Tony Samuel Joins!

**Jason Hammer** (0:03)
My advice to you, start drinking heavily.

**Nigel** (0:05)
The Hammer and Nigel Show, all right! 93WIVC.
My name is Nigel, Jason Hammer, right over there with a very special in-studio guest.

**Jason Hammer** (0:18)
We can talk about Indiana government, and we can have a good time while doing it. And that's where Tony Samuel comes in.
Tony Samuel was President Trump's liaison here in Indiana for the first trip around the board. And he's kind of our insider. And if you've been listening to our program, you'll know we start every Thursday with Tony Samuel with a shot. Now, we've got a little bullet bourbon here. Big Nige brought the libations today.

**Tony Samuel** (0:49)
Thank you, guys.

**Jason Hammer** (0:50)
What are we drinking to, Tony?

**Tony Samuel** (0:51)
Well, if we could dedicate this shot to my wife Anita, it's our wedding anniversary today. She's been putting up with me for quite a while. I'm not sure how long.

**Jason Hammer** (1:00)
I'll say, how many years?

**Tony Samuel** (1:01)
I'm not sure how long. It seems like it's been a while. No, just just kidding.

**Jason Hammer** (1:07)
21 of them happy years, right?

**Tony Samuel** (1:09)
Well, for me, I don't know.
Twenty one years she's been putting up with me and four years before that. And we've got two great kids, Lillian. No, I think they're all listening. So thanks, guys.

**Nigel** (1:20)
All right.

**Jason Hammer** (1:21)
Congratulations, my friend.

**Nigel** (1:27)
There we go.

**Tony Samuel** (1:28)
That's smooth. By the way, she's not crazy about me doing the shot.

**Jason Hammer** (1:31)
Every we met her at the we talked to her about the track event we did with the Rayhalls. And I may have been trying to help you out a little bit. Oh, we make him do these shots.
I didn't have the heart to tell her he offered to bring in a bottle.

**Nigel** (1:45)
I don't know.

**Tony Samuel** (1:47)
She knows me too well.

**Jason Hammer** (1:50)
Big news coming out of the Indiana General Assembly. So state Senator Chris Garten, this is a guy that a lot of people thought should replace Rod Bray as the head of the Senate in Indiana. And maybe he will when the next vote rolls around.
But he's announced that he's leaving his role as the Senate Majority floor leader. Still staying as a senator, but he's walking away from being the floor leader. What do we make of this?

**Tony Samuel** (2:20)
Well, I think if he's the one to challenge President pro tem Bray, or if he's going to help someone else that's going to make that challenge, I think it's the right thing to do. He indicated in his letter that he sent to the Senate colleagues that he's going to be meeting with them, talking to them personally.
He's a good guy, he would be a great Senate President pro tem.

**Jason Hammer** (2:47)
He brings the heat. I remember his speech about redistricting, and he was like pounding the fist, and he was bringing the heat.

**Tony Samuel** (2:55)
Yeah, and that was, you know, that's the, there's other differences, but then he cited that they're not aligned as far as leadership goes, so he felt it was the right thing to do. And I think if you're going to have a challenge, it's going to be after the election. So after those challengers that defeated so many incumbents in the primary, they've got to get through the general, then there'll be a new caucus, and that's when you would see a challenge. Also, you know, just to let the listeners and viewers know, in the Senate, the president pro tem selects the number two and the number three, number two being majority floor leader, number three being caucus chair, that caucus chair lost in the primary. So I think it was-

**Jason Hammer** (3:34)
So Rob Bray, like in theory, gets to pick right now.

**Tony Samuel** (3:37)
He gets to pick, yeah.

**Jason Hammer** (3:38)
Until the next election.

**Tony Samuel** (3:39)
Until the next election and until there's a challenge to his leadership of the Senate.

**Jason Hammer** (3:45)
Do you think Rob Bray would win if a vote were held today?

**Tony Samuel** (3:50)
I think theoretically, I mean, I guess the way to look at it is, okay, you're Rob Bray, you're the president pro tem, you led your caucus down a path that was the wrong path for different reasons. I think it was the right thing to-

**Jason Hammer** (4:04)
On a couple of different issues.

**Tony Samuel** (4:06)
On a couple of different issues, but the big one here recently, I think redistricting was the right thing to do.