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Myers Is First Democrat To Officially Announce Bid For Governor

By Brandon Smith, IPB News | Published on in Government, Politics, Statewide News
Health care executive and former State Health Commissioner Woody Myers announces his 2020 bid for governor. (Brandon Smith/IPB News)
Health care executive and former State Health Commissioner Woody Myers announces his 2020 bid for governor. (Brandon Smith/IPB News)

Indiana Democrats have their first official candidate for governor in the 2020 cycle.

Former State Health Commissioner and health care executive Woody Myers announced his bid Wednesday.

Myers, a physician, has only run for public office once before – for Congress, in 2008 – and never a statewide campaign. But he says he’s not worried whether he has the experience necessary for a gubernatorial bid.

“I’ve been a businessman; I’ve been involved in politics. I am a physician; I’ve been in state government, in the public sector,” Myers says. “I’ve been in the private sector; I’ve been in the not-for-profit sector.”

Still, Myers also hints that not spending a career in politics could be an asset.

“I’m running for governor because Indiana has too many pre-existing conditions that typical politicians just can’t treat,” Myers says.

Among the issues Myers cites: inadequate teacher pay and education funding, poor maternal and infant mortality rates, and rising health care costs.

Gov. Eric Holcomb (R-Ind.) is expected to officially launch his re-election bid Saturday.