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Joseph Townsend on Evan Smith
As a Conservative Republican, I have a lot of reasons to be excited about this upcoming November election. There are talks of Republicans picking up to 50 House seats and 9 Senate seats, which would put the party in a good position to fight off some of the negative that has been done these last couple of years. Being a staunch Conservative Republican like I am, one would assume I would support the Republican in the 84th district race; however, I support the Democrat in this race. This is definitely a rare event in my world. Here are a few reasons why I would encourage fellow Republicans to cross party lines in this race:
On the most important issues to the Republican and more importantly, Conservative movement, Evan Smith agrees with us. Smith is pro-life and attends Catholic church on a weekly basis. In fact, he attends the same church as his opponent. For this reason, we need to look beyond social issues in this race, as both the candidates agree on social issues.
Evan Smith is someone who will work with Mitch Daniels, not against him. Smith is the only candidate in this race that has clearly outlined his plan for job creation and better education in Indiana. Smith has made it clear that he will work against teacher unions when its necessary to do so in order to improve education.
I want someone fresh and new representing me in Indianapolis. I want someone with new and innovative ideas, not someone who will bring forward ideas of yesterday. Smith is the only candidate in this race who has new fresh ideas. His opponent has been “shopping around” for a political seat for some time now and that is not a positive thing in my book.
Finally, I want a candidate that will represent the 84th district, NOT a candidate that will represent one political party or another. Seeing how Smith has reached out to Republicans, like myself, for ideas while running, I can assure you Smith will do so while representing us in Indianapolis. Just as we have experienced layoffs, so has he. This being the case, he will fight to keep every job in Northeast Indiana that he can. By voting for lower taxation on businesses Smith will help rebuild our economy here.
As a fiscal and social Conservative I would urge my like-minded friends on both sides of the aisle to vote for Evan Smith for State rep on November 2nd. Let’s put partisan politics aside and elect the best candidate for the job!