State Sen. Connie Lawson picked as new secretary of state

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Mitch Daniels took just a day to use the authority granted by the state Supreme Court in a Thursday ruling. The governor chose a long-time state Senator from Danville to become Secretary of State. Connie Lawson has run elections as a county clerk and she's been the chairman of the election committee in the state Senate, but more than anything, she is a respected politician who will bring a calming influence to her new post.

The oath of office was administered to Connie Lawson by a friend of hers, Lieutenant Governor Becky Skillman. She becomes the second woman to serve as Indiana Secretary of State following in the footsteps of Sue Anne Gilroy.

"She is just superbly ready for these duties," said Governor Daniels, "and I'm just so proud for the opportunity to appoint her to them."

It's likely the last chapter in a saga that began when Charlie White was elected in 2010. Legal challenges and criminal charges have dominated news from the Secretary of State's office since then. White was convicted of felonies and removed from office in February. The state Supreme Court ruled yesterday that the governor should pick White's replacement.

Lawson says she wants to move beyond the controversy. "It's time to do that," she said. "We have a primary election in 53 days in a major election cycle."

Lawson will serve out the remainder of White's term and could run for election in 2014 though she's not committed to it. "I think it's too early to say that," she said, "but what I do plan to do is to position myself to run if I decide that I would like to."

Republican party officials in Hendricks County will choose her replacement in the state Senate. And while Charlie White refused to accept the idea that the Secretary of State is the chief elections officer in Indiana, Lawson embraced it today.

She says she will begin looking for ways to improve the office immediately.