Incumbent Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill, Jr. believes his conservative values have been successfully tested as he seeks nomination to a second term as state AG, despite a lawsuit filed with the express purpose of removing him from office due to sexual groping allegations, according to media reports.
“If Hill gets renominated, it'll be because enough convention delegates were convinced of the story that he's been spinning for two years, which is ‘I was set up. This is all overblown. This is the establishment in Indianapolis trying to get me and I'm here to stand up for your rights not theirs,’” said Brandon Smith, statehouse bureau chief with Indiana Public Broadcasting and host of Indiana Week in Review.
When asked for comment, Hill's political director Parker Adkins said, "He is tied up until after the convention at this point." The Republican convention Adkins referred to takes place on Thursday, June 18 where the state party will select the nominee who will go on to face either Karen Tallian or Jonathan Weinzapfel. Results of the Democratic nomination process will be released on the date of the state GOP convention.
It’s been reported that Hill is set to regain the law license he lost for 30 days tomorrow, just in time for the Republican convention. While his license has been suspended, a deputy has been acting as attorney general in his place.
“Hill’s suspension is up Wednesday, the day before all four candidates will give televised speeches,” Smith told Legal Newsline. “The ballots will go out on June 22nd to delegates so he will be back in office as incumbent when the delegates can start voting.”
Hill, who is a married father of five, graduated from Indiana University and Indiana University School of Law and became a prosecutor after working as a lawyer in private practice.
“I won't rule out Curtis Hill getting renominated,” Smith said in an interview. “There's a very, very legitimate chance that he will be the Republican nominee for attorney general again.”
At the Kosciusko County GOP Lincoln Day dinner held last month, Hill touted his record as a pro-life, pro-religion, pro-Second Amendment attorney general, who supports President Trump “shoulder to shoulder” on “a number of issues.”
According to reporting by the Times Union, Hill told the audience that he blocked an attempt by Howard County commissioners to close gun shops as the COVID-19 shutdown ensued. A letter Hill sent to commissioners reportedly stated, "A pandemic is not an exception to the Constitution.”
The news organization also reported that regarding llfe issues, Hill said, "I am the attorney general for the state of Indiana who protects life and demonstrates it by going into the state of Illinois and retrieving 2,411 aborted babies, bringing them to the state of Indiana and presiding over their burial in a dignified and humane manner."
And regarding religious freedom, the Times Union reported Hill said he was able to stop COVID-19 related discriminatory actions taken by the Allen County health commissioner and city of Indianapolis that interfered with church practices.
Todd Rokita
A former Indiana Secretary of State and 4th District Congressman, Todd Rokita is now trying his hand at being the state’s attorney general.
On Twitter, Todd Rokita describes himself as a proven conservative, experienced attorney and proven vote-getter for Attorney General.
At the same Lincoln Day dinner where Hall spoke, Rokita claimed partial credit for building the state's Republican Party, taking it from "a backwater state to first in class," where 80 percent of counties are GOP, according to reporting by the Times Union.
"And now there is only one way, literally one way, that we can start losing again and losing quickly: And that’s through the attorney general’s office,” Rokita said, according to the Times Union. “The Democrats are running a strong character, a great fundraiser. He looks like Evan Bayh, he votes like Hillary Clinton. I know personally because when I was secretary of state, we had glorious, beautiful battles over photo ID. Thank gosh I didn’t write a letter about it or we still wouldn’t have it. We took action.”
Some have characterized Rokita as ambitious and a career politician. Rokita did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Rokita was twice-elected Indiana Secretary of State and is known for implementing the state’s photo voter ID law, which was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court after being challenged by the League of Women Voters of Indianapolis.
While seeking nomination to the U.S. Senate for the seat held by Democrat Joe Donnelly - who was defeated in 2018 by the party's eventual nominee Mike Braun - Rokita was accused by former GOP officials of violating ethics laws while he was secretary of state by repeatedly accessing a Republican donor database "Salesforce" from his state office, according to media reports. Like most states, Indiana law prohibits state workers or officials from engaging in political activity while on state time.
It prompted GOP officials to lock him out "until he angrily complained," says an IndyStar report. At the time, Rokita was wrapping up his Congressional career.
Another IndyStar report in 2017 noted that Rokita was known for being tough on employees.
"Working for four-term Republican Rep. Todd Rokita of Indiana is an exacting job with long hours, made more difficult by a boss known for micromanaging and yelling at his staff, according to 10 former aides who spoke to The Associated Press," the report states.
A reporter for the Indianapolis Star, who asked not to be identified, said that Rokita would like to be back in politics.
“He was a rising star years ago in his early 30s when he was secretary of state the first time," the reporter said. "He may be looking to work his way up to governor down the road.”
In a May 30 tweet, Kosciusko County GOP Mike Ragan endorsed Rokita saying, “The Court stated in writing that our attorney general [Incumbent Curtis Hill] “committed criminal battery” & suspended his law license. Our party must put forward a new, proven, & trusted nominee and there is no better choice than Todd Rokita.”
Nate Harter
Twice-elected Decatur County Prosecutor Nate Harter announced on Facebook on April 21, 2020 that he’s seeking the Attorney General nomination after having previously backed incumbent Curtis Hill Jr.
“Hoosiers deserve a tested prosecutor and proven conservative in the Attorney General’s office who’s tough on crime, supports law enforcement, protects victims and will defend our conservative values in words and deeds,” he wrote in the post.
Others characterize Harter as a grassroots conservative leader.
“He’s ultra-conservative," said Ken de la Bastide, the Herald Bulletin’s city and county government reporter.
Harter, who did not immediately respond to requests for comment, previously served as an executive member of Hill’s transition team whom he is now challenging.
“Harter is a carbon copy of Hill when it comes to policy but without the baggage,” Smith said. He earned a degree from Indiana University Mauer School of Law and was president of the Federalist Society, a conservative group on campus.
Like Hill and Rokita, Harter is pro-life, pro-Second Amendment and pro-small government.
John Westercamp
John Westercamp announced his candidacy a year before the Republican convention but some political observers say it’s hard to tell whether he’s made any inroads.
“Three other people announced they were running for the nomination with one dropping out eventually between the time when Westercamp announced his candidacy so that would suggest that they saw an opening there and if Westercamp had really made strong inroads, you would think that they probably wouldn't have seen that opening,” said Smith.
In a video posted on Twitter, Westercamp says he’s not a career politician or a life-long government employee but rather someone with real-world experience.
“We need to beat liberal Democrats, protect the Constitution and deliver Indiana for President Trump this fall,” he said. “We need a strong conservative Republican attorney general candidate who has met with Hoosiers and is focused on fighting government overreach and taking on liberal policies.”
According to his website, Westercamp was a summer law clerk for Judge Melissa May of the Indiana Court of Appeals and Justice Steven David of the Indiana Supreme Court while attending law school at Indiana University.
Currently, he practices law at Bose McKinney & Evans where he navigates regulatory compliance and facilitates commercial transactions for business clients.
“Nobody really knew much about Westercamp in the traditional mainstream political circles,” said Smith. “He hadn't run for office before. He’s younger so not active in the party in a way that he was a household name even within the very close-knit Republican circles that we're talking about when it comes to a state convention. He has had the backing of social conservatives and religious conservatives in the party.”
Westercamp did not immediately respond to a request for comment.