Indiana Democrats have a Todd Huston problem.
The House speaker controls what happens at the Statehouse while Democrats are outnumbered so badly they’re barely visible. They’re trying to soften terrible legislation, occasionally pass something useful and somehow convince voters they’re worth electing in larger numbers.
Huston is forcing Democrats to choose between doing their jobs and improving their political position. Criticize too loudly and he’ll kill your bills — even the ones his own party supports.
We don’t talk about ‘Grifter Motors’
Huston recently killed a bill from state Rep. Mitch Gore that would have stopped state officials from buying luxury cars with taxpayer money. The Indianapolis Democrat had done everything right: His bill passed committee unanimously and was ready for a floor vote.
Except, Gore also did one thing wrong. He drew attention to himself through social media videos intended to score political points. That apparently went too far and cost Gore his conditional membership at Huston’s big kids’ table.
Huston pulled Gore’s bill from the calendar, even though Republicans broadly agreed with its goals. The bill would have banned luxury vehicle purchases like Republican Secretary of State Diego Morales’ GMC Yukon Denali.
Gore says he was told Republicans were unhappy with his “Grifter Motors” social media videos mocking Morales and Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith’s nearly $90,000 SUVs. Gore passed similar legislation last year, targeting those specific vehicles.
Huston seems to have penalized Gore for doing his job too well. Elected officials are at least as much messengers as they are policymakers. They have to play show-and-tell so their actions break through to constituents.
Gore’s videos mocking Republicans who’ve bought luxury vehicles with taxpayer money fall well within fair-game territory.
Huston is applying an impossible standard: If Democrats engage in normal politics, he shuts them down. If they stay quiet and keep their heads down, Republicans might throw them a bone or two per year.
A pattern of pettiness
Gore isn’t the first Democrat to break Huston’s unwritten rules.
Two years ago, Huston nearly let Indianapolis’ Blue Line bus rapid transit project die. Some lawmakers and city officials think Huston pushed the bill as retaliation for Mayor Joe Hogsett’s criticism of the legislature during his 2023 reelection campaign. At the time, Huston’s office didn’t respond to my questions about his motivation.
Ideally, the Indiana House speaker would not be that petty. But if he is, that’s his prerogative, and Indiana Democrats need to figure out how to deal with a Statehouse kingpin who can strike them down at any time, for any reason.
There are no good answers. A House speaker willing to retaliate against critics offers two choices: Democrats can either unilaterally disarm themselves or make their best cases to voters without regard for consequences and hope to win in the long run.
So, what should Democrats do?
The Democratic Party exists because its members think they offer a superior vision. Democrats have to win more elections in order to implement that vision. Standing against wasteful government spending on luxury SUVs clearly puts Democrats on the right side of that issue — even Republicans agree.
If silence is the cost of passing a common-sense bill to enforce ethics on elected officials, Democrats should not take that deal. It would be political malpractice if Gore weren’t pointing out Republicans’ excess spending.
This shouldn’t be a partisan issue. Baltimore’s Democratic mayor, Brandon Scott, is under fire for riding around in a $163,000 SUV — and Maryland Republicans should be making social media videos pointing out Scott’s excess. That’s how politics works.
Huston clearly is not above politics. He has the power to push or kill bills for partisan reasons — and he uses it.
What he doesn’t have is the power to stop Democrats from talking about it.
Contact James Briggs at 317-444-4732 or james.briggs@indystar.com. Follow him on X at @JamesEBriggs.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Democrats can’t self-censor to spare Todd Huston’s feelings | Opinion
Reporting by James Briggs, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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