INDIANAPOLIS – According to his book, Eric Holcomb is a self-described “hyper-partisan.” In fact, Holcomb was the Chair of the Indiana Republican Party when so-called Right to Work passed, when the state sued over the auto rescue, and when the Republican Party added a same-sex marriage ban to its party platform…just to name a few.
So it’s rather shocking that yesterday Eric Holcomb used election-year rhetoric to mask his own hyper-partisan record – and that he was bold enough to say “it was in his nature” to be bipartisan.
SHOT:
CHASER:
Holcomb Described Himself “As A Once Hyper-Partisan Operative, Willing To Tug As Hard As The Opposition Pulled.” In Leading the Revolution, Holcomb wrote, “As a once hyper-partisan operative, willing to tug as hard as the opposition pulled, I must confess that my outlook on what could be achieved through the political process was set low.” [Leading the Revolution, Pg. 4, 2012]
Op-Ed: Holcomb “…Is The Essence Of The Party Establishment.” In an op-ed published by the Indianapolis Star, journalist Matthew Tully wrote, “But the Holcomb/Stutzman matchup is intriguing. Stutzman is about as close as it gets to a tea party candidate. He challenged Coats from the right in 2010 and has battled party leaders in Washington since taking his seat in the House. Holcomb, meanwhile, is the essence of the party establishment, a man who served Daniels as chairman and Coats as chief of staff, building goodwill across the state in both roles among the party faithful.” [Indianapolis Star, Op-Ed, 5/17/15]
Holcomb Was Called “A Political Insider.” According to Howey Politics Indiana, “So in Holcomb, Pence has an immediate partner, a political insider from the Hostettler/Daniels/Coats pedigree who can press John Gregg while Pence can maintain his sunny, retail political disposition.” [Howey Politics Indiana, 2/11/16]
Holcomb Was Described As A “Longtime Campaign Operative.” According to Human Events Online, “Indiana: While the departure of State Republican Chairman Murray Clark was a surprise to Hoosier State GOP activists, the choice of his successor was not. As expected, the new state Republican chairman is Eric Holcomb, a moderate-conservative and longtime campaign operative for Gov. Mitch Daniels.” [Human Events Online, 12/31/10]
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