EVANSVILLE, Ind (WEHT) Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding, Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke, and Indiana Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch spoke at an event Thursday, confirming reports that Wedding is switching his party affiliation to become a Republican.
Wedding, formerly a Democrat, says any possible switch is not reflective or local politics but rather something he’s been considering for some time.
The Vanderburgh County Democratic Party released the following statement:
While we are disappointed with Dave Wedding’s decision to leave the Democratic party, we are more disappointed with the reasoning he provided the community for his choice. We are aware that there are many conversations regarding police reform on a national level. However, Sheriff Wedding knows that the Democratic majorities on the County Commissioners and City Council have been strongly and consistently supportive of local law enforcement. In contrast, he has always pointed out the Republican controlled Vanderburgh County Council and Indiana State Legislature were responsible for the creation of budgetary restraints that made his job more difficult. His move to the Republican party after benefiting from years of Democratic support make his political opportunism all the more distasteful. Nevertheless, we as a Party look forward to building on last year’s success and welcoming a new wave of fresh leadership this fall, and re-electing proven leadership including County Councilman Mike Goebel, State Representative Ryan Hatfield, County Coroner Steve Lockyear and County Commissioner Ben Shoulders; among many others.
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(This story was originally published on Sept. 3, 2020)
