by Whitney Downard, Indiana Capital Chronicle
July 10, 2023

Former embattled Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill joins the growing list of politicos running to succeed term-limited Gov. Eric Holcomb in 2024.

Hill touted his experience as a prosecutor and said in a release the “government institution” needed a revival and someone to “hold lawmakers and government bureaucrats accountable.”

“All across Indiana, there is a strong ‘hometown feeling.’ The disastrous policies of Washington, DC, have taken their toll on that hometown feeling, but it’s time to build it back up and show the nation what it means to be a Hoosier. Our campaign is spreading a positive vision for Indiana that resonates with voters, business owners, parents, police officers, elected officials, and Hoosiers all across our great state,” he said in a statement to the Indiana Capital Chronicle.

Hill lost a GOP convention bid for re-election to Attorney General Todd Rokita after a groping scandal.

Longtime political analyst Andrew Downs, an emeritus associate professor of political science at Purdue University Fort Wayne, said Hill could be successful despite his history.

“In 2016, (Hill) actually earned more votes than any other statewide Republican candidate and (he) clearly has run campaigns successfully as a prosecutor in Elkhart County and as Attorney General,” Downs said.

Record as AG

The Indiana Supreme Court suspended Hill’s law license for 30 days after finding he committed criminal battery when he groped four women, including a legislator, during a party at an Indianapolis bar in 2018. The court’s disciplinary commission recommended revoking his license for two years.

Hill maintains he did nothing wrong.

In a statement, Democrats pounced on Hill’s socially conservative actions as attorney general, including his opposition to abortion rights and LGBTQ+ adoption, calling him “unfit to serve and wrong for Hoosiers.”

“Hoosiers have not forgotten how Curtis Hill disgraced Indiana and the Attorney General’s office just a few short years ago. Indiana was embarrassed on the national stage when Hill groped a legislator and three staffers at a social event…” Mike Schmuhl, the chair of the Indiana Democratic Party said. “Democrats are fighting to level the playing field for families, invest in our local schools, and improve our state’s quality of life that has fallen under 20 years of Republican administrations.”

Hill joins U.S. Sen. Mike Braun, Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, Fort Wayne businessman Eric Doden and Jamie Reitenour in the race for the Republican nomination. Frontrunners Braun, Crouch and Doden all have deep pockets, setting the stage for a potentially expensive campaign.

Hill previously filed to fill a vacancy in the 2nd Congressional District after the unexpected death of Rep. Jackie Walorski, though delegates selected Rudy Yakym as Walorski’s successor.

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