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Indiana Tag

It looks like the GOP escaped another potential Roy Moore fiasco in West Virginia after the convict and former coal CEO Don Blankeship lost the GOP Senate primary. With Blankenship's loss and wins in other states, the GOP may be poised to gain a few seats in the Senate.

With higher construction costs and low revenue from low pump sales, a few states have considered raising the gasoline tax in an effort to raise funds for infrastructure. President Donald Trump has promised to put forth $1 trillion to fix infrastructure across the country, but state officials have realized they need to do something for themselves. Tennesse Governor Bill Haslam (R) believes a higher tax would raise $278 million for his state.

Our talented Mary Chastain blogged on the deal reached between President-Elect Donald Trump and Vice-President-Elect Mike Pence and HVAC company Carrier. Rather than exporting jobs, Carrier will remain in Indiana, saving approximately 1,000 jobs. Mary expressed concern that if this was a firm-limited approach, Trump would be simply picking winners. The exact details about the deal have been slow to emerge.
"The incentives offered by the state were an important consideration," to staying, Carrier said in a statement Wednesday. Pence is the governor of Indiana. Carrier didn't specify what the incentives were. Trump threatened Carrier with stiff tariffs during the campaign, but Carrier's statement depicted a friendlier negotiation.
However, it must be noted that another Indiana plant is closing...and that Pence did not hesitate to act to take back incentives previously given.
Carrier’s announcement in February that it was eliminating the 1,400 jobs was paired with grim news from another Indiana company, United Technologies Electronic Controls, that 700 jobs would be eliminated at its facility in Huntington. ...After the [original] February announcements, Gov. Mike Pence and the state legislature went after the two companies to claw back hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, a quasi-state agency that made grants to the companies to train new and existing workers and to keep jobs in the state.

Right before I left Breitbart I covered the news about HVAC company Carrier planning on moving its Indianapolis plant to Mexico, cutting over 1,000 jobs. During his campaign, President-elect Donald Trump talked about pushing Carrier to keep the jobs in America. It looks like its a promise he kept because Trump and Carrier announced a deal to keep those jobs in America.

Indiana officials have started an investigation into possible voter fraud after people noticed their voter registration cards had incorrect information. Secretary of State Connie Lawson released this statement:
“We ran a report in the Statewide Voter Registration System and found thousands of dates of births and first names were changed. These records were changed on paper forms, at the BMV and online. At this time, my office is not sure why these records were changed, but we have evaluated the Statewide Voter Registration System and have found no indication it has been compromised. We believe this may be a case of voter fraud and have turned our findings over to the State Police, who are currently conducting an investigation into alleged voter fraud.”

Indiana Democrat Senate candidate Evan Bayh wants to win back the seat he gave up in 2011, but does he even live in the state? He told WISH-TV:
“Well,” he said, “1142 C Canterbury Court, Indianapolis, Indiana. It’s on my drivers license.”
But Independent Journal Review found that his address is actually on Canterbury Square. This has only added fuel to claims that he doesn't actually live in Indiana and rarely visits.

Indiana votes today. The finally tallies could make or break Senator Cruz's 2016 White House aspirations. Prior to Hoosiers heading to the ballot box, Trump was ahead in the polls.

The Republican delegate situation:

Immediately after winning the primary, Trump tweeted:

The video below is meaningful at so many levels. At one level, it's for me another Ted Cruz moment, similar to when he confronted with facts and logic Code Pink protesters. A Ted Cruz moment for me:
Cruz could have reacted many ways. He could have shouted down the people shouting him down. He could have insulted them. He could have had security push them away. But instead, he engaged. That’s what was important to me. The confidence to engage rather than avoid. Standing face to face with hostile protesters was very Andrew Breitbart-like.
The video below is of Cruz "debating" a Trump supporter. Was this person a real supporter or, as Allahpundit puts it, a parody of a Trump supporter. The Trump supporter is rude and verbally abusive -- spewing the one-liners and insults he hears from Trump. Listen to the guy. Is there anything he or the crowd says that you couldn't image Trump saying himself and in the same manner?

Mike Pence's radio endorsement of Ted Cruz was watered down by praise also for Donald Trump. It was a weird endorsement -- he said all the right things about Cruz, but an endorsement is not the time for balance. Pence has an op-ed in The Indianapolis Star in which he repeats the endorsement, without the watering down:
... While I like and respect each of our candidates, I am voting for Ted Cruz on Tuesday. In making my decision to support Ted, I am guided by the principles best espoused by former President Ronald Reagan. I am a Reagan Republican; drawn to his vision of less taxes, less government, traditional values and a strong military. Ted articulates that same agenda with an unwavering devotion to our Constitution, the sanctity of life, and the freedoms enshrined in the Bill of Rights.

Indiana has become contentious territory in the Republican primary elections. 57 delegates will go to Tuesday's Republican primary winner. No splitting here -- Indiana is a winner-take-all state. For Cruz to have a chance of keeping Trump from the necessary 1,237 delegates, he must win Indiana. Naturally, the airwaves are full of PAC ads questioning Trump's credentials, background, and pretty much everything else. Our Principles PAC released a new ad Friday and has devoted $2 million to their anti-Trump efforts in Indiana.

