“We can do better.” That’s the message several Democratic candidates for statewide elected office had for Starke County voters Friday. Among those rallying a crowd of supporters at the Knox VFW was gubernatorial candidate John Gregg. “You helped me win Starke County the last time, and we gotta do it again,” he told supporters. “So can I count on you? Absolutely.”
One issue Gregg addressed during his remarks was the drug abuse seen in areas around the state. “I live on a farm outside of a town of 350 people, down by Vincennes,” he said. “We’re about the same size county-to-county. And let me tell you, that it is gripping all communities, and we all know it. We can put our heads in the sand and act like it doesn’t exist, but in our book, we’ve got a plan, a six-point public service plan, to talk about the drug problem.”
Gregg’s running mate Christina Hale questioned the state’s current policies of imprisoning nonviolent individuals dealing with drug addiction, “Is there a better way, a more efficient way, for us to help them rehab off drugs, send them back to their families, back to their communities, back to their workplace, where they can once again contribute to the bottom line, pay their taxes, save a little money?”
During their stop in Knox, Gregg and Hale were joined by former Gov. and U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh, U.S. Congressional candidate Lynn Coleman, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz, former First Lady Judy O’Bannon, and Attorney General candidate Judge Lorenzo Arredondo.
Arredondo took time during his remarks to recognize one of his former colleagues in Starke County. “We have a person here who we used to call the Abraham Lincoln of Indiana judges,” he said, “the legendary, the great, Marvin McLaughlin, who served so many years. Thank you.”
Many of those in attendance Friday indicated that they’d voted already, so the candidates asked them to encourage their friends to vote for Democrats.
