Democratic Senator Tallian Announces Run For Attorney General

Dave Stafford for www.theindianalawyer.com

Indiana Sen. Karen Tallian has announced she will seek the Democratic Party’s nomination to run for attorney general, alluding to the sexual misconduct scandal enveloping current officeholder Curtis Hill and criticizing his “right-wing agenda.”

“While I have been proud to serve in the State Senate, a decade of Republican supermajority across three branches of government has made Indiana a state of extreme politics,” Tallian, D-Ogden Dunes, said in a statement released Wednesday by the Tallian for Attorney General campaign. “I am running to restore checks and balances to the Statehouse and to be a voice for all who live here. It is time that Hoosiers have leadership that listens to their problems and fights for solutions.

“The Attorney General should be the citizen’s advocate and work for all of us, not filing lawsuits trying to take away our legal rights,” Tallian’s statement said. “The Attorney General’s office should not be trying to promote a right-wing agenda to overturn healthcare for pre-existing conditions and take away the ability for Hoosiers to have affordable insurance coverage. Curtis Hill has not been an advocate for Indiana citizens, and he has not brought integrity and reason to this office.”

A member of the state Senate since 2005, the Porter County Democrat was among the first lawmakers to call for marijuana legalization. She has authored several marijuana legalization bills in previous sessions that went unheard by Statehouse committees despite some bipartisan proposals in recent sessions. Tallian chairs the Senate Democratic caucus and is ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Hill, who has not officially announced whether he will seek re-election, already has one Republican challenger. Bose McKinney & Evans LLP attorney John Westercamp announced his bid for attorney general in June with a campaign-style statewide swing.

Political parties will select their nominees for attorney general during party conventions next year. Voters will elect the next AG in November 2020.