Apparently, Mitch McConnell is trying to undermine the senate run of a conservative candidate from Indiana that he sees as a potential disruptive force like Ted Cruz. CNN reports:
Rep. Marlin Stutzman is a member of the anti-leadership House Freedom Caucus, a conservative in the mold of Ted Cruz and a three-term Indiana congressman who voted against John Boehner as speaker. Now, he wants a promotion to the Senate -- and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his allies want to stop that. Privately, McConnell has made clear to his confidantes that he wants to bolster the candidacy of Stutzman's chief GOP rival, Rep. Todd Young, and push him over-the-top in the May 3 primary, according to sources familiar with the conversations.
This move is purportedly motivated, at least in part, by Stutzman's vote against John Boehner. CNN continues:

As we await final results from Colorado, it appears that Ted Cruz will obtain more delegates in addition to the 17 he already has. ABC News reports:
Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz has locked up the support of 21 Colorado delegates and may scoop up even more Saturday. Slates loyal to Cruz won every assembly in the state's seven congressional districts, which began April 2 and culminated Friday with 12 delegates selected. The Texas senator is well-positioned to pad his total Saturday, when 13 more delegates were to be chosen at the party's state convention. According to an Associated Press count, Trump has 743 delegates, Cruz has 532 and Ohio Gov. John Kasich has 143. It takes 1,237 to clinch the nomination, though there's a real chance no candidate will reach that mark by the national convention in Cleveland in July. Of Cruz's Colorado delegates so far, only 17 were formally pledged to him, and in theory the other four could change their vote in Cleveland. But they were all included on the senator's slates and are largely state party officials who said they were barred from signing a formal pledge for Cruz but have promised to back him in balloting at the convention.
ABC goes on to note that Cruz's "superior organization" has helped him substantially in Colorado, and NBC News is reporting that Trump's performance in Colorado reveals a "chaotic, overwhelmed Trump campaign."

This is embarrassing... Indiana University students mistook a Dominican Monk wielding a rosary for a klansman with a whip. This wily foe was up to no good at Red Mango -- the frozen yogurt joint. Twitter was abuzz with reports of a weapon-bearing klansman terrorizing campus. Screen Shot 2016-04-07 at 6.00.07 PM

After being bombarded with threats last week for their traditionally Christian stance on marriage, Memories Pizza was forced to close. Yesterday, they reopened their doors with over $800,000 dollars in the bank. FOX News reported:
Northern Indiana pizzeria that backed religious law reopens A northern Indiana pizzeria that closed after its owner supported Indiana's religious objections law has reopened. Memories Pizza owner Kevin O'Connor says he reopened about 4 p.m. Thursday. He says that within an hour, all eight tables were filled and six people were waiting for carryout orders. There were no protests as of 7 p.m. O'Connor faced criticism after he and his daughter, Crystal, said they would never deny service to a gay customer but would decline to cater a same-sex wedding because it would conflict with their Christian beliefs. Protests led them to close the Walkerton pizzeria about 20 miles southwest of South Bend.

Talk radio host Tammy Bruce has come to the defense of Memories Pizza, the Indiana restaurant which was forced to close due to threats. In a recent appearance on FOX and Friends with Tucker Carlson, Bruce said that although she is gay, she doesn't approve of the tactics being used by gay marriage activists. Bradford Thomas of Truth Revolt:
Openly gay conservative radio host Tammy Bruce appeared on Fox & Friends Thursday to discuss the "frenzy" over the Indiana Pizzeria who said hypothetically that they would not cater a same-sex wedding due to religious convictions. Bruce defended the pizza shop, warning the LGBT community against becoming the very "bullies" and "fascists" they should be fighting against. Bruce called the attacks on the pizzeria another unfortunate instance of the LGBT "mob" taking over, when it is the LGBT community that should best understand the importance of defending those with differing opinions:
BRUCE: For me, as a gay woman, it remains shocking. You sit back and watch this frenzy, like a wolf pack, going after survivors in a way with like a pizza shop. And if there’s anyone in the world who should understand the vulnerability of being a minority—of being somebody that maybe others don’t understand or relate to, the vulnerability about work and jobs, being able to live your life as you see fit—it’s the gay community. …
Watch the exchange:

A family owned pizza shop in Indiana closed its doors until further notice yesterday after death and firebombing threats, as well as hacking. The PJ Tatler provides a stunning account of how what happened:

Story About First Business to ‘Publicly Vow to Reject Gay Weddings’ Was Fabricated Out of Nothing

The Huffington Post headline screams: Indiana’s Memories Pizza Reportedly Becomes First Business To Reject Catering Gay Weddings Memories Pizza is a nine-year-old shop in downtown Walkerton, Indiana, just a few blocks from John Glenn High School. It’s owned by an openly-Christian couple, the O’Connors, who decorate their shop with mementos of their faith in Christ. So how does a small business in a small town wind up making headlines around the world as the new avatar of Christian bigotry?