Briggs: Destiny Wells showcased Indiana Democrats' rising stars in attorney general's race
If there's one productive thing to come from Destiny Wells' delayed start to her attorney general campaign, it's that she showed a preview of what a competitive Democratic Party might look like.
Wells won the party's attorney general nomination convincingly, receiving 1,057 votes to Beth White's 475, in a contest decided by delegates at the Democratic Party convention Saturday in Indianapolis. In doing so, Wells brought with her two of the party's most promising stars: state Sen. Andrea Hunley and Terre Haute Mayor Brandon Sakbun, a veteran who has been compared to Pete Buttigieg. Hunley and Sakbun delivered speeches nominating Wells.
Briggs: Indiana Democrats need Destiny Wells more than she needs them
The trio combined for a speaking tour de force, pumping energy into a cavernous room full of starving Democrats ready to devour any morsel of hope put in front of them.
"While I'm this young, energetic, dynamic guy, I'm pretty tired," Sakbun, 28, said to a slow-building roar of applause that erupted into a standing ovation. "I'm tired of watching GOP officials celebrate at ribbon cuttings for projects funded by Democratic bills."
The attorney general's race turned the party's old school vs. new school subtext into text, pitting a diverse, youthful-looking group of Democrats against older counterparts on stage.
Opposing Wells? Vi Simpson, a former state Senate minority leader who retired in 2012, and Boonville Mayor Charlie Wyatt introduced White. It was a trio of accomplished Democrats, to be sure, yet also three people who are more aligned with the party's past than its future.
The contrast was no accident. Wells, who has rubbed many Democrats the wrong way by aggressively pushing for changes within the party, wanted people to notice.
"I think that vote was about moving into the future and folks saying, 'Hey, look at some of these younger leaders. Let's give them a chance,'" Wells said after winning the nomination. "That's why we framed it as, 'If not now, then when?'"
Generational conflict is not the only divide within the Indiana Democratic Party. Jennifer McCormick's selection of former lawmaker Terry Goodin as running mate caused ideological differences between moderates and progressives to bubble over in recent weeks.
This election cycle is forcing Democrats to answer long-postponed questions about what the party should look like in Indiana. Those questions remain open. At least on Saturday, though, Wells, Hunley and Sakbun offered a convincing answer. The party's future looks young, diverse and policy-oriented.
Sakbun and Hunley deflected that storyline a bit. Sakbun noted to me that White, a former Marion County clerk, had plenty of young supporters in attendance. Hunley, 40, gave a nod to older generations.
"I am so grateful to be standing on the shoulders of so many women whose legacies have come before," Hunley said in her speech nominating Wells. "So many women have held up the Indiana Democratic Party for generations. And that's what's gotten us to this very moment right here today."
Now, though, the moment belongs to Wells, "a feisty woman who campaigns with unparalleled energy," as Hunley described her.
Wells, 40, is a combat veteran, an intelligence officer in the U.S. Army Reserve and a former deputy attorney general. She begins an uphill climb to face Republican Attorney General Todd Rokita in November. One message: Cut the culture wars and make the attorney general's office functional again.
"We have to look at the duties of the office. They are there to advise the legislature. They are there to represent clients, such as the governor, regardless of partisanship," Wells said. "We would be ethical and uphold the rule of law and advise and give the best counsel for our client."
That's going to be a tough sell in a Republican-leaning state where Rokita has benefitted from using the attorney general's office as his personal political shop, constantly making the news for culture war battles that extend far outside the bounds of the duties Wells described.
Briggs: Todd Rokita will never be governor (or senator)
Wells has several disadvantages, including time, money and straight-ticket voting, a practice in which many Hoosiers select partisan slates of candidates without regard to individual contests. She's seen all that play out before. Wells lost to Diego Morales in the secretary of state's race in 2022 despite peeling off Republican voters in well educated and politically engaged areas of the state, most notably Carmel.
There will be plenty of time to talk about Democrats' challenges, though. Wells on Saturday offered a rare glimpse of the party's potential. There's suddenly a growing bench of young Democrats who look, and talk, the part of statewide candidates.
"Are you seeing a theme here? I think I'm seeing a theme," Wells said during her speech.
That theme? The party's next generation is done waiting its turn.
Contact James Briggs at 317-444-4732 or james.briggs@indystar.com. Follow him on X and Threads at @JamesEBriggs.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana Democrats' future stars show up to take down Todd Rokita
