How Indiana Made Ron Klain—Mike Pence's podcast and Young fundraiser—Pete Buttigieg's personal news
Plus: A redesigned IMPORTANTVILLE—and IceMiller's Lawren Mills.
In this redesigned issue: Here's everything you wanted to know about how Indiana shaped White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain, including his previously unreported call with nineteen of the 22 former presidential chiefs of staff, some of the biggest personalities in Washington over the past five decades, last December. Inside Vice President Mike Pence's fundraiser for Sen. Todd Young. Plus: new details on his podcast. And Pete Buttigieg offered his thoughts on his new arrivals and Afghanistan. Scroll down for more….
HOW INDIANA SHAPED WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF RON KLAIN: The secret meeting of the nation's most exclusive political fraternity took place on a Zoom call on December 18, deep into what had become the rockiest presidential transition in memory.
One by one, the men logged on to the ubiquitous video-conferencing platform. On came the Republicans Dick Cheney, who served as Gerald Ford's chief of staff, and Mick Mulvaney, Trump's third of four chiefs of staff. The Democrats John Podesta, who worked for Bill Clinton, and William Daley, who served under Barack Obama, also joined the call.
Nineteen of the 22 former presidential chiefs of staff, some of the biggest personalities in Washington over the past five decades, arrived to support Ronald Alan Klain, a man whose shoulders would soon bear the weight of Washington's most unforgiving job. Klain, the Indiana native and veteran of all three branches of government and K Street, had been training for the job of President Joe Biden's chief of staff since he was a child.
Klain has become a tough opponent for congressional Republicans. Sen. Todd Young of Indiana was one of the 10 Republicans to visit the White House in February to discuss a doomed bipartisan COVID-19 relief deal. Klain joined the group. Young described the meeting as "respectful and dignified, and, in the end, highly unproductive." Klain, a fellow Hoosier, "has a very strong personality," he said.
Read the rest of my big profile here:
Good Sunday morning and welcome back to a freshly redesigned IMPORTANTVILLE.
INSIDE PENCE’S FUNDRAISER FOR TODD YOUNG
The former vice president traveled to Bargersville in Johnson County to fundraise for Young, who is up for re-election in 2022. About 75 people attended, per a person familiar. This person estimated Young netted $200,0000 when all said and done.
“The VP stuck around and took photos with everyone who wanted one,” this person said. “He was very gracious and generous with his time.”
Hammon Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr., a Democrat who is seeking his party’s nomination to challenge Young in the fall, criticized the event.
REDISTRICTING ROLLS OUT THIS WEEK
After months of waiting, they’re almost here: Indiana’s new decennial maps. Indiana House and congressional district map drafts will be posted online Tuesday. Indiana House Elections Committee will meet at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 15th, and at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 16.
AROUND IMPORTANTVILLE
Pence, a former radio host here in Indiana, returned to his audio roots, rolling out his new podcast, American Freedom.
The Republican primary field for the Indiana state treasurer’s race grew to four this week, with Fort Wayne City Clerk Lana Keesling announcing a bid.
Here's the email Pete Buttigieg sent his staff about the Afghanistan withdrawal — and his new babies.
INSIDE IMPORTANTVILLE’S REBRAND
From Kris Davidson, my designer since the beginning of the newsletter in 2018:
When Adam and I revisited the Importantville logo, we talked about creating something that stays true to the enduring spirit of the brand but pushes it forward; humble yet bold. And the truth is, we’d already created the concept in 2018. Amongst my pile of original sketches, I’d scribbled an old barn with a weathered basketball hoop onto the paper. An enduring image that inspired me was a photo of Larry Bird’s childhood basketball hoop from his French Lick upbringing. That rusted-over hoop captured something timeless about Hoosier life, and I wanted to weave it into the brand. Humble yet bold. I went all in on the classic Indiana barn in an overprinted letterpress style. It’s meant to feel like a perfectly worn-in baseball glove. The logo on the barn’s roof is angled upward to the sky, a message from Flyover Country that we matter. The colors carried through from the original logo, symbolizing golden corn against an Indiana sky. The weathervane was a late addition; a subtle nod to the ever-changing direction of Indiana politics.
IMPORTANTVILLE READS
Big stories about Hoosiers and Indiana issues that move the needle.
"Congress ceded the power to wage wars to the president after Sept. 11. A bipartisan pair of senators want to take it back," by Paul Kane in The Washington Post.
