Mike Wolanin | The Republic
Indiana Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch
To date, Indiana has never had a female governor.
When asked how it feels to be looking to break that glass ceiling, Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch replied, “I always look at myself as Suzanne Crouch, who’s just doing the best job I can at whatever it is that I’m doing.”
Crouch visited Columbus on Wednesday, which also happened to be International Women’s Day, and stopped by Columbus Propeller to commend community leaders on a successful crowdfunding campaign and learn more about what’s going on at the local makerspace.
The lieutenant governor announced her 2024 campaign for governor in December. Fellow Republicans Sen. Mike Braun and Fort Wayne businessman Eric Doden are also seeking the GOP nomination.
Crouch’s past roles in government have included county auditor, county commissioner, state representative and state auditor. She said that she worked in local government when the state was “not in very good fiscal condition” and, as a part of the state government, was involved in turning that around.
“I feel like the vision that I have for Indiana is focused on the next chapter in Indiana’s history, which will be quality of life,” said Crouch. “And that’s so important because it’s how we grow our population and attract talent here to Indiana. It used to be that people followed businesses, but today businesses are following people, and people want to live in communities like Columbus, where they have that quality of life.”
Her other priorities include economic growth, investing in education from “cradle to career” and strengthening communities in families. In regards to the latter, she said that it’s important to have programs and initiatives that achieve this goal in areas such as public health, mental health and support for law enforcement.
Other priorities include government efficiency and transparency, lowering taxes, protecting “the sanctity of life,” “protecting our faith, families and freedoms” and parental rights in education.
Crouch, who presides over the state Senate, has endorsed Senate Bill 12, a piece of proposed legislation that would remove certain legal defenses for schools in regards to sharing material that is harmful to minors. The bill would also create a complaint process for parents who are concerned about books present in school libraries.
“The school library should be a place for learning, not a license for grooming,” Crouch wrote in a recent social media post. “I support Senate Bill 12 and will never stop advocating for more parental involvement in Hoosier education. We must fight the political and progressive takeover of our schools.”
