Gov. Mike Pence spoke to 600 Republicans for 25 minutes Tuesday night without mentioning the elephant in the room.
No, not the GOP’s animal symbol. The fact that a good number of the people who gathered at Ceruti’s Summit Park are trying to beat one another in next Tuesday’s primary election in heavily Republican Allen County.
As keynote speaker at the local GOP’s annual Lincoln Day Dinner, Pence heaped credit on Republican dominance of state government for Indiana’s falling unemployment rate, reductions in personal and corporate income taxes, improved student test scores and nearly $2 billion in state budget reserves.
He said the state has made “such extraordinary progress” and attracted jobs and national attention “because Republican leadership has made the difference in the state of Indiana over the last 10 years. Indiana is the state that works because Republican ideals work.”
The first-term governor and former congressman later said Indiana has fought “the efforts of expansive and paternalistic government” at the federal level. Democrats control the U.S. Senate and the White House.
“Freedom is on the march in Indiana because freedom-loving Republicans have been taking a stand, doing the work,” he said.
It wasn’t until after Pence’s speech that the subject of contested primary races came up.
“I know we have a lot of primaries in the room,” said Indiana GOP Chairman Tim Berry, a Fort Wayne native. “But we must all remember that we will be successful in November when we come together as one party following these primary elections to provide greater leadership, greater opportunities for families, for children, and greater, stronger communities as a result of our Republican leadership.”
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