Howdy, Hoosiers. The time has come again for yet another update on the campaign, where I tell you what I’ve been up to, keep you up-to-date on the campaign, and give you a glimpse of what’s planned for the immediate future. As the title suggests, today’s update is coming to you a little later than usual due to unforeseen circumstances that I will get into below.
Last week, I had a lunch meeting with a fellow independent candidate whose district overlaps with my own, and I got to learn more about his campaign and efforts. While we have found ourselves on opposite sides of the solar debate, I think we both agree that there are constructive solutions when the issue is permitted to be contemplated outside of the binary state of either for or against. I don’t want to name drop, as I haven’t asked for his permission to mention him in this context, but I do wish him luck in his campaign. I look forward to working with any open-minded individuals that seek practical and constructive solutions for Indiana.
The camping trip with the kids and their cub scout troop over the weekend was quite pleasant, as usual. Both of our kids moved up from their respective ranks, and they both look forward to continuing participation in the organization. It’s nice to see them enjoying something that I enjoyed as a kid, and that I know will build strong character in them as they grow up.
Of course, we had the primaries on Tuesday, which I would be silly not to mention. Especially considering how the Republican primary for our district have been one of the more highly contested in the state. The attack ads between the two Republican candidates have been constant, omnipresent, and downright ugly. I’ve chosen to stay out of it for the most part, as I didn’t wish to interfere with interparty politics. That being said, and now that voting is over, I think both candidates have demonstrated a lack of class over the last few weeks in a time when people are tired of the division and toxicity in politics. Nevertheless, election day has come and gone, but we are still no closer to knowing who the Republican candidate for the general election will be. Both candidates have declared victory, but the election day results ended with Deery only being up by 3 votes. With 4 provisional ballots and 11 mail-in ballots remaining to be counted, this particular primary could still go either way. So, we shall wait and see. Election officials have up to 10 days after Election Day to count, or not count, these ballots. Then, we may still have to entertain a recount challenge. The only thing that’s certain is that this is one very close race. Closer than I would have expected, if I’m being honest.
I did get some work done on the Anti-Corruption Act to make it more cohesive and enforceable while looking to weed out any loopholes or contradictions that might exist. Unfortunately, unforeseen circumstances have caused me a variety of setbacks this week. So, I haven’t had a chance to update the page with the new changes or make a video, yet.
Some of you may remember that, at the beginning of this campaign, my family discovered a hidden water leak in our home. Anybody that’s ever dealt with this can tell you that something like this can cause other issues resulting in serious health risks. My family and I were forced to evacuate our home and move into a hotel to avoid these health risks as the problem was remedied. Well, that was well over a month ago, and we finally got word this weekend that we would be able to go back home again. Of course, that also meant that we had about two days to move all of our stuff and be out of the hotel. Then we had everything in boxes and didn’t know where anything was for another day or so after that.
To make matters worse, a lapse in medication cost me a couple days of good health and I ran into issues with advertising events that I had scheduled for this week that have caused me to have to cancel both Community Round Table events that I had scheduled for this week. So, it has certainly been a rough week for the campaign, but things are starting to look better. I’m catching up on responsibilities, getting my house back in order, and ready to hit the ground running.
Today, I need to make the announcement about the second event being cancelled for tonight and direct people to next week’s event. I also need to start working on my overgrown lawn now that it has stopped raining. My poor neighbors have been very patient, considering the circumstances, and I hope they know that I appreciate that. Finally, I am going to get out and collect some signatures this afternoon. This week has gotten me behind my goal, but I believe I can still hit my target by Mother’s Day if I work hard enough these next few days.
A quick look ahead: With the setbacks from last week, my goals for the coming week will be mostly the same. My main priorities will be the work on the Anti-Corruption Act and canvassing for signatures. Obviously, we’ve got Mother’s Day coming up and I’ll want to set time aside for that. That’s going to be the long and short of it, though. Time to put my nose to the grindstone and do better.
Until next time, District 23, have yourselves a better-than-great weekend. I’ll be thinking about ya.
Genuinely,
Joshua Brant
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