayed behind to provide, if necessary, a motion and a seconding motion, which would enable them to stop any official business from proceeding should the Republicans try to do so.[7]

On March 7, 2011, House Minority Leader B. Patrick Bauer revealed that the Democrats were staying at the Comfort Suites in Urbana, Illinois during their absence from the statehouse.[8] According to the Indiana Constitution, Article 4, sections 11 and 14, the House may enforce fines and other methods to compel absent members to return. Beginning on March 7, 2011, each Democrat was subject to a fine of $250, to be withheld from future expense or salary payments, for each day they were not present in the statehouse.[9] Regarding their actual pay, House Speaker Brian Bosma announced that the 37 lawmakers were required to be physically present in the chambers to receive their per diem payment of $152/day.[8]

On March 21, 2011, Governor Mitch Daniels (R) and House Republicans increased daily fines from $250/day to $350/day. In response to the increase in fines, House Minority Leader B. Patrick Bauer stated that Democrats "will remain steadfast" in their opposition to the right-to-work bill.[10] Rep. Winfield Moses, Jr. (D) called the increase "a poke in the eye," and said it would not cause the Democrats to return.[11]

The Democrats returned to the statehouse on March 28, 2011, after the two sides had agreed to compromise on a number of issues, including shelving the controversial right-to-work bill.[9] Although the Democrats had some of their demands met, each absent member accrued a total of $3,500 in fines.[9]

The Legislature ended up passing right-to-work legislation on February 1, 2012, becoming the 23rd state to do so. Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) signed the measure into law.[12]

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.


Elections

2020

See also: Indiana gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2020

General election

General election for Lieutenant Governor of Indiana

Incumbent Suzanne Crouch defeated Linda Lawson and William Henry in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of Indiana on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Suzanne Crouch
Suzanne Crouch (R)
 
59.0
 
1,706,727
Image of Linda Lawson
Linda Lawson (D)
 
33.5
 
968,094
Image of William Henry
William Henry (L) Candidate Connection
 
7.5
 
216,422

Total votes: 2,891,243
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic convention

Democratic convention for Lieutenant Governor of Indiana

Linda Lawson advanced from the Democratic convention for Lieutenant Governor of Indiana on June 13, 2020.

Candidate
Image of Linda Lawson
Linda Lawson (D)

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Republican convention

Republican convention for Lieutenant Governor of Indiana

Incumbent Suzanne Crouch advanced from the Republican convention for Lieutenant Governor of Indiana on July 9, 2020.

Candidate
Image of Suzanne Crouch
Suzanne Crouch (R)

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Lieutenant Governor of Indiana

William Henry advanced from the Libertarian convention for Lieutenant Governor of Indiana on March 7, 2020.

Candidate
Image of William Henry
William Henry (L) Candidate Connection

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Note: The Democratic primary convention for this race was scheduled to take place on June 13, 2020. The Republican primary convention for this race was scheduled to take place on June 20, 2020.

2016

See also: Indiana House of Representatives elections, 2016

Elections for the Indiana House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on May 3, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was February 5, 2016.

Incumbent Linda Lawson defeated Michael Sandridge in the Indiana House of Representatives District 1 general election.[13][14]

Indiana House of Representatives, District 1 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Linda Lawson Incumbent 87.41% 15,561
     Libertarian Michael Sandridge 12.59% 2,242
Total Votes 17,803
Source: Indiana Election Divsion


Incumbent Linda Lawson ran unopposed in the Indiana House of Representatives District 1 Democratic primary.[15][16]

Indiana House of Representatives, District 1 Democratic Primary, 2016
Party Candidate
    Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Linda Lawson Incumbent (unopposed)


2014

See also: Indiana House of Representatives elections, 2014

Elections for the Indiana House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 6, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 7, 2014. Incumbent Linda C. Lawson was unopposed in the Democratic primary and was unchallenged in the general election.[17][18]

2012

See also: Indiana House of Representatives elections, 2012

Lawson won re-election in the 2012 election for Indiana House of Representatives District 1. Lawson ran unopposed in the May 8 Democratic primary and ran unopposed in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[19][20]

Indiana House of Representatives, District 1, General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngLinda Lawson Incumbent 100% 14,457
Total Votes 14,457

2010

See also: Indiana House of Representatives elections, 2010

Lawson defeated Republican candidate Bill Johnson by a margin of 7,346 to 4,005 in the November 2 general election.[21]

In the May 4 primary election, Lawson ran unopposed.[22]

Indiana House of Representatives, District 1 General Election (2010)
Candidates Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Linda Lawson (D) 7,346
Bill Johnson (R) 4,005

