Senate hopeful Hammond staffs up—GOP GOV candidate talks—Pence barnstorms Virginia

Meet GOP gubernatorial candidate Eric Doden.

FIRST IN IMPORTANTVILLE: The U.S. Senate campaign of Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott has hired former Buttigieg campaign alum Arielle Brandy as its director of voter engagement and Joe Shepherd as its rural outreach director ahead of 2022.

Brandy joined the Pete for America campaign as Indiana state director in October 2019. She’s also co-founded Vote Safe Indiana, a bipartisan non-profit with the mission of improving Safe Voting Rules amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Scroll down for more from Brandy.

Shepherd is the president of Indiana Rural Democrats.

“Both of these young Democrats came to us highly recommended for their ability to organize and their outstanding field and groundwork,” McDermott told IMPORTANTVILLE. “We are excited to have them as part of our team, and can’t wait to hit the road with them and introduce ourselves to Hoosiers who are frustrated with Washington DC’s gridlock.”

KNOWING ERIC DODEN: Eric Doden, the Fort Wayne businessman and former president of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation under then-Gov. Mike Pence, raised eyebrows earlier this summer when his campaign announced he raised $938,684 in just 56 days.

But Doden, who earned his law degree from Valparaiso and holds a bachelor’s in business finance from Hillsdale College, has largely steered clear from headlines since his announcement.

At Java House in Carmel, Doden spoke with IMPORTANTVILLE about everything from his vision for restoring Small Town Indiana to whether he would’ve backed Pence’s 2015 Religious Freedom Restoration Act and what he thinks about Gov. Eric Holcomb’s handling of COVID-19.

Strategically, by getting in early, it seems like you may have the impact of winnowing the field before it even fully forms. Was that the thinking behind announcing some three years before the campaign really kicks off?

Doden: No, our thinking was: for us to do the listening tour, we wanted to do 45 counties a year, we needed to have three years because the last year is that sprint. You're going to a lot of events. You're meeting with people more collectively. So that's why we said three years.

Why are you running? What issues are important to you?

I grew up in Butler, Indiana, a town of 2,500 people. Butler is 13 miles or so east of I69, about seven miles from the Ohio border, and so it's tucked up in northeast Indiana. And then we moved to Auburn when I was 15. I grew up in small towns.

A couple of things that that I noticed: a lot of people invested in me to give me opportunities that I never dreamed possible coming from a small town.

There has been a declining population and a lot of their historic buildings are in disrepair. And so I think it's as important to have a strategy for your small communities as it is for your regions as for your large cities.

What we're introducing is a plan.

And we have some track record on this that we've been doing in small towns of how to engage the private sector and revitalize these communities.

How do you think current Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb managed our response to the pandemic?

I don’t really have a comment on that. That happened. What I would say is, and I've said very clearly, I don't really think the government should mandate things, I think the government should inform people and help them make an informed decision.

Do you think the Trump administration unnecessarily politicized vaccines and COVID?

I think all of us were trying to figure out what this thing was. I think that the scientific community did the best they could to come up with a vaccine in a timeframe that was as expedient as possible.

You served in the Pence cabinet, amid a string of Republican governors, including Holcomb and former Gov. Mitch Daniels. Which of them do you identify with the most?

I've appreciated the foundation that has been laid by all three governors in terms of our fiscal house, and in things that have been accomplished.

Obviously, everyone knows I'm very close to Mike Pence. And he's a personal friend, as well as a mentor and coach. But I've been really impressed with and was inspired by Mitch Daniels and what he did during his tenure, and what I want to do is do the best I can do is to paint a vision of what we can build off of the great foundation that's been laid.

Daniels often said that you can't manage that which you don't measure. What metrics would be most important to you as governor?

That's a great question. I think one of them that needs to be measured every year is community pride in each individual community. You know, economics is not just about money, it's about emotion. We know this from watching economics over years. And what you believe about your community really does matter for the future, the community.

In many ways, former President Donald Trump has become a litmus test in Republican politics, even at the state and local levels. Did you support the former president?

