Beth White
Beth White (Democratic Party) ran for election for Attorney General of Indiana. She lost in the Democratic convention on July 13, 2024.
White completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
White served as the Marion County Clerk.[1]
Biography
Beth White was born in Bloomington, Indiana. She earned a bachelor's degree from the Indiana University-Bloomington and a law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center. Her career experience includes working as a nonprofit executive, attorney, advocate, and public servant.[2]
White has been affiliated with the following organizations:[2]
- Indianapolis Bar Association
- University of Indianapolis
- Hoosier Women Forward
- Indiana University Alumni Association
- Georgetown Law Center
Elections
2024
See also: Indiana Attorney General election, 2024
General election
The general election will occur on November 5, 2024.
General election for Attorney General of Indiana
Incumbent Todd Rokita and Destiny Scott Wells are running in the general election for Attorney General of Indiana on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | ||
 | Todd Rokita (R) | |
 | Destiny Scott Wells (D) | |
| ||||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic convention
Democratic convention for Attorney General of Indiana
Destiny Scott Wells defeated Beth White in the Democratic convention for Attorney General of Indiana on July 13, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Destiny Scott Wells (D) | 69.0 | 1,057 |
 | Beth White (D) | 31.0 | 475 | |
| Total votes: 1,532 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Andrew Straw (D)
Republican convention
Republican convention for Attorney General of Indiana
Incumbent Todd Rokita advanced from the Republican convention for Attorney General of Indiana on June 15, 2024.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Todd Rokita (R) |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Campaign finance
Endorsements
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2014
White ran for Indiana Secretary of State in 2014. She secured the Democratic nomination at the party's primary convention on May 31, 2014, and faced Republican incumbent Connie Lawson and Libertarian Karl Tatgenhorst in the general election. The general election took place on November 4, 2014.
Results
| Secretary of state of Indiana, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Connie Lawson Incumbent |
57.1% | 762,223 | |
| Democratic | Beth White | 39.5% | 527,379 | |
| Libertarian | Karl Tatgenhorst | 3.4% | 45,393 | |
| Total Votes | 1,334,995 | |||
| Election results via Indiana Secretary of State | ||||
Race background
Dueling claims of election law violations
Connie Lawson (R) and Beth White (D) stirred attention in an otherwise quiet race by trading claims of election law violations. White said that Lawson was challenging absentee ballots by voters on the inactive list in two counties.[3] The inactive list kept track of voters who may not have updated information or voted in recent elections. The secretary's office listed 696,407 registered voters as inactive in August and an outreach effort to update addresses only yielded 47,493 responses.[4] White claimed that Lawson used the lists as a pretense for disenfranchising voters.[3]
State Republican Party chairman Tim Berry countered that there had not been official challenges to inactive voter ballots as of October 23. Lawson supporters also leveled criticism at White for distributing campaign mailers without disclaimers required by state law. White stated that the printer made an error with the original document and the campaign subsequently stopped distributions of the mailers.[5]
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Beth White completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by White's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I am an experienced attorney, advocate and public servant who wants to get the Attorney General’s office back to the business of working for Hoosiers. I am currently the President and CEO of the Indiana Coalition to End Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking, and previously led the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee. I served two terms as the elected Marion County Clerk, where I presided over 14 elections and was the first Clerk in Indiana to marry same-sex couples. Earlier, I was a criminal prosecutor and chief legal counsel for two state agencies, including Indiana’s Child Protective Services.
I grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, and hold degrees from Indiana University and Georgetown University Law Center. I’m an active member of my church and live in Indianapolis with my husband and son.
- My entire career has been about protecting Hoosiers – kids, crime victims and voters. I’ve taken on the tough, meaningful fights, and that’s what I will do as Indiana’s next Attorney General. The Office of the Attorney General has lost its way, and Hoosiers deserve better. It’s time for the Attorney General to refocus and get back to fighting for the people of Indiana.
- I have the integrity, experience and no-nonsense approach needed to get the job done. Integrity: I am an honest and caring public servant who fights for victims of crime and vulnerable people. Experience: I am a proven, electable leader who has managed hundreds of staff and millions of dollars throughout my career, and I know how to find efficiency and build out teams that deliver results. As Attorney General, I’ll focus on putting this experience to work and refocusing on consumer protection. No-nonsense: I’m a straight talker and hard worker who gets results, and I’m ready to lead on Day One.
- As Attorney General, I’ll focus on the right fights, like protecting Hoosiers’ rights, providing access to healthcare, keeping people safe, and behaving with integrity.
Defending reproductive rights, the doctor-patient relationship, and medical privacy require urgent action in Indiana. As Attorney General, I’ll stand with women and their doctors, and you can count on me to ensure healthcare is free of government overreach, keep people safe, and behave with integrity. In addition, I have spent most of my career fighting for the vulnerable and protecting victims, providing a voice for the voiceless.
