2nd District U.S. House Democratic primary: Lynn Coleman cites import of grassroots ties, Doug Carpenter focuses on health

Truth, The (Elkhart County, IN)

May 01--ELKHART -- The Democratic U.S. House battle features a longtime South Bend police officer and a South Bend man whose day-to-day focus in recent years has been caring for his elderly mother.

Lynn Coleman served 23 years in the South Bend Police Department and 12 years as an assistant to former Mayor Steve Luecke, until 2012. It was never on his to-do list, but now he's running for the 2nd District U.S. House seat, the post held by GOP Rep. Jackie Walorski.

His aim is to serve those "in need," but he also cites what he views as a disconnect between Walorski and many in the district.

"I am more interested in being that voice and that ear for the total district and not just for the small percentage of the district that I felt, frankly, that we were getting," he said. "A lot of people think they don't know (Walorski), that she's distant, not only physically, but a lot of times emotionally from them, and don't feel connected to her as a representative."

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Doug Carpenter cites his medical background -- he studied to be a doctor -- which he maintains would serve in contending with health issues like the Zika virus and Ebola, as well as issues like heroin abuse and suicides.

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Indeed, increasing funding to fight "emerging crises" like the Zika outbreak would be among his first initiatives, if elected. He further proposed more research into violence, including workplace violence.

"There's also a mental health crisis in this country. The system's broken and that's something we're seeing with the outbreak of violence, not related to terrorism, but just civil violence," Carpenter said.

The winner in Tuesday's Democratic primary will face off on Nov. 8 against the winner of the GOP primary, between Walorski, who's seeking her third term, and challenger Jeff Petermann. The 2nd District covers eight north-central Indiana counties, including Elkhart County, and parts of two more.

FLAT INCOME TAX, TOWN HALL MEETINGS

Carpenter calls himself "socially liberal, fiscally conservative." He lives austerely by his own description, relying, in part, on money from plasma donations as his source of income.

The candidate, who unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. House in 2014, losing in the Democratic primary, identified as a Republican until the late 1990s. That's when he realized his support for abortion rights and gay rights fit more with the Democratic Party.

He favors a flat income tax and would get rid of tax loopholes. He proposes considering pulling military forces out of places like Germany and Japan, where the United States maintains numerous bases, "and spending more of those resources at home."

Coleman, who's never sought public office before, describes himself as a grassroots operator. He has the endorsement of the Indiana Democratic Party and several labor groups, including the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 153; United Food and Commercial Workers, Local 700; the Indiana Association of Machinists, District 90; and the Teamsters, Local 364.

"It's always been important to me to interact with people, to try to understand what they're going through, why they're going through it and what we can do to help them," he said. In the police department, he worked in the juvenile division, which brought him into direct contact with families and the issues they face. While working for Luecke he served as a neighborhood liaison.

As U.S. representative, he said he would hold town hall meetings and reach out to all corners of the district. "We would make a concerted effort to spend time with our constituents," he said.

IMMIGRATION, OBAMACARE

Coleman, who also favors abortion rights, would expand on the Affordable Care Act, the health care reform system implemented under President Obama. House Republicans have repeatedly voted to repeal it, without success.

"For us to scrap what we have, I think, is counterintuitive to what you do. You don't get rid of everything, you try to enhance what you have to build on it, make it better," Coleman said.

Rather than Obamacare, Carpenter would prefer to cover more people via Medicaid, the public health program geared to low-income people and children.

Carpenter calls for creating a pathway to citizenship to undocumented immigrants. "I think that would lessen some of the fears in the community and they might be more cooperative with the police department. There can be a ripple effect; you can feel like you belong to the community, you're a part of it and people want you there," he said.

Coleman calls for "a way to get (undocumented immigrants) assimilated into the country." The U.S. government has to assure security, "but to just blanketly move people out of this county ... because they didn't come here legally, I think that's wrong to do."

Both would look at boosting the federal minimum wage and spoke of a scheme that would allow for varied rates across the country depending on local cost-of-living expenses. Coleman said the minimum wage should be enough so people can survive on one job, not multiple jobs.

Both said they favor Second Amendment gun protections. Coleman, noting the aftermath of street violence he's encountered as a police officer, called for a means "to make sure guns are in the hands of people who deserve to have a weapon."

Follow reporter Tim Vandenack on Twitter at @timvandenack or visit him on Facebook.

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