Big Democratic donor Deb Simon says she’s ready to fight in 2020

Deborah Simon, Carmel philanthropist and daughter of the late Simon Property Group Inc. co-founder Melvin Simon, is not a fan of President Donald Trump. And that’s putting it mildly.

“This president is killing our country,” Simon told IBJ shortly before introducing South Bend Mayor and 2020 presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg at the Young Democrats of America National Convention on Thursday night.

Simon talked about rude comments Trump has made, actions he’s taken to intimidated others and how she believes he has inappropriately taken advantage of the power of his office.

“It’s one thing when you’re campaigning for president,” Simon said. “It’s another thing when you’re president of the United States.”

Simon’s opinion is important because she has the money to do something about her frustration. In 2018, she was one of the top individual donors nationwide to federal races, donating a total of $9.7 million to Democratic candidates.

She hasn’t decided just how she’ll spend money in this election cycle, but she told IBJ shes’s ready to do whatever she can in to help Democrats win. She thinks young voters may be the key to that strategy.

To that end, she gave Indiana Young Democrats $100,000, which may be the largest donation the organization has ever received. To put it in perspective, as of April, the group had about $5,500 cash on hand.

The money mostly went to the convention, but the group’s spokesperson, Elise Shrock, said the convention is a great way for some local candidates to receive attention they may not otherwise get.

Simon said she can see the energy in the young Democrats, and she believes they are motivated for this election.

“The bottom line is we’ve got to get this guy out of office,” Simon said about Trump.

Find out more about which presidential candidates Simon is eyeing—it’s not just Buttigieg—and more on her thoughts about 2020 in my story on IBJ.com.

Bonus: Buttigieg had plenty of criticisms of the Republican Party to share on Thursday night in front of young Democrats. You’d think the crowd loved him—and most attendees seemed to—but not everyone was chanting “Mayor Pete.” Read more about Buttigieg’s speech in my story here.

Double bonus: CNN announced the lineups for the next Democratic debates Thursday night, and Buttigieg will be on the first night—July 30—along with Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, former Maryland Rep. John Delaney, former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, author Marianne Williamson, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke.

2020 comes to Indy

Eight Democratic presidential candidates are coming here for the National Urban League convention, which starts Wednesday and runs through Saturday.

Sure, there are more than 20 people running for the Democratic nomination right now, but eight is still a good chunk of the field all coming to the Circle City within the same few days. When is the last time that many presidential candidates came to Indiana?

The candidates confirmed for the convention are:

• Buttigieg
• Former Vice President Joe Biden
• New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker
• Maryland Rep. John Delaney
• Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar
• Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan
• California Sen. Kamala Harris
• New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand

Biden, Booker, Delaney, Klobuchar and Ryan will be on stage together Thursday morning, while Gillibrand and Harris appear together Friday morning. The schedule did not list Buttigieg in either of those events, but IBJ confirmed he is attending.

The appearances come at a time when race is at the forefront of the political conversation, with President Donald Trump facing backlash for what many say were racist tweets and presidential candidates trying to figure out how to connect with minority voters.

Possibly to the disappointment of some, Harris and Biden will not be on stage together. Harris sparred with Biden during the last round of debates over his position on school busing and comments he made about working with segregationist senators.

Regardless of how the candidates were grouped together, the conversations should be pretty interesting.

Top DCS Official Resigns

Meyer joined the child welfare agency in June 2018 and was tasked with implementing the recommendations to improve the department, which at the time had high turnover and overwhelming caseloads.

The Indiana State Personnel Department and DCS have not provided any reason for his departure, which is the latest in a string of turnover.

According to RTV-6, DCS Deputy General Counsel Dianna Mehia was terminated on May 2, Assistant General Counsel for Northern Regions John Shanahan retired that same day, and Assistant General Counsel for Southern Regions Becky St. John also resigned that day.

Who Has The Most Cash?

Republicans Jim Baird and Susan Brooks and Democrat Andre Carson all raised less than $100,000, but Brooks and Carson still sit at the top for most cash on hand.

Carson leads with about $863,000, with Brooks not far behind with nearly $859,000. Brooks, however, isn’t seeking re-election next year.

Baird, who was just elected to represent Indiana’s 4th District in 2018, sits near the bottom in terms of cash on hand with only $133,000.

Indiana’s other freshman congressman, Greg Pence, has much more in the bank though, ending the period with nearly $408,000. Could it have anything to do with his name and his brother?

And even though Brooks ranks second highest in cash on hand, it’s actually significantly lower than the amount she had at this point in the last election cycle. At the end of June 2017, she had $1.4 million. Makes you wonder how long she’s been thinking about retiring from her seat.

