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KENDALLVILLE — Having traveled to nearly every nook and cranny in the state this summer as he prepped for the bid for the Republican nomination to unseat U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh in 2010, state Sen. Marlin Stutzman, R-Howe, stayed closer to home to make his run for the GOP nod official.
In front of several hundred family, friends and supporters Saturday afternoon, Stutzman cited a return to the nation’s roots in declaring his candidacy for the Republican nomination.
“We are a great nation,” Stutzman told the crowd at the Roger and Shelley Diehm farm north of Kendallville. “We want to go back to the basics.”
A small businessman and farmer, Stutzman was passionate as he described the great debt being built up thanks to what he said was overspending by the federal government, and his concern this debt would fall not only on his children, but his children’s children.
“We cannot afford it,” Stutzman said. “We cannot afford the government in Washington, D.C.”
In his talk, Stutzman covered a variety of topics, including returning focus to a strong national defense, and stressing less taxes and less regulations on Americans.
Stutzman graduated from the Lake Area Christian Schools and studied business at Trine State University and Glen Oaks Community College. Raised on a farm in Howe, Stutzman and his wife, Christy, have chosen to raise their sons, Payton and Preston, in Howe as well. Marlin is the fourth generation of his family to work the 3,500 acre family farm in the Michiana area.
Several speakers addressed the crowd before Stutzman, including U.S. Rep. Mark Souder, R-3rd.
“Marlin brings the type of values America is hunting for,” Souder said. “He knows what the Constitution is.
“We need to change Washington,” Souder said, “not change America.”
Kendallville Mayor Suzanne Handshoe said she met Stutzman before he ever took office, and that he’s the same man today he was then.
“He’s hard working,” Handshoe said. “He’s dedicated.”
Handshoe said Stutzman would be the right man to represent the Republican Party in the general election in 2010.
“Hoosiers are tired of Washington making decisions for us,” Handshoe said. “People are ready for a change.”
Aside from Stutzman, other declared Republican candidates for the primary are Carmel business owner Richard Behney, and Don Bates, Jr., a branch manager for Wachovia Securities. Tax attorney Dan Dumezich is also considering a run, as is Grant County Commissioner Mark Bardsley.
Stutzman, 33, was first elected to the Indiana House in 2001, a body he served in until 2008 when state Sen. Robert Meeks, R-LaGrange, was forced to give up his District 13 seat due to illness. Stutzman won a caucus to be put on the GOP ballot to replace Meeks, then defeated Kendallville banker Fred Demske in the general election.
He became a state senator in 2009. He currently serves on the following senate committees:
• Commerce, Public Policy & Interstate Cooperation
• Pensions & Labor
• Utilities & Technology
• Natural Resources
Stutzman spent much of his summer touring the state, racking up more than 10,000 miles on the bus he is borrowing to get his name out and spread his conservative message.
This week alone, he had been in Terre Haute, Brazil, Bloomington, Peru, Henry County and Bluffton.
Stutzman said earlier this week he has relished the stops he’s made, finding a commonality with the people he’s met.
People’s goals are the same in Evansville as they are in Howe, West Lafayette and Kendallivlle. He said, people simply want to “raise a family, make a living and be a part of your community.”
People have been friendly, but have delved into the issues as well.
“They want to know who you are,” Stutzman said. “They’re doing their homework on the candidates.”
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