Friday, February 10, 2006

Brian Howey: Garton has the power... and two opponents

Brian Howey is publisher of The Howey Political Report, the weekly briefing on Indiana politics. He writes the following comments on Indiana's Senate President Pro Tempore Robert Garton:

Just about every major piece of legislation passing through the Senate has needed Garton’s imprimatur. While Gov. Mitch Daniels and other Republicans have often blamed the three previous Democratic govenors for this weedy mess, it was actually Garton and the previous Senate Finance Chairman, Larry Borst, who determined what was in the budget, which tax got cut, or which Hoosier industry was revitalized...

Garton is powerful. Governors worried about angering him. Legislators quake in their boots...

He’s got two opponents this election cycle. Greg Walker, a Republican accountant from Columbus, is challenging the president in the May primary. Urged on by state and national Right to Life organizations, he will take on Garton’s 81 percent pro-life voting record (he has mixed votes on informed consent and has voted against cloning restrictions).

In the November election, Garton finds Democrat Terry Coriden, who served as city attorney for Columbus from 1996 to 2004...

The recent formula for dislodging Senate dinosaurs has been the primary, as Sens. Brent Waltz and Jeff Drozda pulled off in 2004 and 2002...


Brian Howey's Newspaper Column: Duoh! Garton has the power... and two opponents

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