By DAVID A. MANN
David.Mann@newsandtribune.com
March 14, 2008 10:04 am
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Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jill Long Thompson was in Jeffersonville Thursday pitching an economic plan that focused on tax structure, health care costs and education.
Long Thompson also took several shots at the policies of incumbent Gov. Mitch Daniels, saying that while he talks about economic growth in the state, “the numbers paint a different picture.”
Hoosiers make 90 cents on the dollar compared to workers across the nation, she said. Further, the state has one of the highest home mortgage foreclosure rates, higher-than-average health care costs and almost one-third of high school freshmen will not graduate, she said.
“That is unacceptable and the governor’s lack of action to these issues is unforgivable,” she said.
Long Thompson is currently seeking the Democratic Party’s nomination for governor against rival Jim Schellinger. Indiana’s primary is May 6. The victor will face Daniels in the November general election.
Long Thompson said the state’s tax structure is out of date and advocated expanding tax incentives for businesses seeking new technology, health care and environmental programs. She also advocates individual tax incentives to help offset the cost of health care and continuing education.
Creating legislation that would encourage employers to pool in order to buy health insurance, would lower costs, she said. Re-emphasizing vocational education credits and focusing less on standardized tests were also among other policies being presented.
She criticized what she called Daniels’ one-business-at-a-time policy. “If we are going to be successful at growing our economy we have to use a different approach than our current governor is using,” she said.
Jay Kenworthy, communications director for the Indiana Republican Party, said most of what Long Thompson is talking about is stuff that Daniels has already done.
Southern Indiana has seen some of the greatest job growth, he said, noting job announcements from Honda and Clarke America.
Long Thompson said she’s feeling good about her position in the race, noting a November poll by the Indianapolis Star that put her ahead in a hypothetical match-up against Daniels.
Kenworthy notes a more recent poll by Indiana political writer Brian Howey that had Daniels winning against both Democratic candidates.
Jill Long Thompson
• Party: Democrat
• Age: 54
• Married: To Don Thompson who is a commercial airline pilot
• Resides: On a farm in Marshall County near Argos
• Education: Earned a M.B.A (1978) and Ph.D (1984) in business from Indiana University, and a bachelor’s degree in business from Valparaiso University (1974).
• Political experience: Served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana’s 4th Congressional District from 1989 to 1995. Long Thompson spent more than five years as U.S. Under Secretary of Agriculture from 1995 to 2001.
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