The three candidates vying for Indiana’s 6th Congressional District in the Nov. 3 general election have different takes on some of the biggest issues facing the country and Indiana.
Rep. Greg Pence, 63, a first-term Republican congressman from Columbus, is seeking re-election during a national reckoning on racial justice as the country grapples with the economic and public health toll of a pandemic.
Pence is being challenged by Democrat Jeannine Lee Lake, 50, of Muncie, a community activist, businesswoman and former reporter for The Muncie Star, and Libertarian Tom Ferkinhoff, 58, of Richmond, a certified public accountant who specializes in business advisory services and treasurer and lay leader of Lifespring Church.
Pence defeated Lake and Ferkinhoff in Indiana’s deeply conservative 6th Congressional District in 2018, receiving 63.8% of the vote, according to the Indiana Secretary of State’s Office. His brother, Vice President Mike Pence, held the seat for 12 years.
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Lake received 32.9% of the vote, while Ferkinhoff received 3.3%.
Q: What would be your specific priorities in Congress if elected?
Pence: I would continue to make constituent services, helping the 6th District economy rebound from COVID-19 and supporting President Trump’s agenda my top priorities.
Lake: Getting COVID-19 under control immediately. It breaks my heart to see 5-year-olds starting kindergarten and having to wear a mask all day to school. It’s ghastly that more than 500,000 American children have suffered with coronavirus and more than 200,000 of their parents have died of it in the last six months.
Ferkinhoff: My priority would be to limit the size and intrusion of the federal government to improve economic conditions/jobs, personal freedom and education.
Q: Why should voters choose you over your opponents?
Pence: I believe the 6th District wants a representative who shares their values and supports President Trump’s agenda. I will focus on growing our economy and helping businesses and families recover from COVID-19 instead of pushing radical ideas like defunding the police.
Lake: Tom Ferkinhoff is one smart person and one of the best people on the planet, truly. But Greg Pence is an entitled politician who got this job because of his family name. He is a phantom candidate and a phantom politician. He hides from the public and refuses to hold town halls because he would have to answer for his abysmal voting record, which is 100% with Mitch McConnell.
Ferkinhoff: I have experience building teams to help individuals and businesses succeed in the real world and I know what government policies have done more harm than good.
Q: More than 3,200 Hoosiers have died from COVID-19, including at least 57 in Bartholomew County, and unemployment claims, while much lower than in the spring, still remain historically high. What would you do, as a member of Congress, to help get the economy back on track, while balancing the risk the virus poses to Hoosiers’ health?
Pence: I supported the CARES Act which provided $2.4 billion in federal aid to Indiana. This funding allowed for our local communities and hospitals to gain quick access to resources and funding for our frontline workers. Additionally, we created the Paycheck Protection Program to help keep businesses open and funded $1,200 direct stimulus payments for all qualified Americans.
Lake: I would immediately assess each state’s overall status and make specific recommendations based on those individual areas, followed by an overall national action plan. While we have been hard hit, our needs would be centered more toward farming and agriculture communities, with attention to urban areas that suffered greatly. Most importantly, I would accept science and let health experts lead us without any respect to politics.
Ferkinhoff: There are parts of our economy that have thrived during these times but those that depend on in person contact with their customers have suffered. We saw how the government delayed getting testing approved and we need to make sure the federal government does not get in the way of an effective vaccine.
Q: According to Feeding America, a nationwide association of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries, Indiana’s Sixth Congressional District is expected to see an increase in food insecurity this year and is tied for the second-highest level of food insecurity among the state’s congressional districts. If elected, how do you plan to address food insecurity in your district?
Pence: My support for the CARES Act enabled Indiana to receive $550 million in Education Stabilization Funds and increased flexibility to local school districts so they could immediately utilize these funds to help more than 600,000 Hoosier children pay for meals they were unable to receive due to COVID-19 school closures.
Lake: I chair a group in Muncie called Feed My Sheep that helps hurting families who are having a difficult time putting food on their tables. When I unseat Greg Pence to become the first woman leading this district, I’ll address the needs of Hoosiers by raising the federal minimum wage to at least $10 an hour, to make sure every single child has a lunch at school and bringing good jobs back to Indiana.
Ferkinhoff: My field offices would be proactive in promoting the non-profits that provide services to people and helping to coordinate their efforts. They would also be proactive in making it known to people what government services are already available and how to take advantage of them.
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Name: Greg Pence
Political party: Republican
Age: 63
City of residence: Columbus
Occupation: Small business owner
Previous offices sought: Incumbent, U.S. House of Representatives, Indiana’s 6th Congressional District, elected in 2018
Education: Bachelor of Arts and Master’s in Business Administration from Loyola University, Chicago; post-graduate work at Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis School of Public and Environmental Affairs
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Name: Jeannine Lee Lake
Political party: Democratic
Age: 50
City of residence: Muncie
Occupation: 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
Previous offices sought: U.S. House of Representatives, Indiana’s 6th Congressional District, 2018
Education: Crawfordsville Senior High School, bachelor’s degree in journalism from Ball State University
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Name: Tom Ferkinhoff
Political party: Libertarian
Age: 58
City of residence: Richmond
Occupation: certified public accountant specializing in business advisory services
Previous offices sought: U.S. House of Representatives, Indiana’s 6th Congressional District, 2018
Education: Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Business from Indiana Wesleyan in Marion
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