The race to unseat incumbent Gov. Mitch Daniels will begin this afternoon when local businessman Jim Schellinger files to “explore” a run for the Democratic nomination. From local political columnist Matt Tully:
Indianapolis architect Jim Schellinger has formally announced plans to run for governor as a Democrat. Many in the party have filed behind Schellinger and believe he is the party’s best hope of defeating Gov. Mitch Daniels in 2008. Schellinger will file candidacy papers this afternoon.
“I think today is a fitting day,” Schellinger said in a phone interview this morning. “Today is the Feast of St. Joseph — patron saint of labor and the family.”
Former House Speaker John Gregg has been another rumored candidate. But Gregg has said he will not run if Schellinger does. In a recent conversation, I mentioned to Gregg that many people believe a Shellinger-Gregg ticket would be a formidable one. He downplayed that, then said: “That has a nice ring to it. That has a very nice ring to it.”
Schellinger appears to have institutional support from the state Party, who has stated repeatedly that they want to avoid a contested primary. State Senator Richard Young had previous filed, but is not considered a strong challenge to a Schellinger candidacy. The wild card at this point is former Rep. Jill Long Thompson, who has stated on numerous occaisions that she is interested in running for the nomination herself. Over the weekend, she took her first swipe at the assumed Schellinger campaign:
Former U.S. Rep. Jill Long Thompson says she’ll decide soon whether to seek the Democratic nomination for governor.
And if she does, she said, she’ll leave her job as chief operating officer of the Washington-based National Center for Food and Agriculture Policy in order to run full time for Indiana’s top office.
Thompson, who lives on a Marshall County farm, served in Congress from March 1989 to January 1995. She made her only statewide run for office in 1986, when she lost to Republican Dan Quayle in the U.S. Senate race.She was late getting into that race, as the party asked her to step in when its expected candidate, Louis Mahern, became ill. If she gets in this time, Thompson said she plans to begin early.
“If I make the decision to run, I’ll form a committee and begin well before summer,” she said.
Indiana Senate Minority Leader Richard Young Jr., D-Milltown, already has launched his campaign for governor. And Indianapolis architect Jim Schellinger also is weighing a run for the Democratic nomination.Thompson said she recently met Schellinger. Her estimation?
“I think I would win,” she said with a laugh.
More updates to come as I am sure the local media will be giving attention to the Jim Schellinger announcement.
We will be covering the race over at Blue Indiana, and invite any and all to join the discussion over there as well.