I supported Trump and I supported a lot of his policies. I really appreciated some of the Supreme Court nominations. I thought they were very, very gifted people that were great appointments. From my perspective, though, the real leadership of the United States is at the state and local level, and we have a direct impact on what happens to Indiana and our communities in Indiana.

Did you agree with Pence's decision to sign the Religious Freedom and Restoration Act into law in 2015?

That's really in the past. I'm always focused on what we're doing here over the next 10 years.

Do you believe former President Trump lost the 2020 presidential election?

I'm not a political expert. I'll leave that for the experts.

Good Friday morning, and welcome back to IMPORTANTVILLE.

AROUND IMPORTANTVILLE

• Ice Miller opened a new D.C. office Tuesday. Hoosier notables spotted: Jim Banks, Greg Pence, Victoria Spartz, Jim Baird, Trey Hollingsworth, George Hornedo, Lawren Mills and Brad Rateike.

• There’s a new GOP candidate for Indiana state treasurer, bringing the total field to five: Elise Nieshella, Boone County Council president. She announced with a splashy new video this week.

IMPORTANTVILLE READS

Big stories about Hoosiers and Indiana issues that move the needle.

“What Biden's $1 trillion infrastructure bill could mean for Indiana if it passes,” by Kayla Dwyer in the Indianapolis Star

What the White House has spelled out at this stage is the amount of appropriations proposed for each type of infrastructure in the bill — roads, bridges, water supply, the electric grid and even broadband — divvied up among the states according to current federal funding formulas. The bill's final form may very well change these numbers.

“Pence wades into school debate roiling Va governor’s race,” by Will Weisert for Associated Press

The former vice president has delivered speeches around the country on other policy matters and is widely thought to be preparing a 2024 presidential run. He did not appear with Youngkin or mention him by name on Thursday — but he didn’t have to. The GOP nominee has made fighting for “parental freedom” a key part of his closing argument, highlighting his support for allowing parents to object to lessons on certain books and his opposition to critical race theory, a way of thinking about America’s history through the lens of racism.

THE IMPORTANTVILLE WATCH

“I don't know what it is about Hoosiers. But wherever you go there is always a Hoosier doing something very important there.”

That Kurt Vonnegut quote is, in part, the spiritual inspiration of the IMPORTANTVILLE newsletter. This new documentary began filming in 1982 and comes out next month, and promises to be something quite special.

THE IMPORTANTVILLE GREENROOM: Arielle Brandy, political strategist, and national secretary, Young Democrats of America

A new semi-regular section, featuring an elected official, staffer, or lobbyist you should know.

How did you get involved in politics? 

Growing up I knew the importance of civic engagement and the value in the right to vote. My grandparents were migrant workers during the Chicano movement so I learned what it meant to work hard, organize and the importance of food accessibility as a child but had no idea it’s relevance in political terms. My grandfather on my dads side came from a family of sharecroppers in the Deep South—Mississippi—and migrated to Indiana during the great migration and my Nana was a civil rights icon here locally and the first in many roles here in our community. Their stories and what they experienced during some of our country's most pivotal movements shaped my view on history and my right to vote. But it wasn’t until I got to college that I realized how much of my lived experience and every barrier  as a poor Black girl was determined by policy, an elected official that could change the outcome of my life and the politics that can sometimes hold back whether or not someone like me makes it out of the hood. 

One political science class at Indiana State University changed my life and from then on I jumped at every chance to volunteer, debate in class and present on issues I deeply understood and lived through was my top priority. It wasn’t that I knew a lot about politics or policy, I just knew that my voice was going to be valuable in these spaces. In college I started off getting involved in Indiana Young Democrats as a district chair—Taylor Schaffer, a great friend of mine who serves as Deputy Mayor of Indianapolis got me involved and I’ve been serving on the executive board for 12 years now! I’m in my second term as President and was just recently elected National Secretary of Young Democrats of America. During undergrad, I also served as Hope Institute Fellow for the DNC—the only student fellow from Indiana to participate in the program and then I went on to represent one of 5 Indiana students at the Washington Center for an Academic Seminar during the 2012 Democratic National Convention working for the Atlantic, National Journal and Start Up Rock On as a Communications and media volunteer. This is when I decided I wanted to be a national delegate one day and work on a campaign. 

