July 9th, 2008 at 10:16 am by Jim Shella under Jim Shella's Political Blog
John Waterman’s apparent failure to make the ballot for governor is a feat shared by Steve Bonney of the Independent Party.
Bonney is an I-69 opponent who launched his petition drive for ballot status long before Waterman, though with less fanfare. The result is very similar.
With 32,741 signatures required, a preliminary count from clerk’s offices indicates Bonney has 2281. He is 30,000 shy.
In the counties where you might expect the most opposition to I-69 he did poorly, too, with just 24 signatures in Morgan County and 187 in Monroe.
Its time for some people to look for new ways to defeat Mitch Daniels.
June 30th, 2008 at 11:28 am by Jim Shella under Jim Shella's Political Blog
This also the deadline for John Waterman to turn in signatures meeting the milestone of 33,000 in order to get on the November Ballot for governor.
Taxpayers Party Chairman John Price reports that he won’t know what the total number of signatures is for several days.
He does have 14 signatures from troops in Iraq that, he believes, won’t be included because they are not on the correct form.
June 17th, 2008 at 4:07 pm by Jim Shella under Jim Shella's Political Blog
State Senator John Waterman’s effort to launch a third party candidacy for governor is now official but, even if Waterman is successful, don’t look for the Republican to become a fashion trendsetter.
The man who hopes to unseat fellow Republican Mitch Daniels conducted a news conference today in a short-sleeved shirt that may be forgivable considering the weather, and his cowboy boots lent a bit of personal style, but the clip-on tie caused a stir in the Statehouse press corps.
You don’t see one of them every day, at least not on a politician.
May 22nd, 2008 at 4:57 pm by Jim Shella under Jim Shella's Political Blog
Sen. John Waterman (R- Shelburn) wants to run for governor as an independent candidate.
It’s time for a reality check.
The Green Party found out in 2004 just how tough it is to gather the petition signatures (33,000) necessary to get on the Indiana ballot as an independent candidate for governor. They failed despite a concerted effort that went on for months.
Sen. Waterman can expect the same fate, in part, because he’s starting late. So, what might he gain? Got me.
What will he lose?
Status in the Republican Party, for one thing, clout in the legislature for another. Other Republican state Senators want him out of the caucus already and, with a solid majority, they don’t need him.
State GOP Chairman Murray Clark says he hopes that Waterman chooses not to leave the party but it sounds to me like he already has.
