MUNCIE — Community activist and businesswoman Jeannine Lee Lake is seeking a second bid for the Democratic nomination to become the first United States Congresswoman representing Indiana’s Sixth Congressional District.
Lake, 50, won the May 2018 primary but lost to Congressman Greg Pence in the general election in November. Pence, 62, a small-business owner and former Marine seeking elected office for the first time, won the congressional office that his brother held before a successful 2012 gubernatorial bid and joining Donald Trump’s presidential ticket in 2016.
In Bartholomew County, Pence received 16,159 votes (60.86%) while Democrat Lake, 50, received 9,606 votes (36.18%), and Libertarian Thomas Ferkinhoff, 56, of Richmond, received 782 votes (2.95%). All sought political office for the first time in 2018.
Lake announced her candidacy for the 2020 election on July 4.
“Last time out was my first foray into politics and I believe I did it for the right reasons, because I care about my country and I am concerned about the state of our democracy as the greatest nation in the world,” Lake said.
“This time around, seeing the degradation of the leaders in this administration, I have a greater sense of urgency to redirect Americans to our better selves. Sure, we have differences in policies at times, but we must all remember that we only work well as the United States of America.”
Lake was raised in Crawfordsville with her 12 brothers and two sisters, a daughter of the Rev. Clarence I. Lee and the late Betty Jean Lee. She is married, and a mother and grandmother and has lived in the Muncie area for 30 years.
As a long-time resident and community leader in Muncie and Delaware County, she describes herself as a women’s rights champion, an LBGTQ equality activist and an advocate for all.
Involved with the education, business, religious and health sectors, in her announcement she said she celebrates public safety officials with special admiration for law enforcement officials.
Lake graduated from Ball State University in 1992. Her 30-year journalism career started with The Muncie Star in 1990 and continued with the company until 2005 when she left that position to open Grandma Betty’s Ice Cream Shop, which closed in 2015 after 11 seasons. She is publisher and chief executive officer of Elite Media Group, which publishes The Good News.
Lake chairs the Feed My Sheep Thanksgiving Outreach and is involved with the Muncie Matters Police Officer’s Community Alliance, Big Brothers Big Sisters, the East Central Indiana Minority Business Council and many other local organizations.
Lake has been married to her husband, Aaron, for 22 years. He is an associate director at the Indiana Academy and an assistant pastor at Greater Grace Church. The couple has three sons, Charles, Layton and Nahshon, and a daughter, Constance. They also have two grandsons, Aiden Elijah and Jonah Durant.
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Jeannine Lee Lake
Age: 50
Hometown: Crawfordsville
Current city of residence: Muncie
Career: Former reporter at The Muncie Star; founder of former Grandma Betty’s Ice Cream Shop; current publisher and chief executive officer of Elite Media Group
Education: Crawfordsville Senior High School (1987), Ball State University (1992)
Family: Husband, Aaron; Three sons, Charles, Layton and Nahshon; Daughter, Constance; Two grandsons, Aiden Elijah and Jonah Durant
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