SPENCER, Ind. – Recognizing that that every community matters, today Jill Long Thompson and Dennie Oxley stopped by the Owen County Fair in Spencer as they continued their “Hoosier Hometown Tour” on Tuesday.

The Democratic candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor are spending the summer visiting a number of Indiana’s often overlooked communities, meeting with local residents, touring local businesses, stopping by county fairs and announcing their plans to restore Indiana’s promise.

 "Both Dennie and I grew up and live in small towns. We understand the unique challenges these places and people face,” said Long Thompson, a former Congresswoman and Under Secretary at the United States Department of Agriculture. “We also recognize the tremendous potential that all of our communities have – and as Indiana’s next Governor and Lieutenant Governor we are going to work with local leaders to unlock it.”

A native of Larwill, a rural community in Whitley County, Long Thompson began Monday campaigning in nearby Columbia City. Later, she stopped in Huntington, Hartford City and North Manchester, where she once taught at Manchester College. Oxley, started Monday in his hometown of English, in Crawford County, and then visited Jackson and Bartholomew counties.

On Tuesday, in addition to stopping in Spencer, the duo visited Martinsville, Brazil, Terre Haute, Greencastle.  Later this week Long Thompson will Lebanon, Crawfordsville, Frankfurt, Greenfield, Anderson, Marion and Tipton, while Oxley will spend time in Lafayette, Crown Point, Merrillville, Tell City, Vincennes and Marengo.  

“We  wanted to begin this portion of our campaigns in small communities, because that’s where it all began for me,” said Long Thompson who now lives near Argos, a rural community in Marshall County. “It was in these communities and from these people that we learned the values of hard work, unrelenting optimism and the belief that one should never give up or give in.”

“We know that Hoosiers all across Indiana share that same outlook and determination, yet today far too many of our citizens don’t have the same opportunities we once did,” added Long Thompson. “We cannot continue to allow state government to ignore huge swaths of the state because a major highway doesn’t connect them or they don’t meet some arbitrary population criteria.”

Demonstrating Long Thompson’s and Oxley’s commitment to engaging all communities in Indiana’s economy, earlier this year they released their economic plan, which is  centered on helping all communities. The plan calls for revamping the state’s tax structure, changing state law to allow businesses and individuals to pool together buy health insurance in bulk, addressing the state’s high school dropout rate by reforming the state’s education policy and bringing broadband connectivity to all corners of the state.

The Democratic team has also previously proposed an “Economic Tiers” program to direct economic investment in the state’s struggling counties. Under Long Thompson’s plan, the state’s 92 counties would be categorized into three different tiers with the state’s economic development dollars allocated accordingly. The tiers, which would be updated regularly, would be determined by a county's unemployment rate, median household income, population growth and assessed property value per capita.

“Turning this economy around is going to take more than stepping off an RV in a small town every four years to film another television commercial,” said Oxley, who represents portions of eight Southern Indiana counties the Indiana General Assembly. “It’s going to take the recognition that this is a team effort in which every community and every citizen must have the chance to get in the game.”

“Because of who we are and where we come from, both Jill and I are committed to making this happen,” added Oxley.  “We know that by including communities of all sizes, we can ensure good jobs, good wages and a better future for all Hoosiers for years to come.”

Daily blog entries from both Jill Long Thompson and Dennie Oxley detailing their trips can be found at http://hoosiersforjill.com/blog beginning Monday evening.

Known for her ability to get things done, Jill Long Thompson is an accomplished public servant. She has served as a city councilor, a Congresswoman and as Under Secretary for Rural Development at the United States Department of Agriculture. Long Thompson grew up on her family’s farm in rural Whitley County and was the first in her family to go to college. She received her undergraduate degree from Valparaiso University and went on to earn a master’s and Ph.D. in business from Indiana University.  A farmer and college professor by trade, Long Thompson lives with her husband Don Thompson, a commercial airline pilot, on their farm in Marshall County.

Dennie Oxley is a 10-year veteran of the state legislature, currently serving as the Majority Whip in the Indiana House of Representatives. A former high school math teacher, school administrator and businessman, Oxley brings a wealth of public and private sector experience to the team. Oxley is a graduate of Indiana University Southeast, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education. A lifelong resident of English, a small community in Crawford County, he resides there with his wife, Jayme, and their two young daughters.

For more information about Jill Long Thompson, Dennie Oxley or their campaign to restore Indiana’s promise, please visit www.hoosiersforjill.com or call 317-635-Jill.