Linda Pence announces candidacy
Bob Caylor, The News-Sentinel
6/6/2008

If Hoosiers elect her as their next attorney general, Linda Pence said she would be a consistent, determined pro-consumer advocate.

Pence, who stopped at Fort Wayne International Airport on Thursday to formally announce her candidacy, is the only Democrat running. She leaned heavily on her background litigating against oil companies and pursuing white-collar criminals for the Justice Department as evidence she could be a champion for Hoosiers' interests.

Meanwhile, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jill Long Thompson has chosen her running mate for lieutenant governor but will not announce the pick until closer to the Democratic State Convention on June 21, said campaign spokesman Jeff Harris.

Pence had been widely rumored as the likely Democratic nominee for attorney general, visiting Fort Wayne last month to meet with party supporters. Her visit was billed in advance by a blog maintained by the Allen County Democratic Party as a chance to meet the attorney general candidate.

If Democrats nominate her at their state convention - a seemingly foregone conclusion - Pence will face Republican Greg Zoeller, chief deputy to current Attorney General Steve Carter.

Pence, currently an Indianapolis attorney, said she would use the power of the office to help local law enforcement fight methamphetamine producers and sellers, dealers of other illegal drugs and “predators” who would victimize children. She said she had not analyzed the office's budget yet, but that she would be more likely to reallocate existing resources to pay for her initiatives.

Under the administration of the late Gov. Frank O'Bannon, Pence represented the state in negotiations that led to a $14 million settlement paid by a company responsible for a massive fish kill in the White River.

Carter announced in March he would not seek a third term.

- The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Bob Caylor. Linda Pence announces candidacy, The News-Sentinel, June 6th, 2008.