Sen. Greg Taylor, D-Indianapolis, reads a statement on Organization Day 2024. (Leslie Bonilla Muñiz/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
Explain it to me as if I were five. How do you reinstate a senator accused of sexual harassment against three different women to a leadership post?
Because that’s exactly what some members of the Indiana Senate Democratic Caucus did Monday, hours after the allegations became public.
And to make matters worse, the caucus followed up with a confusing statement supporting women and promising to create an environment of accountability. But the members didn’t even hold their own leader accountable.
There’s no point.
It all started Monday morning, when the Indianapolis Star broke the story of the allegations against Indianapolis Democrat Sen. Greg Taylor. Rumors started circulating earlier, however, when it was revealed that Star reporters had asked other sources for comment. Many in the political sphere knew an article would be published soon.
So it shouldn’t have been a surprise. The bigger surprise to me was that Taylor did not deny the allegations.
His full statement reads: “As an elected official, I am responsible for maintaining a high level of professionalism and respecting the boundaries of everything I deal with. While this has always been my goal, there have been times when I have blurred the lines and behaved in a way that may have made my colleagues or those who witnessed my actions uncomfortable. While it was never my intention to cause harm, I acknowledge my wrongdoing and for this I apologize.”
To me, that makes a huge difference in what happened next.
He did not refute the accusations or claim to be innocent – at least not publicly. So why would six members of the 10-member caucus support him to continue leading the group?
The mood
We know who they are because the four members who voted against Taylor came out and explained why they preferred a new leader: Sen. Shelli Yoder, D-Bloomington; Sen. J.D. Ford, D-Indianapolis; Sen. Andrea Hunley, D-Indianapolis; and Sen. Rodney Pol, D-Chesterton.
Despite this, Hunley and Pol won leading positions under Taylor.
“We will help our group achieve a future where this type of abhorrent behavior is not minimized or tolerated,” they said in a joint statement on why they joined.
You know who hasn’t made a statement explaining their support? The six whose “yes” votes were needed to keep Taylor in office: Sen. Fady Qaddoura, D-Indianapolis; Sens. David Niezgodski, D-South Bend; Sens. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago; and two new members, Sen. La Keisha Jackson, D-Indianapolis, and Sen. Mark Spencer, D-Gary.
I reached out to some of those senators to try to understand their reasoning, but received no response.
Even the Democratic Party of Indiana distanced itself from the caucus in a statement.
“We have taken a number of steps during my time as chairman to address sexual harassment in the Indiana Democratic Party and we will share more of that information with our state central committee at our next meeting,” Chairman Mike Schmuhl said. a letter from 40 Democratic women. “I think it is also important to note that IDP is an employer separate from any political campaign, city government or state government. That said, our values are vital and I will work with these leaders and all stakeholders to build greater trust within the party going forward.”
The increase in the number of reports
The number of similar stories has grown at an alarming rate in recent years as more and more women feel comfortable coming forward.
Some of these allegations against Taylor are indeed years old, but that doesn’t make them any less important or serious.
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett’s administration has mishandled similar allegations involving a top aide, the Star and Mirror Indy reported. And in an opinion column, the Star revealed evidence that Sen. David Niezgodski, D-South Bend, harassed a young, female former employee: in the office, in voicemails, via text messages, and even at her home. His company settled with the former employee for $8,000, according to the Star.
Rumors also circulated last year about a Republican member of the House of Representatives, but the victim refused to say anything.
GOP Secretary of State Diego Morales of Indiana faced decade-old allegations of sexual assault in 2022 in transcripts of interviews published by political columnist Abdul-Hakim Shabazz.
The Indiana Supreme Court suspended the law license of former Republican Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill for 30 days in 2020 after finding he committed a criminal act when he groped four women, including a lawmaker, during a party at an Indianapolis bar in 2018.
There is no excuse for what the caucus chose. And to follow the vote with a statement calling for reforms and supporting women is ridiculous.
Members showed that there are no consequences for actions. And that speaks louder than a lame statement.
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