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Candidate Gregg Says Campaign Won't Change Despite Pence Exit

Brandon Smith

Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Gregg says Governor Mike Pence’s departure from the race to run instead for vice president will not change his message or his strategy, even though he has been shifting away from talking about Pence.

Even before Gregg announced his gubernatorial run, the message out of the Democratic Party was “Fire Mike Pence.” Gregg, though, says his message as a candidate has never involved the governor.

“It’s been about the economy, it’s about low-paying wages, it’s about pre-kindergarten, it’s about our infrastructure," he says. "It is one hundred percent been about having an Indiana that’s inclusive.”

Yet a recent Gregg ad attacked Mike Pence over Carrier’s decision to leave its Indiana facilities for Mexico. And Gregg’s three-minute video announcing his candidacy mentioned Pence in the first 13 seconds. Still, Gregg insists his focus is the economy.

“That’s what I’ve been doing for the last couple of years and that’s what I’ll continue to do. I’m the only candidate that’s always been running for governor and I’ll continue to do that," he says.

The Indiana Republican Party will choose a replacement for Pence on the gubernatorial ticket next week. 

Brandon Smith is excited to be working for public radio in Indiana. He has previously worked in public radio as a reporter and anchor in mid-Missouri for KBIA Radio out of Columbia. Prior to that, he worked for WSPY Radio in Plano, Illinois as a show host, reporter, producer and anchor. His first job in radio was in another state capitol, in Jefferson City, Missouri, as a reporter for three radio stations around Missouri. Brandon graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor of Journalism in 2010, with minors in political science and history. He was born and raised in Chicago.
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