“Politically, it’s sometimes a very difficult vote to determine whether to send our young men and women into combat zones, especially when the public hasn’t already been persuaded that it’s necessary,” [Sen. Todd] Young said in an interview last month, before the withdrawal from Afghanistan. “It’s still our job. It’s still our job, but we need to own it.”
THE IMPORTANTVILLE GREEN ROOM: Ice Miller Partner Lawren Mills
A new semi-regular section, featuring a political staffer or lobbyist you should know.
How did you get into politics? Politics was a regular topic in my house. My great-grandfather was a Republican judge; my grandfather, L. Keith Bulen, wore many political hats throughout his storied career, including Marion County GOP chair. Though I never fully understood all the complexities of politics (and never will), I always respected it. Growing up in Knox County, one of the first campaigns I worked on as a volunteer was when “a local guy” named Eric Holcomb ran for state representative. John Gregg, also a Knox County resident, was a close family friend, so I had my fair share of “the other side,” too.
I continued some minimal involvement in college, as the programming director for the DePauw University Young Republicans. A year after I graduated law school—I was miserable, confused, and fully aware that practicing traditional law was not a long-term career solution for me. Lobbying had always sparked an interest, so I started meeting with people who I thought had some insight into that world. My good friend Heather Harris gave me what I view to be the advice that sparked it all, even though it sounded like “tough love” at the time. She told me that lobbying is a relationship business, and I had no relationships. Former Gov. Mitch Daniels had recently been elected, and she recommended I send my resume to his office. She told me that I needed some experience “on the inside” to be marketable “on the outside.” I sent my resume that evening, and I had a call the next day from then-Indiana Family and Social Services Administration Secretary Mitch Roob. I then interviewed for a job which had no job description. When I was offered the position, I took it.
After a year at FSSA, I was recruited to join the Governor’s Office. Over the next five years, I served as senior policy director for health and human services and eventually added the responsibilities of legislative director. I am the professional I am today largely because of the time I spent in the Daniels Administration. I learned policy, politics, and relationships. One of those relationships included a friendship with then Ice Miller partner John Hammond III, who later hired me to join the firm’s public affairs group.
Why are you a Republican? To be clear, I was raised by Republicans, so any idea that I came to the party on my own, is a fallacy. That said, when I worked in the Daniels administration, I learned the Republican tenants of fiscal responsibility and smaller government. I learned that government is not the answer to most problems. I saw how “the sausage is made” as it related to crafting policy. It affirmed many of the things that I believed, but had not necessarily articulated publicly. From Major Moves to the creation of the Healthy Indiana Plan, we saw in action what can be accomplished when Republican principles are effectively applied.
I understand you and your husband, Brad, are part owners in a racehorse? How did you get into horseracing? My grandfather owned standardbred racehorses. His horse, Abercrombie, won Harness Horse of the Year in 1978. I used to go to races as a child with him, and my parents owned horses as well. Brad and I are part of a couple ownership groups which own three thoroughbred horses which are all Indiana bred and Indiana sired, so we hope to watch them all race next year at Indiana Grand in Shelbyville. Diamond Solitaire, our three-year-old filly, has had some success already in her young career, which has been a lot of fun. We have a great ownership group and our friends have shown up in force to watch her run.
What does your job at Ice Miller entail? It starts and ends with the opportunity to work with the best teammates a girl could ever ask for. I’m a connecter, a problem-solver, a saleswoman, a cheerleader, and sometimes (often), I’m a janitor.
What's your favorite thing about Indiana? Only one thing?!?! Simply put, we are often underestimated, but we don’t have a chip on our shoulders about it. We thrive on it. We channel it. We love a good underdog story, and we will keep exceeding your expectations. I love that we are stealthy about being competitive.
What's a recent book or Netflix (or another streaming platform) show you couldn't put down/stop? I’ll assume you mean “other than Ted Lasso,” because that show is the best. I’m singing the Roy Kent song in my head right now. I am a Ryan Murphy enthusiast, and not just because he’s a Hoosier. I watch Nip/Tuck, Glee, the American Horror Story franchise, Pose, and the list goes on. He also has an anthology series about infamous crimes, the latest installment of which is called “Impeachment: American Crime Story.” It’s about President Clinton and Monica Lewinksy, and I cannot wait to watch that.
That’s all for today. Thanks for reading and subscribing. Did a colleague forward this to you? Click below to subscribe.