Democrat John Gregg
Former state House Speaker John Gregg's only remaining rival for the Democratic nomination for governor of Indiana, state Sen. Karen Tallian,
dropped out of the race on Monday, citing a lack of money and support. Unlike state Superintendent of Education Glenda Ritz, who endorsed Gregg after bowing out last week, Tallian didn't immediately offer her support, but reporter Dan Carden of the
Times of Northwest Indiana hints that she could wind up as Gregg's running mate.
Gregg further consolidated his position with an endorsement from the Indiana AFL-CIO, the labor umbrella group whose 800 affiliates in the state represent more than 300,000 workers. Right now, he's the favorite to take on Republican Gov. Mike Pence, but it's still possible Gregg could face an opponent in the primary. Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott just reiterated that he's still looking at both the gubernatorial and Senate races, though he says he won't make a decision until he a fourth this November. (But it's probably never a good idea to refer to your own re-election campaign as a "three-foot putt," as Hammond just did.)
Speaking of the Senate, the battle for the Democratic nomination there just got a little more interesting. Former non-profit director John Dickerson just entered the race over the weekend, and while he doesn't have any political experience, the only candidate running so far, ex-Rep. Baron Hill, has raised an embarrassingly small sum of money—just $151,000 in the second quarter. Even if Dickerson doesn't have the juice to make an impact on the contest, someone like McDermott could. Republicans, meanwhile, face a multi-way primary of their own, though they'll be favored to hold on to the seat of GOP Sen. Dan Coats.