Editorial: John Gregg ready to lead Indiana as governor

In the past four years, there’s been little check on Republicans’ power in the Indiana Statehouse. The GOP has held supermajorities in the House and Senate at the same time Republican Mike Pence has served as governor.

Without political opponents who can force compromise, state leaders have stumbled at times into divisive and distracting controversies, including the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in 2015. The absence of checks and balances also has led to an erosion of local government control, weakening of environmental protections and a continued loosening of gun laws.

Although Republicans may lose seats on Election Day, they are still likely to maintain strong majorities in the House and Senate. But with the election of John Gregg as governor on Nov. 8, voters can restore much-needed political balance in state government.

Beyond that, Gregg has made a stronger case for the governor’s office than Lt. Gov. Eric Holcomb, the Republican nominee. Gregg, a moderate Democrat, has promised to focus on economic development and education if elected as governor and to avoid destructive detours into social issues.

Gregg is a much-improved candidate from 2012, when he lost to Pence. This time around, he’s demonstrated a strong understanding of the core issues facing Indiana, released detailed plans on how to address those challenges and worked hard to appeal to a broad range of Hoosiers. A former Indiana House Speaker, Gregg, has shown that he’s prepared to lead effectively from the start of his term as Indiana’s chief executive.

In contrast, Holcomb has struggled for most of the campaign to demonstrate his readiness for the job. For example, in a late August interview with IndyStar's Editorial Board, Holcomb seemed not to understand how the state’s existing preschool program works and had difficulty articulating his plans for early childhood education. He has improved as a candidate more recently, most notably in the final debate this past week with Gregg and Libertarian Rex Bell.

Holcomb’s struggles are somewhat understandable. He was thrust into the gubernatorial race in late July after Pence agreed to serve as Donald Trump’s vice presidential nominee, and he had little chance to prepare for a high-profile, statewide campaign. In time, Holcomb might well grow into the job of governor and serve well.

Both candidates deserve our thanks for the tone of their campaigns. They showed that candidates from opposing parties can stand forcefully for their views without resorting to sleazy attacks and name-calling.

Indiana needs a leader with experience and vision, and one who is ready to serve effectively from the start. Gregg is not our ideal choice, but he has the best chance to meet that expectation in this year’s field.

The IndyStar Editorial Board endorses John Gregg for governor.

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