Former state lawmaker Terry Goodin is Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jennifer McCormick’s pick for running mate.
And McCormick choosing the conservative Democrat is rankling some in the party.
Goodin most recently worked as the state director for rural development at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He’s a former school superintendent and 10-term state lawmaker.
At the Statehouse, he voted to ban gay marriage in 2011 and was a regular vote against abortion access. Now, he said his gay marriage vote was wrong and that the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of abortion rights was an “all-out assault.”
“We must do everything we can to restore the rights of women to make decisions about their own body,” Goodin said.
McCormick, a former Republican, waved aside concerns about discontent among Democrats.
“We are a huge tent,” McCormick said. “And in that big tent comes a lot of ideas and a lot of opinions and a lot of big hearts and a lot of big personalities. And just like a family, we will come together.”
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Goodin will have competition for the nomination at the Indiana Democratic Party convention in July. Two others — Bob Kern and Clif Marsiglio — have also filed to run for lieutenant governor.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story said Goodin currently works as state director for rural development at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That was incorrect. He recently resigned from that position.
Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5 .