In 2016, 4 years after I graduated I got my first big girl job in politics as a Regional field director for the Indiana Democratic Party overseeing the 2nd congressional district. Prior to that I was a community organizer, registering voters and educating them on issues that impacted them while doing youth advocacy work. Special shout-out to my then St. Joe County Democratic Party chairman, Jason Critchlow who took the time to connect with me post undergrad when I reached out and said I wanted to get involved. He encouraged me to apply, wrote a letter of recommendation and supported me in every way. After my first job as an organizer, the rest was history! I’ve worked on every level of a campaign now and served as a state and national delegate. I hit all my goals as a then undergrad and more before the age of 30. 

Tell me a little more about your personal story. I understand you are a single mother? What's that journey been like for you? 

Yes! And I love being a mother. In every space I enter I let it be known that I am not only an Afro latina but I am first and foremost a mother and that the work I do is not just important for me but for my daughters and their future on this earth. My daughters have been apart of my journey since day one.

I had my oldest daughter during my first year of college. She and I navigated undergrad together so when I graduated it was a big deal. The connection I made through policy and my own dependency on the government as a young mother also shaped my involvement in politics. I knew what it was like to need housing, childcare, food and energy assistance all while being a first generation college student and raising a daughter on my own. 

Now, both of my daughters have had their share of exposure to politics. They know how important it is to vote, they can organize their classmates around an issue, my oldest can build a canvass packet, highlight voter registration forms and they know elected officials by first, last name and their role in government all by watching everything I do. They care about the environment, they realize how much the education system needs to change and they also stand up for themselves. I love seeing politics through their eyes. They have been to HQ, rallies, meetings, town halls you name it they are very much apart of my journey. But they also feel the sacrifice I’ve made away from them sometimes to build a better life for them. The reality is being a single mother, young professional and a first in so many spaces can be hard to navigate but I know it will make it so much easier for them to enter these spaces long after me with ease because creating access and opportunity for them. 

You can find me in the school pick up/drop off line on a board call, making dinner while in my local Dem party central committee meeting or getting home from ballet and gymnastics practice jumping straight into a Indiana Young Dems monthly meeting. I also know what it’s like to say no to things because it doesn’t fit into my schedule with them and their priorities. We do it all together and they think I’m a cool mom saving the world. 

Why are you a Democrat? 

It’s simple: I care about people and putting them over politics. I want policies that will bring generational change and break the cycles of systemic racism that have held back my people for so long. The Democratic Party allows me to do this work and use my authentic voice in ways I never imagined as a small town, Black girl from South Bend, Indiana. 

Before I even identified as a Democrat, I was faced with the decision as a young woman, pregnant with the right to choose. It is the Democratic party that embraces those choices and continues to give access, a voice to women and fight for mothers and their babies especially in Indiana. This is important to me. 

You were Pete Buttigieg's first hire on the ground in Indiana, serving as his state director. How did you meet Pete, and what was it like to work on his campaign?

I met Pete during his first term as mayor. I had just recently graduated from Indiana State and moved back home to learn our city had a mayor not that much older than me! It was pretty damn cool. It was during his second term and my start in Democratic Party politics that we developed a strong and supportive relationship as colleagues and young professionals. He always extended an invite to me on behalf of the mayor’s office to events, he supported my community efforts, would attend and say a few words when his schedule allowed, volunteered for me when I was an organizer, he was also a founding member and donor of St. Joseph County Young Dems when we launched in 2016! He made every effort to really care about the work I was doing in our community by asking very specific questions, whenever I would see him in passing. Most elected officials can’t even remember your name let alone the latest project you're working on, but Pete did. 

In 2019, the City of South Bend and the mayor’s office named me, “Leader Under 40” during Black History Month and from there my career really began to shift and it truly became more than politics for me. 

Transitioning onto his campaign was a once in a lifetime experience. There were so many times that I had to sit back and really reflect on the fact that my personal story, being from South Bend, a WOC in Indiana politics and being a mom had so much value in a space. It was my first time working on a national campaign and while I didnt get much sleep, the places I traveled to and the people I met were so worth it. To be one of the few folks from Indiana and South Bend on the campaign at gave me an advantage to know and understand everything about Pete, his policies as Mayor, the impact he had and Indiana politics. But it also meant that every department on the campaign always had questions, ideas and wanted clarification on things so I was literally floating around HQ building relationships with everyone!

