Gov. Eric Holcomb enters his final year
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Gov. Eric Holcomb holds his year-end interview with Arika. Photo: Stefan Welsh/Courtesy of Gov. Eric Holcomb's office
Gov. Eric Holcomb still won't say who he wants to take his place after next year — his final year in the office — but he did tell Axios this week one thing he hopes his successor will do (or won't undo) once they take over.
State of play: Five serious candidates are gunning for the GOP nomination and the crowded race is getting aggressive and expensive.
- The hopefuls are U.S. Sen Mike Braun, Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, former Attorney General Curtis Hill and businessmen Brad Chambers and Eric Doden.
- Plus: Democrat Jennifer McCormick and Libertarian Donald Rainwater are running.
Driving the news: Holcomb, who's term-limited, held his annual year-end media interviews this week.
The big picture: Holcomb said his administration has dedicated time to building relationships with mayors, county commissioners, town managers and other local officials — to work with them to develop priorities from the ground level, rather than taking a top-down approach.
- He pointed to efforts like his Next Level Trails grant program, an overhaul of the state's public health system and the Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative as examples of state investment in locally driven priorities and projects.
What he's saying: "I hope that approach, most importantly, continues — with broadband internet, with trails, with other cultural amenities … things that before people would say, 'The state doesn't have a role in that.'"
- "Now they understand we need people to move here and stay here and the quality of place matters a lot."
The bottom line: With one year left, Holcomb is looking to cement his legacy as a leader who moved the state forward, modernized its economy and built a place where people want to live.
- An uncertain economic outlook, lingering criticism of his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and a field of GOP candidates running to the right and focusing on culture war issues could undermine that effort.