A day after Lieutenant Governor Eric Holcomb became the Republican nominee for governor, he and Democrat John Gregg followed each other onstage at Holcomb’s first campaign event. (pictured/John Gregg and Eric Holcomb)
Holcomb and Gregg separately addressed an agriculture policy conference sponsored by corn and soybean growers. Both emphasized the importance of road improvements and universal broadband connectivity. And both praised legislators’ steps this year to rein in property tax increases for farmland, while pledging to keep monitoring tax rates.
But Holcomb says the best farm policy is a strong overall economic policy. He’s emphasizing his work with Governors Mitch Daniels and Mike Pence, crediting them with giving the state the tools to compete, in the form of a balanced budget, lower taxes, and a strong credit rating. Gregg says his small-town roots give him a personal understanding of rural issues. He says he’d use the governor’s office as a bully pulpit to make sure rural roads and bridges critical to farmers don’t get overlooked, even if they don’t serve large numbers of people.
The candidates didn’t share the stage, but greeted each other warmly in between their appearances in the lobby of the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center at the Indianapolis Colts’ complex.