INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence launched his re-election campaign Thursday night by
taking a defiant stance against critics of the state’s new religious
objections law that battered his image as a national star among
conservatives.
Pence told the
crowd at a state Republican Party fundraising dinner that he doesn’t
tolerate discrimination against anyone - an attack he’s faced from critics
who maintain the law is anti-gay and led to a social media-driven storm of
protests.
“Hoosiers also know
that in the changing tides of popular culture there must be room for faith,”
Pence said. “We will find our way forward as a state that respects the
dignity and worth of every individual, and we will ensure that no government
intervention, no government coercion will interfere with the freedom of
conscience and the freedom of religion.”
The uproar over the
law that Pence signed in March has given Democrats hope of ending a 12-year
Republican hold on the state’s top office.
The 56-year-old
Pence championed social issues during 12 years in Congress but largely
avoided them during his 2012 campaign and early in his governorship. He had
been seen by in GOP circles as someone who could unite the party’s religious
and business wings, and stoked talk of a White House run with speeches to
prominent conservative groups and trips overseas.
Those prospects
faded when he signed the state’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act, touching
off national criticism including from prominent business leaders,
entertainers and sports figures.
The
Republican-dominated Legislature quickly revised the law to limit its use in
sexual orientation matters. But the fallout prompted Indiana to hire a New
York public relations firm to help rebuild its image.
A poll in April
found Pence’s approval rating at only 45 percent, and he’s faced persistent
criticism from both business officials and social conservatives for his
handling of the issue.
Pence said in his
speech that he bears some responsibility for the uproar, but that it was
spurred by liberal special interests.
“If you can’t tell
already, this is going to be a fight and I’m ready,” Pence said of his
campaign for a second four-year term.
About 50 protesters
waving signs with “Fire Mike Pence” and similar slogans lined a sidewalk
outside the banquet hall before Pence’s speech, at times shouting chants
such as “No hate in our state.”
Pence also touted
how Indiana’s unemployment rate has fallen by 3 percentage points to 5.4
percent since he took office and his advocacy for increased charter school
funding and expansion of the state’s private school voucher program.
Democrats, noting
that Indiana’s per capita income is 87 percent of the national average, said
many people disagree with Pence’s assessment of the state’s economy and
believe he caused the state lasting harm with the religious objections law.
“This is the kind
of stain that doesn’t leave,” Indiana House Democratic leader Scott Pelath
said. “They understand that he is willing to put the state’s economic
performance at risk in the service of a social agenda.”
Pence begins the
2016 campaign with huge advantages in fundraising and organization over any
potential rivals. His campaign ended last year with $3.5 million in the bank
and is certain to show a large jump when updated reports are filed next
month.
He doesn’t yet face
any competition for the Republican nomination, although two wealthy GOP
businessmen have talked about launching or supporting challenges to him.
Three Democrats are
seeking their party’s nomination - state schools Superintendent Glenda Ritz,
who has frequently clashed with Pence over education policy; former Indiana
House Speaker John Gregg, who narrowly lost to Pence in the 2012 election,
and state Sen. Karen Tallian of Portage.
The November 2016
election is so far away that there’s no way of knowing whether the religious
objections law will still resonate with voters, said Marjorie Hershey, an
Indiana University political scientist.
Pence will have the
money to run an advertising blitz on other issues in the weeks leading up to
the election, she said.
“It sure helps
candidates who have gotten in over their heads to be able to pull back - and
the way they do that, generally, is by changing the subject,” Hershey said.