State Democrats say they’re surprised by the nomination of a new lieutenant governor.
Senate Minority Leader Tim Lanane (D-Anderson) says he was taken aback by Sue Ellspermann’s intention to resign. Lanane calls it “a blow for diversity.”
Her announcement came right after Governor Pence said he would nominate Eric Holcomb, the former state Republican Party chairman and - until earlier this week - candidate for U.S. Senate.
Lanane says he didn’t have that much contact with Holcomb when Holcomb was Mitch Daniels’ Chief of Staff and says the longtime operative he needs to be vetted.
“I just don’t know enough about him to know if he’s qualified to take on the position of lieutenant governor,” Lanane says. “I think it has to be more of an inquiry than, ‘Well, this is who the governor wants and so we just rubber stamp what the governor desires.’”
The nomination is expected to be easily confirmed, as it was almost universally praised by the Republican leadership at the Statehouse.
Lanane says a resignation at this time of the term is confusing.
“Just something about it,” he says. “The timing is not clear to me, as to why now as opposed to when there might actually be something that develops that would call for the lieutenant governor to move on.”
Ellspermann announced she was resigning as lieutenant governor to pursue the job of president of Ivy Tech Community College.
The last time a lieutenant governor was appointed in the middle of a term was 2003, when Kathy Davis was appointed by Democratic Governor Joe Kernan - the appointment came after the death of Governor Frank O'Bannon while in office.
