Gov. candidates Curtis Hill, Jamie Reitenour provide reaction to FOX59/CBS4 Republican debate

INDIANAPOLIS — After Tuesday’s debate, the two Republican gubernatorial candidates who were not eligible to participate are speaking out about how candidates performed in the debate, as well as the current status of their campaigns.

Tuesday’s debate consisted of four candidates who polled above 5% of support in the recent poll conducted by Emerson College/The Hill. Two candidates, including Curtis Hill, Indiana’s former attorney general, and Jamie Reitenour polled at 2.4% and 1.6% respectively.

The following candidates participated in Tuesday’s FOX59/CBS4 debate:

• U.S. Senator Mike Braun (R-Ind.)
• Brad Chambers, former Indiana Secretary of Commerce
• Suzanne Crouch, Indiana’s current lieutenant governor
• Eric Doden, former president of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation

Curtis Hill

Hill said he believes Tuesday’s debate would have been more exciting if he had been on the stage, stating it was a “snoozer from that standpoint.”

The thing that stood out to him about the debate the most was the question surrounding the letter grades given surrounding Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb’s job performance. As other candidates gave Holcomb higher grades, Hill said he would have given Holcomb a D or an F.

“(The grade was given) primarily as a result of 23 months of emergency orders that were not necessary,” Hill said, referencing the COVID-19 pandemic. Crouch also criticized Holcomb’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic in her answer during Tuesday’s debate.

“We are suffering through a great deal of strive as a result of decisions that were made by our governor at that time,” Hill continued. “(The decisions) were proven to be wrong and were wrong at the time… The pandemic was a litmus test on leadership, particularly if you were in office at that time, which I was in.”

Hill also thought that Braun, who is leading the Republican gubernatorial race in a number of polls, came out of the debate looking “stiff and stale.” Hill said that while Braun went into the U.S. Senate with the premise that he was going to clean the swamp, Hill claims that Braun has just become a part of the swamp.

As the state’s former attorney general, Hill said that he has a critical perspective that would help him if he was elected governor. While most of the candidates have run as a political “outsider,” Hill thinks that voters want people with a background in bureaucracy so they can get things done in the position.

While he agreed with the candidates who said that government funding should decrease, Hill argued that some of the candidates would not have the background on how to do that.

“It doesn’t make any sense. You want qualified people,” he said. “You want people to know what they’re doing. From my perspective, I’m someone who has been in service as a prosecuting attorney, as attorney general. So, I understand the dynamics of statehouse government. That’s imperative.”

With more than 40% of voters stating they are undecided in the Republican governor’s race, Hill said that the race is not over, stating that he expects to overperform in the primary. Hill said voters should see “an aggressive effort” from his campaign through the primary.

“It’s a matter of leadership,” he said. “It’s a matter of who will get the job done. Much of what we talked about is we have folks… talking about the things that they will do, bullet points, but it’s a matter of what have they done.”

Jamie Reitenour

Since Reitenour was deemed not eligible for Tuesday’s debate, Reitenour and her campaign have been vocal about her being left off the debate stage.

In a news release prior to Tuesday’s debate, Reitenour claimed that there was strong public interest in her being in the debate, highlighting statements from candidates for office, office holders and others.

Reitenour, who live tweeted during Tuesday’s debate, said she wants Hoosiers to know that she is continuing to pay attention, even if she is not necessarily involved in the race.

“Part of being a leader is being involved and making sure that people know that you’re not intimidated by the process,” she said. “I wanted them to know that I was engaged, that I was paying attention. I also don’t want them to think that it worries me that I’m not in the debate. We never really counted on being in the debates. We just want to stand for what’s right and make sure that people understand that it really should be an environment where everybody’s invited.”

Out of Tuesday’s debate, Reitenour said that the participating candidates gave “canned responses” and that not much of what the candidates said were much different than what she has heard on the campaign trail.

“Whenever (people) hear these canned responses, they’re turning it off,” she said. “They want real people to work for their families and that’s what we offer.”

Since Reitenour made it on the Republican primary ballot, she said that her campaign has focused on the more than 40% who are undecided in this race. Reitenour said she is using the ground, grassroots campaign to gain support throughout the state, hearing priorities from Hoosiers.

Reitenour said her campaign volunteers are placed throughout the state and she is at “their beck and call.”

“So really, when they need me, I show up,” she said. “…It’s not about people looking at our Facebook page and seeing me meeting with these small groups, these small groups represent the (other) groups that are going out and touching the rest of the state.”

When people ask Reitenour what her plans are after the primary election, Reitenour cited the story from the Bible surrounding David and Goliath.

“What I would say in that question is it’s kind of like asking David if he would actually prepare for what happens if he doesn’t beat Goliath, right?” she said. “I won’t even operate that way. I know that I am here for the people of the state of Indiana… and it is my honor.”

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