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INDIANAPOLIS — As a major election year approaches, many of 2023’s major political headlines are expected to make an impact on how Hoosiers approach 2024 – including Indiana’s near-total abortion ban, the various 2023 mayoral races and the ongoing reprimand process with Indiana Attorney General, and 2024 candidate, Todd Rokita.
As the year comes to a close, take a look at some of the top political stories from Indianapolis and throughout Central Indiana that occurred in 2023.
Indiana Near-Total Abortion Ban
Even though Senate Enrolled Act No. 1 was passed in August 2022, Indiana’s near-total abortion ban was officially implemented throughout the state this year after legal challenges delayed the bill’s impact.
In late June, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled the state’s near-total ban did not violate the state constitution, overturning a county judge’s ruling which said the ban “likely (violated)” the constitution’s privacy protections. This ruling previously allowed the state to continue abortions from September 2022, despite the passage of SEA 1.
SEA 1 is a bill which prohibited all abortions in the state, except for three exceptions:
- When reasonable medical judgment dictates that performing the abortion is necessary to prevent death or a serious risk of substantial of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function, or the “health or life exception.”
- When the pregnant person receives a diagnosis of a lethal fetal anomaly
- When the pregnant person is a victim of rape or incest.
All other circumstances of abortion could result in criminal penalties for physicians under the bill. It could also cause physicians to have their medical licenses revoked if they conduct an abortion outside the bill’s reach. The bill also eliminated licensed abortion clinics, requiring abortion procedures to be conducted in a hospital or an ambulatory outpatient surgical center.
In response to the Indiana Supreme Court’s decision, and right before the official implementation of SEA 1 on Aug. 1, the ACLU of Indiana asked the Indiana Supreme Court to host a rehearing on the decision. The ACLU said at the time they believed the Supreme Court’s decision would “prevent profound and potentially irreversible damage to patients who will suffer ‘a serious health risk’ absent an abortion.”
On Aug. 1, officials from Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawaii, Alaska, Indiana and Kentucky, as well as other health care providers, said abortion services had stopped in the state, stating at the time it was a “dark day for millions of Hoosiers and others” who need an abortion.
Later in August, the Indiana Supreme Court ultimately denied the ACLU of Indiana’s request for a rehearing surrounding SEA 1, certifying the court’s decision in June that the near-total abortion ban did not violate the state’s constitution.
“We have seen the horrifying impact of bans like this across the country, and the narrow exceptions included in this extreme ban will undoubtedly put Hoosiers’ lives at risk,” officials from the ACLU said at the time. “We will continue to fight in court to clarify and expand upon the current exceptions. Every person should have the fundamental freedom to control their own body and politicians’ personal opinions should play no part in this personal decision.”
As the year comes to a close, entities continue to fight the implementation of SEA 1. A complaint was filed in early November in Monroe County from Planned Parenthood, as well as other medical entities, highlighting that certain portions of the bill are “unconstitutionally narrow,” highlighting the bill’s hospital requirement and the health or life exception.
“(The bill) virtually eliminates abortion access across the state and deprives patients of their constitutional right to obtain abortions to protect them from serious health risks,” the complaint read. “Plaintiffs bring this action on behalf of themselves and their staff, their abortion patients and their clients to prevent the deprivation of their rights under the Indiana Constitution.”
A bench trial for this matter in Monroe County is preliminarily scheduled for May 29-31, 2024, according to court documents.
In early December, the Indiana Court of Appeals heard oral arguments regarding an appeal of a preliminary injunction issued by Marion County in September 2022. This was in relation to a class action lawsuit filed by the ACLU, claiming the implementation of SEA 1 infringes on the religious freedom of some Hoosiers.
While legal challenges are expected to last into the new year, and potentially further, the ban is having an impact on the state as a whole. According to reports from mid-November, the Guttmacher Institute reported that zero abortions occurred in the state in the month of August, the initial impact of the state’s near-total abortion ban.
Officials with the institute said at the time almost 700 abortions were reportedly conducted in July within the state. The three states bordering Indiana where abortion is legal, including Illinois, Michigan and Ohio, saw increases in the number of abortions in August.
AG Todd Rokita’s reprimand by the Indiana Supreme Court
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita was the subject of a disciplinary complaint and was reprimanded by the Indiana Supreme Court in 2023, after Rokita made multiple comments to media outlets and other public statements between July 2022 and September 2022 surrounding the investigation into Dr. Caitlin Bernard.
This comes after Rokita announced in February that he would be running again for the state’s Attorney General position in 2024.
The Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission found Rokita violated two rules of the Indiana Rules of Professional Conduct, specifically Rule 3.6(a) and Rule 4.4(a). when he spoke about the Bernard investigation to Fox News host Jesse Watters on July 13, 2022, as well as to other media outlets and through public statements from the Indiana Attorney General’s Office.
According to previous reports, Bernard is an Indianapolis obstetrician-gynecologist who performed an abortion on a 10-year-old rape victim. Bernard was eventually found to have violated patient privacy laws by talking publicly about the procedure.
In July 2022, Rokita appeared on Watters’ show to speak about the Bernard investigation. During the interview, Rokita told Watters, in front of a national audience, that Bernard is an “abortion activist acting as a doctor – with a history of failing to report.”
According to previous reports, rule 3.6(a) states an individual who is a part of the investigation should not make any statement that they know, or reasonably should know, will be disseminated to the public and will have “a substantial likelihood of materially prejudicing” future proceedings. Rule 4.4(a) states a lawyer should “not use means that have no substantial purpose other than to embarrass, delay or burden a third person, or use methods of obtaining evidence that violate the legal rights of such person.”