The Attorney General plays a unique role in state government, entrusted with wide responsibility. As the top legal officer of Indiana and an advocate for our citizens, the Attorney General has independent authority and a strong mandate: To help legislation and government policies stay within the bounds of our state and U.S. constitutions; to ensure state agencies act in a fair, transparent, and responsible manner; and to track down predators and enforce the laws and regulations that keep our citizens safe. We can’t afford a reckless or inexperienced Attorney General.
Indiana’s Attorney General is a critical advisor and partner for the governor and state agencies, ensuring public policy and programs are legally and constitutionally sound and deliver on their mandate. Hoosiers deserve an Attorney General who uses their independent authority to safeguard the values of fairness and transparency and deliver on the mandate of their office to protect vulnerable citizens. We need a leader who defends and protects, not one who attacks civil rights and privacy or uses taxpayer dollars on self-serving political stunts.
First, we must tackle the retention problem in the Attorney General’s office and refocus it on the serious business of protecting Hoosiers. Second, the office has a responsibility to work with law enforcement and others to tackle cybercrime and stop human trafficking and child predators; the office isn’t fulfilling that responsibility today but will do so after I’m elected. As President and CEO of the Indiana Coalition to End Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking, I see first-hand the void of leadership from the current Attorney General, and victims deserve better. Third, I will bolster consumer protection: pursuing organizations and individuals that defraud and abuse seniors and hardworking Hoosiers, protecting private healthcare information, and maintaining privacy.
This is a serious job and there is serious work to do. The Attorney General has the responsibility to protect all Hoosiers from abuse, neglect, and fraud, and to ensure that state government is fulfilling its mandate without trespassing on individual rights and protections. Todd Rokita has lost sight of those obligations, but I have the experience, integrity, and no-nonsense approach needed to get the job done.
There may be times when we need to pursue legal action and I’ll fight to ensure Hoosiers’ best interests are protected; however, in my experience, partnership is a better starting point, and we go further when we work together.
The job of Attorney General is complex and requires deep experience in government and public office to hit the ground running from Day One and do the work of the people. I have managed millions of dollars of public funds, partnered at all levels of government, and been responsible for hundreds of employees in the largest jurisdiction in Indiana. I have also worked as a lawyer at all levels and in all branches of government (executive, political, and legislative) for more than 30 years. These experiences, and leading a victim-advocacy non-profit, means I understand how the Office of the Attorney General works, how it affects Hoosiers’ daily lives, and the power it holds for harm or good – to introduce chaos and uncertainty or ensure the smooth operation of government. With so much at stake, we can’t afford a reckless or inexperienced Attorney General.
I look up to my mom and dad. They taught me so much, but mainly the lessons were by example -- be kind, tell the truth, and do your best.
The most important characteristics for elected officials are integrity, experience, and a proven commitment to public service - along with a no-nonsense approach in how we govern. We need to be able to partner well, stick to it when the going gets tough, and find a way to get the job done. Above all, an elected official must put the people of Indiana above self-interest and political posturing.
First and foremost, I'm a fighter. As a mom, wife, and daughter, I know what it means to fight to protect my family and as Attorney General, I'll fight for Indiana with the same spirit and tenacity.
Second, I know how to partner, be collaborative, and build trust. Whether leading a non-profit, presiding over 14 elections, or working in state and local government, it took someone who knows how to work well with others and go beyond talk to get the job done. I've managed hundreds of staff and millions of dollars throughout my career, and I know how to find efficiency and build out teams that pull together and deliver results.
The core responsibilities of the Attorney General are to protect all Hoosiers from abuse, neglect, and fraud, and to ensure that our state government is fulfilling its mandate without trespassing on individual rights and protections. They also have specific responsibilities related to law enforcement and tackling cybercrime. As the highest law enforcement official in the state, the Attorney General has an obligation to use its independent authority and voice to partner with those who serve and protect.
My son is an important legacy. Being a parent is so hard, but I've tried to instill in him the same lessons my parents taught me: be kind, tell the truth, and do your best.
I delivered papers, very early in the morning, on my bicycle. It was not a lot of fun in the rain, but it taught me that no matter what you have to get the job done.
Katniss Everdeen, from The Hunger Games, because she was brave and she acted with integrity when put in impossible situations.
I am an impatient person! I try very hard to work on being better, but I know this is a struggle for me. It's important to be patient and give other people time and space because I know that we go further when we work together.
When all is said and done, more will have been said than done.
MADVoters Indiana
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign finance summary
Campaign finance information for this candidate is not yet available from OpenSecrets. That information will be published here once it is available.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Candidate Attorney General of Indiana |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Beth White Marion County Clerk, "Office homepage," accessed October 10, 2013 (dead link)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on June 3, 2024
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Fox 59, "Candidates respond to controversies over mailings, transparency," October 23, 2014
- ↑ The Washington Post, "More than half a million Indiana voters are ‘inactive’ and could removed from poll lists if they don’t vote," August 12, 2014
- ↑ WISH TV, "Beth White attacks Connie Lawson, admits error," October 22, 2014
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