2008

See also: Indiana House of Representatives elections, 2008

On November 4, 2008, Democrat Linda Lawson won re-election to the Indiana House of Representatives District 1 receiving 14,495 votes, ahead of Republican Fernando Urzua who received 5665 votes.[23]

Indiana House of Representatives, District 1 (2008)
Candidates Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Linda Lawson (D) 14,495
Fernando Urzua (R) 5665

2006

See also: Indiana House of Representatives elections, 2006

On November 7, 2006, Democrat Linda Lawson won re-election to the Indiana House of Representatives District 1 receiving 6,010 votes.[24]

Indiana House of Representatives, District 1 (2006)
Candidates Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Linda Lawson (D) 6,010
Wesley E. Miller (R) 4,466
Thomas Andrews, Jr. (L) 374

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Linda Lawson did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign finance summary


Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.


Linda Lawson campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2016Indiana House of Representatives, District 1Won $35,950 N/A**
2014Indiana House of Representatives, District 1Won $50,650 N/A**
2012Indiana State House, District 1Won $64,846 N/A**
2010Indiana State House, District 1Won $44,064 N/A**
2008Indiana State House, District 1Won $44,280 N/A**
2006Indiana State House, District 1Won $39,521 N/A**
2004Indiana State House, District 1Won $100,571 N/A**
2002Indiana State House, District 1Won $24,143 N/A**
2000Indiana State House, District 1Won $17,425 N/A**
1998Indiana State House, District 1Won $25,485 N/A**
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Lawson is a member of the Boys and Girls Club, and the Haven House Woman's Shelter Board.[25]

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Indiana

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states.  To contribute to the list of Indiana scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.








2018

In 2018, the Indiana General Assembly was in session from January 2 through March 16.

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on whether they supported or opposed IMA's position on a bill.
Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.


2017


2016


2015


2014


2013

See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. News-Sentinel, "No. 2 Indiana House Democrat won’t seek re-election," January 5, 2017
  2. Lakeshore Public Radio, "Myers Names Former State Rep. Linda Lawson As Running Mate," May 11, 2020
  3. Indianapolis Star, "Democrat Woody Myers misses initial deadline to choose running mate," May 7, 2020
  4. WBAA, "Myers On Adding Lawson To Governor Ticket: 'There Was A Sparkle'," May 18, 2020
  5. Indianapolis Star, "Indiana Democratic gubernatorial candidate Woody Myers names running mate," May 8, 2020
  6. Indiana Democratic Party, "Virtual State Convention on June 13th," accessed May 18, 2020
  7. 7.0 7.1 IndyStar.com, "Indiana Democrats trigger Statehouse showdown over anti-union legislation," February 22, 2011
  8. 8.0 8.1 Fox 59, "Fines begin for absent House Democrats," March 7, 2011
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 The Wall Street Journal, "Pressure Mounts on Absent Democrats in Wisconsin, Indiana," March 3, 2011 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "wsj" defined multiple times with different content
  10. IndyStar.com, "Dems' walkout drags on, among nation's longest," March 23, 2011
  11. WFIE.com, "Indiana Republicans say they're done negotiating," March 17, 2011
  12. Reuters, "Indiana becomes 23rd "right-to-work" state," February 1, 2012
  13. Indiana Secretary of State, "November 8, 2016 General Election candidates," February 5, 2016
  14. Indiana Election Division, "General election 2016 results," accessed December 16, 2016
  15. Indiana Secretary of State, "May 3, 2016 Primary Election candidates," February 5, 2016
  16. Indiana Secretary of State, "May 3, 2016 Primary Election Results," accessed August 18, 2016
  17. Indiana Secretary of State, "Official primary election candidate list," accessed February 10, 2014
  18. Indiana Secretary of State, "Official primary election results," accessed June 12, 2014
  19. Indiana Secretary of State, "List of May 8, 2012, primary candidates," accessed March 6, 2014
  20. Indiana Secretary of State, “Election Results – Indiana General Election, November 6, 2012,” accessed January 24, 2013
  21. Indiana Secretary of State, "2010 Official General Election Results," accessed March 6, 2014
  22. Indiana Secretary of State, "2010 Official Primary Election Results," accessed March 6, 2014
  23. Indiana Secretary of State, "2008 Official election results," accessed March 6, 2014
  24. Indiana Secretary of State, "2006 Official election results," accessed March 6, 2014
  25. Project Vote Smart, "Rep. Lawson Biography," accessed June 11, 2014
Political offices
Preceded by
-
Indiana House of Representatives District 1
1998–2018
Succeeded by
Carolyn Jackson