State Senator and Indiana governor’s candidate Eddie Melton, l-r, Willie White, and Gary’s mayor-elect Jerome Prince.

New Democrat officeholders celebrate election night

Contributed By:The 411 News

Their hard work done in the Spring, some of Tuesday’s election winners joined Gary’s mayor-elect Jerome Prince at his celebration in downtown Gary.

Even though he was unopposed for mayor, Prince’s supporters didn’t stay at home, giving him 6100 votes, close to the 6947 votes he won in May’s Primary. Across municipal races in Gary, candidates for city clerk, city judge, and city council were unopposed. In this Democratic Party stronghold, only in the councilman-at-large races did the Republican Party show a toehold. Will Miller, the Republican candidate came in fourth in the vote-for-three race.

Although his priority is Gary, Prince said he’s also “getting ready for the big race.” In 2020, the presidential and Indiana gubernatorial races loom large. On hand to congratulate winners Tuesday night was State Senator Eddie Melton (District 3). Melton is in the race to unseat Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb and had a taste of presidential politics in South Carolina recently.

Melton joined Democratic presidential candidates at Benedict College, a historically black university in Columbia, SC for the “Second Step Presidential Justice Forum” and was on the program to interview South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg. The 3-day event opened on a Friday with President Trump as the featured speaker. That night, a boycott was threatening, led by California’s Sen. Kamala Harris, one of 9 Democratic presidential candidates slated to appear Saturday and Sunday.

None of the candidates knew the president was appearing, Melton said, and neither did he. Trump received an award from the sponsors for his administration’s work on criminal justice reform with passage of the First Step Act in 2018. The law brought in new sentencing guidelines for federal prisoners and early release for some.

Candidates scolded the sponsors for inviting President Trump and said he was undeserving of the award.

Melton said the event had been promoted for months for Democratic presidential candidates. “We were all caught off guard when it was announced two days earlier Donald Trump would attend. When any president comes to town, the White House takes over all planning for an event. It was extremely disappointing this was not shared with participants in advance.”

As he was going down to Columbia Saturday, Melton said his phone filled with tweets and messages. “I supported Sen. Harris. I don’t believe the president should have been invited and he shouldn’t have gotten an award,” Melton said.

The boycott was averted and Melton interviewed Buttigieg. The forum was opened up to students and the public, who hadn’t been permitted to attend the gathering with President Trump, Melton said.

At the outset, Buttigieg’s entry into the presidential race was not taken seriously. Today, he ranks near the top in election opinion polls.

Melton isn’t endorsing anyone yet. “Buttigieg is a good candidate. Democrats still have two more debates. I want to see what happens in the Iowa caucuses, in New Hampshire, and South Carolina. We need a strong candidate at the top of the ticket.”

The gubernatorial candidate said he is confident in his race to come out of the Indiana Democratic primary.


At Jerome Prince celebration, Merrillville’s new office holders (l-r) Rick Bella, Council Ward 5; Kelly White Gibson, Clerk-Treasurer; and Leonard White, Council Ward 7.

Story Posted:11/09/2019