Bonus: Speaking of campaign finance, the Democratic candidate running for Brooks’ seat reported raising $100,000 in the 100 hours after she announced her campaign. That means Christina Hale raised roughly $1,000 per hour or $16 per minute last weekend. What did you do with your weekend? 

State’s VC Firm Expects More Positive Returns Soon

How much do you know about how the state pumps venture capital dollars into Indiana startups?

If the answer is “not much,” you’re in luck. In this week’s IBJ, I explore the role of Elevate Ventures, the separate not-for-profit that started managing investments from the state’s 21st Century Research and Technology Fund in 2010.

The goal was—and still is—to invest more cash into startups and help create an ecosystem that supports entrepreneurs and innovation.

Elevate has had some wins, but more losses—as measured by the number of companies that paid back at least as much as they took in. But Elevate leaders say they aren’t worried about that, because they expect to see more positive returns soon and they know their mission goes beyond simply making good investments.

You can read more about how the firm’s investments (with your tax dollars) are performing and how Elevate operates in this week’s IBJ, which will be delivered to your home or office and online this afternoon.

Brooks Breaks Ranks

Trump’s remarks, made in a tweet on Sunday, targeted Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from New York, Ilhan Omar from Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib from Michigan and Ayanna Pressley from Massachusetts. All but one—Omar—were born in the United States. Omar was born in Somalia but is a U.S. citizen.

Brooks, who is not seeking re-election next year, was one of four Republicans to join Democrats in passing a resolution condemning Trump. Reps. Fred Upton from Michigan, Will Hurd from Texas and Brian Fitzpatrick from Pennsylvania also voted for it.

In a statement, Brooks called Trump’s comments “inappropriate.”

“All of our elected officials need to raise their level of civility in order to address the serious issues facing our country,” Brooks said.

‘My Team’s On The Floor’

Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb announced his re-election bid—a surprise to no one—on Saturday at the famous Hoosier Gym in Knightstown, where the film “Hoosiers” takes place.

During the event, there were plenty of basketball references, movie quotes (that I admittedly did not get until I watched the movie for the first time on Sunday) and nods to Holcomb’s previous “next level” slogan. The new slogan is “putting people first.”

GOP Chairman Kyle Hupfer will be Holcomb’s campaign manager and treasurer. He’s also keeping his job as head of the state party. So, he’s a little busy.

Holcomb spent the week touring the state, meeting Hoosiers and talking to media.

Bonus: The latest approval ratings from Morning Consult are out, and Holcomb ticked up ever-so-slightly from 49% to 50%. Does that count for taking it to the ‘next level’? Meanwhile, his campaign says internal polling data puts his approval rating at 61% statewide and 68% in Marion County.

Mike Pence: A Millionaire?

But Forbes is suggesting otherwise in a new series exploring the personal finances of officials within President Donald Trump’s cabinet.

According to Forbes, Pence’s public pensions will likely pay him $85,000 per year for the rest of his life and are worth a combined $1.2 million. After student debt Pence took on to pay for college for his children, Forbes estimates his net worth is $1 million.

Mayoral candidates fight over Bill Hudnut

The 30-second ad features Hogsett, a Democrat, sitting next to a downtown statue of former Indianapolis Mayor Bill Hudnut and calling the Republican “my role model.” Hudnut, who served as mayor from 1976 to 1993, died in 2016.

The ad appears to be an attempt to appeal to Republican voters in Indianapolis, and Hogsett’s Republican opponent, state Sen. Jim Merritt isn’t happy about it.

“I knew Bill Hudnut and called him a friend and mentor,” Merritt said on Thursday. “You, Joe Hogsett, are no Bill Hudnut. Mayor Hudnut is a legend. He was bold and courageous. He was a problem solver every day of his administration and not just in an election year.”

Merritt also called out Hogsett for criticizing Hudnut in 1990 when they were both running for secretary of state.

Bonus: The Indianapolis City-County Council approved Hogsett’s initiative to tackle food insecurity. The overall plan is expected to cost $900,000. Merritt has been critical of Hogsett’s ideas to address the issue.

Double bonus: The council gave some of the final approvals necessary for the deal between the Indiana Pacers and the Capital Improvement Board. IBJ’s Mickey Shuey has more here.

Your Weekend Lineup

The panel will feature Robin Winston, Mike Murphy, Lara Beck, Tony Samuel. You can catch the show on Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on CBS4 and at 9:30 a.m. on FOX59.

On Indiana Week in Review, host Brandon Smith will chat with the regular crew: Democrat Ann DeLaney, Republican Mike O’Brien, Statehouse reporter Niki Kelly and TV host Jon Schwantes.