Greensburg — Editor's note: This is the first of a two-part series about a recent Tea Party event in which local candidates Lora Williams and Don Bates appeared, addressing issues and answering questions important to Tea Party voters.

GREENSBURG Ñ On Saturday, Lora Williams, primary candidate for the Indiana State District 55 seat, and Don Bates, Republican primary candidate for Indiana's 6th Congressional District, addressed the Tree City Tea Party in the conference hall of Greensburg's Duke Energy.

From the outset of his presentation, Bates decried Washington's budgetary problems.

"Washington doesn't have a revenue problem," he told the audience, "it has a spending problem."

Bates echoed many of his comment to the Daily News from an interview earlier this month, telling the gathering he leads the Republican primary race across the district in both traditional Republican support and Tea Party support.

"My campaign believes that, to keep this seat in conservative hands," he said, "and to change America's course, we need conservative Republicans working with Tea Party leaders."

Bates advised his audience not to despair over the current uncertainty regarding the national Republican Party's 2012 presidential nominee.

"We have this [primary] process for a reason," he said. "In the end, the system will work like it's designed to."

As evidence, he reminded the gathering of the 2008 national Democratic primary race between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

"Everyone thought the Democrats would implode and give the race away," he said. "But we know how that turned out."

His displeasure over those 2008 Democratic results was palpable as he promised the audience, "I don't know who the 2012 Republican nominee will be, but you have my word: Regardless of our nominee, I will walk through fire to ensure that Barack Obama is a one-term president."

As the gathering applauded, Bates asked them to join him in working to remove Obama from office.

Bates called current District 6 congressman, Mike Pence, "one of America's greatest congressmen."

"In addition to removing Obama, replacing Pence is one of our biggest challenges in 2012," he said.

Bates added that he refuses to allow the District 6 race to be decided by "a handful of power brokers in Indianapolis."

"Don't be intimidated by what you hear out of Indianapolis," he said. "Don't be intimidated if one candidate seems to be raising all the money. We need to get back to votes winning elections in America - not money."

He continued, "Don't be intimidated by what you read in the press. Don't think we have to choose a candidate because Indianapolis says so."

Bates also spoke briefly about his background as the son of a Greensburg minister.

"Anyone who knows me," he said, "knows I'm passionate about my faith. My entire life has been spent around the ministry, sitting on the second row of a church pew."

He clarified, however, that voters should be extremely wary of any candidate who uses faith to gain political office.

"While I'm not at all ashamed to talk about my faith," he said, "I refuse to campaign off the back of the son of God; I believe Jesus Christ came to save us from our sins, not to get us elected to Congress."

As the audience finished applauding, Bates added, "I'm very concerned when I see candidates use their faith to try to manipulate the emotions of people for political gain, and I refuse to play that game."

He then listed several reasons why he believes he's the most qualified candidate to represent District 6.

"I believe we deserve representation by someone who's lived and worked in District 6 his entire life," Bates said. "I'm the only candidate in the race who can say that."

Bates went on to talk about his Decatur County upbringing, about his education in local-area schools (he graduated high school in Bartholomew County) and about his marriage. His wife, he explained, is from Hancock County.

He also mentioned his small business as a financial advisor based in Wayne County, which, he added, is about 20 miles south of where he and his wife live in Randolph County.

"From Madison to Muncie; from Randolph to Wayne to Decatur to Hancock to Bartholomew - you name it; we have relationships all across District 6," he said.

"I know you people," he continued, "Like I know the back of my hand. I know the type of people we are. We're fiercely independent; we don't let people tell us what to do. We're not driven by Indianapolis ideology; we're District 6 Hoosiers."

Bates again praised Pence, saying he's represented District 6 in Washington as a "voice in the wilderness," willing to stand alone to bring fiscal sanity back to Washington.

"Pence voted against ÔNo Child Left Behind,'" Bates said. "He voted against the Medicare prescription drug plan. We cannot afford to lose the District 6 seat to a go-along-to-get-along Republican; that's not who District 6 is."

He concluded, "I'm not a career politician. I don't aspire to be. I believe career politicians have helped destroy America. I think it's time we send someone from Main Street to Washington, someone who understands the problems we're facing, someone who knows how to fix them, someone who will take Main Street, conservative, District 6 principles to Washington D.C."



Contact: Robert Cox at 812-663-3111 x7011.