Race for the Senate
I’ve been on the phone for the past few days talking to members of the Indiana State Senate about who their next leader will be. Three names keep popping up as possible contenders for the job of Senate Pro Tempore. They are current Majority leader David Long, Tom Weatherwax of Logansport, and Brent Steel of Bedford. There is another name, Mike Young of Indianapolis who I will get to in a second. However, based on my conversations here is my assessment of each man’s chances of winning.
Long – Long made his intent known this weekend in the Fort Wayne Gazette. While he is the current majority leader, there are still some hard feelings out there. A few years ago when former Senator Murray Clark tried to go for the top job, Long reportedly threw his support behind him only to change at the last minute and go for Bob Garton. This created some very hard feelings I was told and some people in the chamber have very long memories. In addition the lifetime health care benefit, that Long supported earlier this year did not help matters much also.
Weatherwax — Weatherwax is from Logansport and has the support of a lot of his fellow Sentors. He’s been called a compromise candidate who could provide a break from the old way of doing business. He also has more time and experience in the chamber than another compromise candidate, Brent Steel. He’s said to be a good unifying force for the Senate.
Steele — I spoke with Steele Monday afternoon. He’s also a considered to be a compromise candidate, who could unify the chamber. He does not have as much experience as Weatherwax, but as one Senator put it, could bring “principled conservative leadership” to the chamber as well as “geographical diversity.” Steele says he would limit his turn as Pro Tempore and move his office into the open area with his fellow Senators so he could stay closer in touch with his fellow Senators. He also says he wants more Senators involved in the decision making process and not have such top heavy management.
Young — Young has about as much chance getting elected Pro Tempore of the Senate as I do becoming the grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. While his colleagues speak politely about him in public, privately they grit their teeth at the thought of Young running the chamber. He is lobbying hard for the office, apparently calling House members for support (even though they can’t vote for the job). The Senate is a cordial body who does not need a bomb thrower who will raise the ire of the press with his bombastic (and that’s putting it mildly) statement. Mike is also from Indianapolis, so you can forget that noise.
The interesting dynamic in the Senate race is that there are not enough votes for any one side to pick the next leader, so a compromise candidate will have to be in order. I would not be surprised if Weatherwax does beat out Steele. Both are conservatives and have cross-over appeal, however Weatherwax has more time in the chamber so it is more likely when Senators decide who to go for Weatherwax would likely get the nod. Regardless whomever gets the job, expect it to be temporary. As one Senator put it to me, “Whoever gets the job, they will be like Pope Benedict XVI. More of a transitional figure than anything else.” Stay tuned! “Vae puto deus fio!”
