Senate Democrats divided over leadership on Organization Day
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Sen. Greg Taylor addressing reporters on Organization Day. Photo: Arika Herron/Axios
Indiana Senate Democrats said they are "deeply troubled" by sexual harassment allegations involving, as a statement from their caucus put it, "a member of the legislature."
- That member of the legislature is Sen. Greg Taylor, the man they reelected as leader of their caucus hours after those allegations were made public.
Driving the news: On Tuesday, Taylor gave his traditional speech from the Senate floor during the Indiana General Assembly's Organization Day — his first public appearance since the allegations were published by the IndyStar Monday.
- He also spoke to reporters afterwards, as is customary, but only gave a brief statement about the caucus' legislative priorities for the year — education, housing and public health — and took no questions.
Why it matters: Taylor made no explicit reference to the allegations against him made by three former Statehouse employees and did not address the reforms that Senate Democrats have pledged to make the Statehouse a safer place to work.
What he's saying: "I will let my actions speak louder than any word I can say from this microphone," Taylor said, addressing his Senate colleagues.
The big picture: A statement attributed to the caucus released Monday evening said reform is non-negotiable and the caucus would propose "immediate changes to the ethics process to ensure independence, transparency and fairness."
- A spokesperson for the caucus could not comment Tuesday on what those changes would be.
Zoom in: Sen. Andrea Hunley ran against Taylor for the position, with the backing of Sen. Rodney Pol, but was defeated.
- Sens. J.D. Ford and Shelli Yoder have said they did not support Taylor's bid to retain the minority leader position.
- The election to leader requires a majority — six of the caucus' 10 members, in this case.
The intrigue: Hunley was elected assistant minority leader, and Pol will serve as caucus chair — leadership roles within the caucus below Taylor.
- "We are committed to ensuring that changes are made, and that Leader Taylor is held accountable," Hunley and Pol said in a joint statement released Tuesday.
What we're watching: With just 10 seats in the 50-member Senate, Democrats are already at a major disadvantage.
- A divided caucus will have an even steeper climb to get legislation passed, such as proposed sexual harassment reporting or ethics reform.