Pence, Young focus on game plan in days before election

With three days left before Election Day, the focus of U.S. Rep. Mike Pence’s, R-6th District, Monroe County campaign stop Saturday was the importance of voting for Republican Party candidates Tuesday and encouraging others to do the same.

Local Republican candidates and supporters greeted Pence at the Todd Young for Congress office Saturday afternoon. Rep. Todd Young, R-9th District, and Republican Attorney General Greg Zoeller are both up for reelection and were also in attendance.

Monroe County was the second stop Saturday for Pence and his Big Red Truck Tour. By Monday, the tour will have covered the entire state of Indiana, said Christy Denault, Mike Pence for Indiana communications director.

Red, white and blue GOP elephants hung from the ceiling as candidates mingled with supporters and campaign volunteers. A poster tracked the progress of campaign volunteers — the “Todd Squad” — who had logged hours making phone calls in support of the congressional candidate.

Young addressed the crowd, acknowledging the work of phone bank
volunteers.

“We’ve already made 300,000 phone calls here out of this office and down in Jeffersonville,” Young said. “And we’ve done it as a team.”

Young then outlined several goals for the upcoming election. He said they were possible because of partnerships with the campaigns of Pence and other Republican candidates.

“As a team, we are going to ensure that President Obama becomes a one-term president,” he said. “We’re gonna keep control of the House, and we’re gonna build on our majority in the state legislature.”

After cheers from the crowd of supporters, Young introduced Pence, who appealed to Bloomington residents with references to Bobby Knight and family members who attended IU’s Maurer School of Law.

“I think Hoosiers are the best people on Earth,” Pence said. “And I would have no higher honor than serving you as your governor.”

Later, Pence said his campaign has tried to focus on issues affecting students at public universities in Indiana.

One of his visions, he said, is to implement a statewide plan to encourage universities to provide students incentives for on-time completion of a four-year degree.

The system would include offering grants to students who finish on time or early
using existing financial aid dollars, he said.

Pence also said he hopes to implement an Indiana Applied Research Enterprise, which would utilize private sector resources in the public university setting.

“We have extraordinary academic capability in our research universities and colleges, and what I want to do is create essentially an entity where we can invite private sector investment to engage our public university faculty in ways that will create jobs and create new enterprises,” Pence said.

In the next few days, Pence said he and his team will continue to deliver his campaign message throughout the state.

“I think our state has made great progress in the last eight years,” Pence said. “But I really believe if we elect the right leaders at every level, Indiana can be the leading state in the Midwest and one of the fastest-growing state economies in America.”

Bloomington resident Anne Nelson attended the campaign stop with her husband, Don Nelson, and her two daughters, 2-year-old Anabella and 5-year-old Olivia. The girls wore matching “Todd Young” T-shirts.

Anne and her husband have supported Pence throughout his terms as a congressman, she said, but an advertisement conveying the gubernatorial candidate’s support for the military further solidified the sentiment.

She saw the ad the day her husband was returning to Afghanistan after being home on military leave.

“It really meant a lot to me to know he was taking time out from just promoting his name to recognize thousands of Hoosier soldiers, National Guard soldiers that are serving and have served overseas,” she said.

Don returned from Afghanistan in September and has been volunteering on the Republican Party campaign trail, making phone calls to local voters.

“It just really encouraged me that it was on the soon-to-be governor’s radar,” Anne Nelson said. “It just felt like a hug.”