Republican candidates for Indiana’s top legal office came together Monday evening for a candidate forum at Grace Assembly of God in Greenwood.
All four Republican candidates for Indiana Attorney General attended the forum, hosted by the Johnson County GOP. The candidates are incumbent Attorney General Curtis Hill; Nate Harter, Decatur County prosecutor; Todd Rokita, former U.S. congressman and Indiana Secretary of State; and John Westercamp, an Indianapolis attorney with Greenwood roots.
The forum, which was only open to convention delegates, was broadcast live on Facebook to familiarize delegates from around the state with the candidates ahead of the party’s election for the office following the state convention this week.
Convention delegates will select the party’s nominee, who will advance to the fall general election and be decided by voters. The delegates will vote by mail in the coming weeks, and those votes will be counted in early July. The Republican state convention is set to happen virtually from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
Click here to purchase photos from this galleryIndiana Democrats will also select their attorney general candidate via mail after the party’s convention was held last week. Democrats are choosing between State Sen. Karen Tallian of Ogden Dunes, and former Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel for the office.
The forum turned several times to Hill’s alleged groping of four Indianapolis women at a party in March 2018. Hill has denied any wrongdoing and is seeking reelection despite calls to resign from Gov. Eric Holcomb and other top Republican leaders.
The Indiana Supreme Court said in its unanimous decision last month that the state’s attorney disciplinary commission “proved by clear and convincing evidence that (Hill) committed the criminal act of battery.” Hill’s law license was recently reinstated after the court suspended it for 30 days.
Hill likened his situation to President Donald Trump’s, and asked voters to give him the same grace they continue to give the embattled president.
“Donald Trump was investigated by a special prosecutor. So was I. Donald Trump was impeached, only the third president in history. So he is flawed. He is wounded. Some say I am wounded,” Hill said.
Hill took issue with assertions by other candidates that Hill cannot win in November.
“If there is anybody in this room who is going to vote for President Trump enthusiastically, then turn our whole ticket to a liberal, pro-abortion, anti-gun Democrat from anywhere in the state of Indiana, that’s just not going to happen. This is the spreading of fear,” Hill said.
The candidates took turns answering questions about their experiences, approaches to the law and how they would lead the office.
What qualifies them for the office?
Hill has represented conservative values well, he said, adding that he joined with other attorneys general to challenge the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, and made sure gun shops were allowed to stay open during the state’s stay-at-home order, he said. Hill also cited his reputation as a “ferocious” trial attorney and former Elkhart County Prosecutor as qualifications.
Referencing the groping allegations against Hill, Rokita said Republicans should choose him because he can win a statewide race. Rokita ran the Secretary of State’s Office for two terms, from 2002 to 2010. However, he also lost a statewide race, as his bid to become a U.S. Senator failed in the 2018 Republican primary.
“The ads against our incumbent this fall will be atrocious. They will not only help us lose the attorney general’s office, but offices up and down the ticket. We can’t afford that, no matter what you feel about it (the allegations against Hill),” Rokita said. “That’s the reality of the politics of the situation we are in.”
Westercamp, who is new to running for public office, said his experience as a private sector attorney uniquely prepares him to represent Hoosiers in the state’s top legal office.
“No other candidate up here has made their career representing private sector companies on Main Street. Several of my clients are in Johnson County. I’m running because I’m a pro-life, private sector conservative (who) we need in the attorney general’s office,” Westercamp said.
Extensive trial experience and building jury cases as a prosecutor sets Harter apart, he said. The experience, he said, also prepares him to “do battle” for Hoosiers and manage a team of lawyers as attorney general.
“There is a tremendous difference in being a corporate lawyer and trial lawyer actually going to court and doing what it takes to go to court and cut a deal,” Harter said. “Someone who has actually seen the backside of a jury before, and hopes like hell you’ve done all you need to do for the state of Indiana and the victim in the back row.”
What changes would they make?
Rokita would decentralize prosecutorial authority, only stepping in when county prosecutors ask for help, he said. Improving the office’s communication with other state entities would also be a priority, he said.
Westercamp would aim to eliminate discretionary spending, such as buying fireworks and renting office spaces around the state, he said. He would also make sure attorneys representing the office in court are better prepared, he said.
For Harter, restoring relationships with office stakeholders would be a priority, he said. This would include “skilling up” employees, and rebuilding relationships with law enforcement and other state leaders.
The current state of the office is a result of restructuring Hill did at the start of his term, Hill said. He defended recent spending, such as pay raises and office renovations, stating these things were necessary to retain employees and accommodate more employees in the main attorney general’s office.
How would they handle disagreements?
Westercamp, who describes himself as a constitutional originalist, would use his best judgment of the statute — not his opinions on public policy — to challenge legislation or executive orders, he said.
Harter would balance competing interests of opinion versus statute. The key to solving disagreements would be cultivating relationships in which he can sit down with other state stakeholders and discuss their differences, he said.
As attorney general, Hill said he has acted independently from other state bodies when decisions could have a negative impact on precedent. The job of the attorney general is to act on behalf of the state’s best interest, not be a rubber stamp for state agencies, he said.
Rokita would also hope to meet with others to hash out differences about interpretations of the law, he said.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”About the office” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
The Indiana Office of Attorney General represents the State of Indiana in cases involving the state’s interest and provides legal defense to state officials or agencies in court, advises the Governor, members of the Legislature, other state officials, and county prosecutors on legal issues. The attorney general also gives formal legal advisory opinions on constitutional or legal questions at the request of designated public officials, and represents teachers in court in school discipline lawsuits where they were acting within their school policy.
Source: www.in.gov
[sc:pullout-text-end]