My experience was unique and one I may not ever have again on a National campaign but it was difficult at times too. Being a Black staffer during a time in which the media painted your candidate as anti-black was hard. It was an uphill battle to see how the media portrayed Black people as a monolith during the campaign, how we worked so hard for Pete as a staffers but also had a lived experience in Black America. We weren’t just on a campaign as Black & brown staff to fill a role, we knew that our own livelihood as BIPOC was dependent on the next best person to lead our country and it not be Trump. We believed and still do believe that person to be Pete. 

The staff—the PFAm we call it—are some of the most amazingly talented people I have ever met and I will be forever grateful that the Pete for America campaign brought us together. Some folks have become some of my best friends and I am always so excited to see all of the good we do in this country. We are everywhere! 

As a Black woman, do you think the media fairly covered Buttigieg's relationship with Black voters? 

The media shined a light on some of the issues our city was facing when it came to Black and brown people but what they failed to mention was that it wasn’t Pete’s fault for the gaps in our racial wealth and the systemic racism that existed in our institutions. These things existed long before he even took office and he worked really hard to break these cycles.

Our city shared a similar story to so many other small towns in our country but what the media failed to do is listen to actual Black and brown South Benders and their lived experience under Pete’s leadership and policies. It was so frustrating to literally be living through a situation here and the media twist the story or only cover the outlook of a few select individuals because it fit their narrative. It’s how South Bend stories was born on the campaign. I was honored and proud to find South Benders willing to tell these stories and cultivate a surrogate program that allowed Black South Bend women who knew Pete personally, the opportunity to travel the country and tell their story of how under his administration our city made progress and their lives were positively impacted by it. They attended round tables, town halls, did interviews, ads and introduced him at rallies. We were such an integral part of the campaign. I wish the media had covered this more. 

What does it mean to be a Hoosier?

 To be a Hoosier means you understand what it means to be underestimated, overlooked and hardly ever the first choice BUT you always come out on top, scrappy and surprising everyone with your Midwest/Southern hospitality and charm. 

It also means you LOVE basketball, ranch is a necessary condiment and you can wear a hoodie and shorts at the same time either in the summer or the fall. 

I love being a Hoosier. 

What's a recent book, podcast, or television show that has changed your mind about something?

Currently I am reading two books that have been validating me in all the ways I didn’t know I needed. They are also giving me the space to heal and trust my own vulnerability. The first book I am reading is “You are your best thing. Vulnerability, shame resilience and the Black experience.” by Tarana Burke and Brené Brown. This book is an anthology from 20 contributors sharing their experiences on how to process white supremacy, space to be vulnerable and affirm the fullness of Black life and possibility. The second book I am reading is “For Brown Girls with Sharp edges and tender hearts. A love letter to women of color.” by Latina activist Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodriguez. With this book I feel like I am reading about my life experience as an Afro-Latina, how hard it can be to thrive in spaces that weren’t meant for me but also how my lived experience and the beauty of my upbringing is what grounds me in this world. It is a must read for all women of color. 

As for TB shows I am of course watching the new season of Succession, BMF and Wutang Clan. I am also watching the most recent season of Riverdale, YOU and The Five Juanas on Netflix. I like to mix it up. 

What's your favorite Indiana restaurant?

I have two and both are in South Bend! I absolutely love Taqueria Chicago on our city’s Westside in the heart of a Latino neighborhood on Western Ave. They have some of the best tacos and tortas. Right across the street is a La Rosita where you can grab paletas and other Mexican treats for dessert. My second favorite that I can’t get enough of are Linden Grill’s  burgers, wings and perch! Linden is a small Black owned restaurant that we also utilize as a gathering space for community events, fundraisers and celebrations. Both places culturally give me the vibes I need whenever I visit- the food being great and the people you’ll see there is an added bonus!

That’s all for today. Thanks for reading and subscribing.