Along with the reprimand, the court ordered Rokita to pay a $250 fine as well as the commission’s investigation costs. In response to the finding, Rokita responded:
“First things first: I deny and was not found to have violated anyone’s confidentiality or any laws. I was not fined. And I will continue as Indiana’s duly-elected attorney general.”
Rokita
After Rokita’s response to the reprimand, the Indiana Supreme Court’s Disciplinary Commission requested the court to release Rokita’s conditional agreement for discipline. The commission stressed Rokita’s public statements created confusion on whether or not he admitted to doing anything wrong.
The commission claimed in the petition that Rokita’s public statements do not line up with what he agreed to in the conditional agreement and call into question Rokita’s “acceptance of responsibility.” Officials believed it was in the public’s best interest for the documents to be released.
In response to the petition, Rokita said he was not aware of any requirement to indicate contrition with every public statement he makes. Rokita stressed nothing he said or signed was false.
“Ultimately, this is about my opponents pressuring the Disciplinary Commission and the courts to do what they can’t do at the ballot box,” Rokita said at the time. I’m not going to be silenced from communicating what I know to be true about healthcare providers or entities who violate patient privacy, or any other issue important to voters and taxpayers. It is my duty to uphold Indiana law, and I am not going to stop fighting for what the majority of this state knows is right.
In November, Destiny Wells, an attorney and combat veteran who previously ran for the state’s Secretary of State position in 2022, announced she would challenge Rokita for the Attorney General position as a Democrat in 2024.
“I am running for attorney general because Hoosiers deserve an attorney general who will put them first,” Wells said at the time. “As attorney general, I will protect medical privacy, support workers’ rights, and focus on the needs and safety of our communities.”
Pence running for president, dropping out
Within the span of four months in 2023, one of Indiana’s major political figures announced, and ended, his 2024 presidential campaign.
On June 5, former Vice President Mike Pence, Indiana’s former governor and member of the U.S. House of Representatives, filed paperwork declaring his campaign for president in 2024 in the Republican primary.
Pence kicked off his campaign in Des Moines, Iowa, describing himself at the time as “a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order.” Pence, who was the vice president for President Donald J. Trump, was the first vice president in modern history to challenge the president under whom he served.
During his campaign, Pence spoke about a number of topics, including his travels to Ukraine, his dissatisfaction with the direction President Joe Biden has taken the country as well as the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. In July, Pence was endorsed by Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb and by Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston.
In late October, Pence ended his campaign for the Republican presidential primary after he struggled to raise funds and gaining traction in the polls. Pence said at the time he had no regrets and he “always knew this would be an uphill battle.”
“It’s become clear to me: This is not my time,” Pence said. “So after much prayer and deliberation, I have decided to suspend my campaign for president effective today.”
After Pence’s announcement, University of Indianapolis Associate Professor of Political Science Laura Wilson said Pence struggled to find what his lane was in the Republican base.
“For his supporters, this is going to be sad, quite frankly,” she said. “You know, it was (a) local guy running for the highest office in the land. But he was controversial, both when he was vice president and prior to that when he served as governor.”
Mayoral races around the state
A number of cities throughout Central Indiana hosted mayoral elections in November 2023, including one in the city of Indianapolis.
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett (D) won his third term as mayor in November, receiving nearly 60% of the vote from Indianapolis residents. His challenger, Jefferson Shreve (R) received around 41% of the vote.
November’s results came after a months-long race, and a multi-million dollar investment into the race by both candidates. The amount invested in the race was a reported record amount for an Indianapolis mayoral race.
“I’ve enjoyed serving the people of Indianapolis for the last eight years and in no small measure because of the global pandemic, I’d like to finish the job and I think that can be done if I am given a third term,” Hogsett said after November’s win. “I hope to be able to finish the job over the next four years and ride off into the political sunset.”
During the campaign, both candidates tackled topics like public safety, the status of downtown Indianapolis, infrastructure, economic development and the Indianapolis Animal Care Services.
“This is our hometown, this is our city. And I am convinced that it can be better,” Shreve said in early November. “[This pursuit] has been extraordinarily broadening. This candidate has grown tremendously. Now, it has been an expensive education. But I have grown tremendously and grown to appreciate my hometown.”
Indianapolis was not the only city in Central Indiana to host mayoral races in November,
For the first time in 30 years, Carmel voters got the chance to choose a new person to serve as mayor. Sue Finkam (R) received more than 56% of the vote while her opponent, Miles Nelson (D) received a little more than 42% of the vote. Both Finkam and Nelson previously served on the Carmel City Council.
This comes after long-time Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard decided not to run for re-election. According to previous reports, Brainard served seven consecutive terms since he was first elected in 1995.
Other cities across Central Indiana also hosted mayoral races, including:
- Columbus
- Muncie
- Beech Grove
- Southport
- Lawrence
The start of the race for governor
As November’s election saw a number of Central Indiana cities elect their respective mayors, a number of Indiana politicians and public figures announced their intentions to run for Indiana Governor in 2024.
In 2023, a number of candidates announced their intention to join the Republican primary for governor, including:
- Brad Chambers, Indiana’s former secretary of commerce
- Curtis Hill, a former Indiana Attorney General;
- Mike Braun, a current U.S. Senator for Indiana;
- Suzanne Crouch, Indiana’s current lieutenant governor;
- Eric Doden, the former president of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation;
- Jamie Reitenour.
In the Democratic primary, Jennifer McCormick, the former superintendent of public instruction for Indiana, has announced her intention to run for governor. Donald Rainwater, a Libertarian, also announced his intention to run for the position.
According to previous reports, the first day a candidate can officially file a declaration of candidacy is Jan. 10, 2024, according to the Indiana Election Division.
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