How close will Basham/Errington rematch be?

Basham's primary opponent declined to endorse him but also did not endorse Errington

Nov 04, 2022

Dale Basham and Sue Errington yard signs flank a Muncie Street. Photo by Seth Slabaugh

MUNCIE — The outcome of the House District 34 rematch between longtime state Rep. Sue Errington, D-Muncie, and well-known Republican challenger Dale Basham appears to be uncertain heading into General Election Day on Nov. 8.

In something of a surprise, Susan Dillon, the fellow Republican defeated by Basham in the primary election, has declined to endorse him, though Dillon isn’t endorsing Errington, either.

While not all state legislative races in East Central Indiana are competitive, this one seems to be, according to Chad Kinsella, an associate professor of political science at Ball State University.

A resident of the Muncie-based district, Kinsella says he has received several text and online polls for both candidates.

The district’s boundaries were slightly redrawn by the Indiana General Assembly effective 2021, “presumptively to make it a bit more winnable for a Republican candidate,” Kinsella said.

“Given the amount of money raised and spent and the amount of effort on the district it would seem to be competitive,” he told me via email. “It was relatively close in 2020 and this will be, overall, a good year for Republicans, given the national mood and trends. Both candidates are pretty well known in the district and have been working hard to sway voters.”

It is interesting to see that the south side of Muncie has been trending more Republican over the last couple of elections, “perhaps a part of the Trump phenomenon,” Kinsella went on. “We will see if it applies to down-vote races like this one.”

Both candidates reside on the north side of Muncie.

In the May primary election, Basham defeated Dillon 1,620 to 1,036. Unopposed, Errington received 2,288 votes in the Democratic primary.

“I am not sure the Republican primary will sway the election much, if at all,” Kinsella said. “I have not heard of any ‘sour grapes’ resulting from that or seen Basham’s opponent endorse Sue or anything like that. Typically, after a primary and some time to heal, partisan voters coalesce over their representative.”

But when I checked in with Dillon recently, her comments were somewhat of a shock.

On her Facebook page right after the election, Dillon wrote, “Congratulations Dale Basham for winning the Republican Primary for State Representative District 34! Best wishes Dale in the upcoming General Election!”

But that didn’t translate into an endorsement.

Elected as a delegate to the GOP state convention this year, Dillon — a highly active community volunteer who spent more than 30 years as a registered nurse — told me in an email:

“The upcoming election for House District 34 is something we are all watching. When I was campaigning, I encouraged voters to research every candidate and vote for the ones who will best represent our community. There are pros and cons to each candidate and I support the right of every voter to make their choice in this matter. It is concerning that some candidates are not open about their stance on certain key issues or when I see candidates lie (directly or by implication) to get votes regardless of the party they represent. I do not believe that every voter who supported me will blindly vote for either candidate and I encourage everyone to vote according to their best judgement.

“Personally, I do my research on every candidate and follow my own advice. I will vote for candidates who I believe will best represent our community, maintain personal integrity, and are qualified to do the job. Any candidate who does not measure up to my personal standards, for whatever reason, will not get my vote. Based on my own research and observations, I have my personal opinion on which candidates are best, but encourage all voters to determine this for themselves and have not formally endorsed anyone in the House District 34 race.”

Errington has appeared at two legislative-candidate forums, one of which was co-sponsored by Ball State’s Bowen Center for Public Affairs, the League of Women Voters and other organizations. The second forum was sponsored by Experienced Educators of East Central Indiana.

Basham skipped both of them and has been unavailable for me to interview by phone, text or email this fall, though he did answer my questions in the primary and gave an interview to The Star Press this fall. Basham also skipped a forum and press inquiries in 2020, when Errington defeated him 11,160 to 8,667, or 56% to 44%.

When she defeated Basham two years ago, Errington credited the victory to a great team of backers, to Basham's decision to boycott a candidate forum without explanation, to redistricting by the GOP-controlled Legislature that made the district favorable for Democratic representation, and other factors.

“As a political scientist, I don’t get Basham’s strategy of not participating in this year’s forum or the forum two years ago,” said Charles “Chip” Taylor, an associate professor of political science at BSU. “That district is a little less blue but still leaning …Democratic, so I just don’t understand his strategy of not trying to get out in front of voters at forums.”

When I shared Dillon’s comments with the two candidates, Errington responded:

“I’m cautiously optimistic but we’ll know for sure in a week. Susan and I have run into each other at various events. Our attitude about public service is similar but we’re pretty far apart on a number of issues. I haven’t asked for her support and she hasn’t offered. Her dad Gary Dillon was a senator when I was in the Senate. I think she got the political bug from him.”

Through Oct. 14, Errington had raised $80,534 in campaign contributions compared to $37,745 in receipts for Basham, who picked up another $6,342, from the state Republican committee, after that. Errington added a $1,000 contribution since Oct. 14 from the Planned Parenthood political action committee.

Her other supporters have included PAC donations from labor, beer/spirits, Realtor, law, optometry and the American Federation of Teachers, plus $16,000 from the Indiana Political Action Committee for Education, the political action division of the Indiana State Teachers Association.

In addition, Errington itemized 160 or so donations from individual donors and listed another three dozen individual, unnamed ActBlue online donors. Basham mentioned about 80 individual donors, including a loan from himself of $5,950.

Sue Errington (blue socks) applauds during a forum skipped by Dale Basham. (Photo by Seth Slabaugh)

Both candidates have been active on the campaign trail. Errington’s stops have included Critter Crawl, Sips with Sue, Fired up for Voting, Bans Off Indiana, homecoming parades and a neighborhood cleanup, while Basham has hit homecoming parades, the Rotary Club, ArtsWalk, a chamber of commerce luncheon, Sip for Soup, Ironman and more.

Both have walked door-to-door.

Both have served on numerous community boards.

Basham directed the Muncie Area Career Center during a career at Muncie Community Schools that lasted more than 30 years, including positions as a teacher/guidance counselor and associate principal at Southside High School; school board member (a seat from which he resigned) and several interim administrative positions, such as Central High School principal.

A former state senator and ex-county council member, Errington has served as a state representative since 2012. She is a former Spanish teacher who later served 17 years as public policy director for Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky.

Campaign statement from Basham’s website:

One of the most frequent questions I am asked is why I am running: I love Muncie! While I do realize there is currently a (GOP) supermajority at the Statehouse, I pledge to do what is best for Muncie, regardless of partisan politics. In this post COVID economy and as we recover from the prior administration, Muncie deserves to be recognized. In order for us to recover and grow, Muncie must have a voice at the majority table. I am ready to be that voice.

Campaign statement from Errington’s website:

My vision for Indiana is a state where our teachers are valued and our kids get a world-class education that prepares them for well-paying jobs right here in Indiana, where affordable healthcare is available to us all, and where we take collective action to fight climate change and improve the quality of our environment.