By Casey Smith | Indiana Capital Chronicle
For The Republic
INDIANAPOLIS — Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jennifer McCormick has picked former Indiana lawmaker and social conservative Terry Goodin as her running mate, despite pushback from some within her party.
McCormick made the lieutenant governor announcement Thursday afternoon in Indianapolis, just days after she called out Republican state delegates for choosing conservative Noblesville pastor Micah Beckwith as that party’s lieutenant governor nominee.
Goodin must still be approved by convention delegates in July, however. In Indiana, delegates in private party conventions decide the nomination of lieutenant governor alongside picks for other statewide offices, such as attorney general.
Two Hoosiers — Bob Kern and Clif Marsiglio — have also filed to run for Indiana lieutenant governor at the upcoming state convention.
A former Democratic member of the Indiana House of Representatives, Goodin represented District 66 — which includes portions of Scott, Clark and Jefferson counties — from 2000 to 2020.
He served as the Minority Leader of the House for a partial term in 2017 but was not re-elected to the position by the Democratic caucus the following year.
Goodin sparked controversy in 2011, when he voted with a majority of lawmakers for a constitutional ban on gay marriage in Indiana. Three years later, when the measure came up for a vote again, nearly every Democrat voted against it, but Goodin was excused and did not vote.
Goodin also voted with Republicans in support of expanding the ability to carry firearms. In 2020, he co-authored a bill to let off-duty police officers carry firearms into casinos, and in 2019 he co-authored separate legislation to expand Indiana’s “stand your ground” law.
His record also includes votes in favor of several bills adding restrictions or regulations on abortions.
Four years ago, Democrat candidate for governor Woody Myers was readying to tap Goodin as his running mate but progressive Democrats in the party rebelled and he ultimately chose Linda Lawson instead.
In February 2022, President Joe Biden appointed Goodin as the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Indiana state director for rural development.
A USDA spokesperson confirmed that Goodin has since resigned from that post. His last day was June 14.
Outside of the Statehouse, Goodin previously served for 24 years as superintendent of Crothersville Community Schools, and as an assistant teacher and principal in Brown and Scott counties. He additionally raises beef cattle on his family farm in Austin, Indiana, according to his USDA biography.
The Democrat duo will face Republican gubernatorial nominee Mike Braun and his running mate, Beckwith.
Indiana’s GOP delegates narrowly named Beckwith as the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor in a shocking vote at the party’s convention Saturday, rebuffing first-term Rep. Julie McGuire — Braun’s handpicked choice for the role — who had received a last-minute endorsement from former President Donald Trump.
Beckwith ran an unorthodox solo campaign for the number two spot, publicly pitching himself as both the prospective governor’s cheerleader and a check on his power.
The GOP delegates’ pick has since spurred turmoil within the Indiana Republican Party. In a confidential memo, prominent conservative attorney Jim Bopp predicted that Beckwith could be catastrophic for Braun’s campaign and open the door for a Democratic victory.
This story will be updated.
— The Indiana Capital Chronicle covers state government and the state legislature. For more, visit indianacapitalchronicle.com.
