Tony Samuel Joins!

Nigel Jason Hammer (0:01)

My name is Nigel Jason Hammer right over there, with a very special in-studio guest.

SPEAKER_2 (0:06)

Every week at this time, we talk a little Indiana government with our guy Tony Samuel.

Nigel Jason Hammer (0:12)

My man.

SPEAKER_2 (0:13)

Samuel Solutions Group.

And as we like to do, we are Suckers for Tradition. If we're going to have to talk about some of the most boring people alive, Tony, we're going to need some liquid encouragement here. We're going to need a little help here.

Nigel Jason Hammer (0:28)

Oh, what do we have here?

SPEAKER_2 (0:29)

We've got the Moondrops Distillery, Double Oak Bourbon.

Nigel Jason Hammer (0:33)

Oh, that's from last Friday.

SPEAKER_2 (0:35)

Yes. Given to us from the Fall Suburban Home Show up at Grand Park. So cheers, everybody. Here we go.

Feeling all right?

Tony Samuel (0:49)

Feeling good. Yeah, thanks.

That was smooth. And I was saying I needed a drink. I've had a long week. It's been a great week. So great, great to be with you guys again. Thank you.

SPEAKER_2 (0:58)

So you also work with a number of candidates. You work with a number of groups. You're kind of a guy behind the scenes. Like what's when you say you've had a busy week, what does that mean?

Tony Samuel (1:11)

Well, yeah, I, you know, I have a job. I have a day job. I represent clients at the state house, their interests. And, you know, I've got a good group of clients.

It's just me. Sometimes my family helps. My son helped me with a big project this week, Noah. And but I had an event at my house Tuesday night for my state representative, Becky Cash, who's a great candidate and trying to get her reelected.

And she just does a good job at a great turnout. Our attorney general, Todd Rokita, was the special guest and our state comptroller, Elise Nishala, who lives in Zinesville with us.

SPEAKER_2 (1:49)

Do you coach up any of these candidates on media? Because I think I speak on behalf of most listeners on the News Talk Radio. About 90% of all candidate interviews on radio make me want to jump off Nakatomi Tower like Hans Gruber.

Like is there any sort of coaching up saying, look, when you get the access to go on Hammer and Nigel or Tony Katz or Fox 59, you got to bring a little personality.

Nigel Jason Hammer (2:17)

Bring them a bottle.

SPEAKER_2 (2:19)

Bring them a bottle.

Tony Samuel (2:20)

Bring a little juice, you know? Bring the energy. Maybe they need to do a shot before any of their interviews as well. I usually would suggest, hey, get to the point, be energetic, show you know and you're the authority on the issue and be concise.

SPEAKER_2 (2:34)

Right.

Tony Samuel (2:35)

And maybe I'm not always concise on here. That's what I try to tell them.

SPEAKER_2 (2:38)

So let's get into some of these ads that I'm seeing right now. Because really, considering as big as the midterms are, in terms of a national conversation, here in Indiana, it's really kind of just coming down to the secretary of state race.

Like, there are some other small down ballot races, but the big signature one is secretary of state. And I see Beau Bayh's ads. He's lifting weights. He's holding guns.

Nigel Jason Hammer (3:05)

He's sweating.

SPEAKER_2 (3:06)

He's sweating. He's talking about lowering taxes, to which none of those things really help me if he wins the secretary of state race.

Tony Samuel (3:14)

Right.

SPEAKER_2 (3:14)

I see Max Inglings' ads, and he's going after Ballard. I'm seeing more and more of these attack ads on Ballard. Is that a proper strategy?

Tony Samuel (3:26)

I think it's a good strategy. And here's why the Max Inglings folks, the campaign is going to tell voters why they're different. They're going to show them why they're set apart from both Ballard and Beau Bayh. Beau Bayh, as we know, is really running for governor. That's why he talks about issues that don't pertain to the Secretary of State's office. Right.

SPEAKER_2 (3:46)

Secretary of State has nothing to do with my taxes.

Tony Samuel (3:49)

That's right. That's right.

But we know he's trying to follow in his dad's footsteps, going the same path, Secretary of State and then governor. And then with Ballard, I think we see more ads here in Marion County in Indianapolis, Central Indiana, because he was the mayor here. So he was a Republican mayor here. He was a Republican mayor. Theoretically, yeah, in quotes. Theoretically, this would be his, you know, his bases, his strong area where he should have a good showing, theoretically. And that's what they're the Ballard people are banking on. But he was a liberal mayor. And look at all the tax, the astronomical amount of tax increases that he presided over as mayor for eight years. And then crime did get worse. And I just, I know him, he's liberal. He's not a conservative, a new conservative, especially H. Trump, that kind of thing.