Donald Rainwater is running as the Libertarian candidate for governor against Republican incumbent Gov. Eric Holcomb and Democratic candidate Dr. Woody Myers.
Rainwater was born and raised in Indiana and spent eight years in the U.S. Navy from 1982 to 1990. He has experience with managing small businesses and software engineering, he said.
Rainwater said he was motivated to run for governor, specifically as a Libertarian, because he was raised in a time when he says Indiana believed in small, limited government. He said he wants to keep taxes low and reduce spending and debt at the local and state level.
“I felt that it was time to bring a voice to our belief in limited government in Indiana,” he said.
Rainwater said he is the only one of the three candidates who believes in reducing the size and scope of state government and wants to lower taxes.
“I believe in each Hoosier’s ability and right to make their choices in their life,” he said.
The first issue needing to be addressed is the economic crisis in Indiana, Rainwater said. He said he wants to reinvigorate the foundation of Indiana’s economy including the family farmer and small businesses.
“Our state government has abandoned small business and family farmers,” he said.
Rainwater said he believes the Indiana General Assembly represents the people and does not believe the governor should have the power to issue executive orders without the General Assembly’s involvement.
Rainwater said he would not mandate masks or threaten criminal penalties for those who refuse to wear masks. He said he would not mandate the closure of businesses or churches either.
The coronavirus pandemic has caused their campaign to use digital marketing and social media to reach out to people, Rainwater said.
“I think the pandemic has been a driver in that innovation,” he said.
Rainwater’s running mate is William Henry. Henry is a lifelong Hoosier with experience in non profit sectors, the U.S. Armed Forces Public Affairs and state organization communications, according to the Libertarian Party of Indiana’s website. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army and Indiana Army National Guard.
Rainwater said he and Henry will make a good team if elected because while they have shared experiences as lifelong Hoosiers and veterans, they also have different backgrounds which will allow them to bring varying perspectives to issues in state government.
“Our focus is on bringing Hoosiers better government instead of just raising the budget, raising taxes, raising spending and having bigger government,” he said.
Tim Maguire, chairman of the Libertarian Party of Indiana, said he believes Holcomb has spent his first four years in office maintaining the status quo.
“What we all love about Donald is that Donald has bold ideas and bold solutions,” Maguire said.
Rainwater plans to get Indiana’s government back to staying within constitutional guidelines, lower taxes, put parents in charge of their children’s education and empower individuals to make decisions about their own health, Maguire said.
Maguire said Rainwater is doing well in the polls and his campaign has been receiving a lot of interest through calls and donations.
“He’s got just as good of a chance as anybody else to win this race,” he said. “It’s possible that any three of these candidates could win.”
Maguire said while Indiana is Republican-leaning most of the time, there has been an increased interest in the Libertarian party.
“We’ve always differentiated ourselves from the other two parties of being, on economic issues, more conservative than the Republicans and on freedom issues more liberal than the Democrats,” he said.
Maguire said he believes Henry is a great addition to the ticket because he will be an advocate for the legalization of marijuana and veteran issues.
If Rainwater were to be elected, more Libertarian legislation will be considered, Maguire said.
“Even if he for some reason doesn’t win, I do think, if the other two parties are smart, they will see that there’s an interest in libertarian solutions to problems,” he said.
Maguire said he wants to get rid of the myth that voting for a Libertarian candidate is a wasted vote because he believes Rainwater has an equal chance as the other candidates to be elected.
