State Senator Karen Tallian To Run For Indiana Governor

State Senator Karen Tallian, D-Portage, is running for governor in 2016.

“The differences between Mike Pence and I are wide and deep,” Tallian told the Times of  Northwest Indiana. “This is a Grand Canyon between Mike Pence and I, and people might just want to take a view from the other side now.”

Sen. Tallian, who has served in the state Senate since 2005, has been an outspoken critic of the Republicans, most recently this session on the key issues of education funding, the repeal of the common construction wage and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

Tallian is set to make an official announcement Tuesday.

Tallian will face former House Speaker John Gregg in the Democratic primary. Democratic State Superintendent Glenda Ritz has also said she is considering a run for governor.

Gov. Pence has not announced his intention to run for a second term. But in the wake of the 2015 legislative session, Pence said he’s been preparing for re-election since he took office two years ago.