INDIANAPOLIS — A group that wants Democratic Gov. JoeKernan to change his mind and enter next year's race for governorhas started a ''draft Kernan'' effort.
The Draft Kernan Committee has started a Web site,www.draftkernan.com, and says it is collecting petition signaturesto place Kernan's name on the ballot for next May's primary.
Jonathan Swain, a spokesman for the governor's office, saidKernan learned about the group only after it launched its Web siteover the weekend.
Swain said he did not know whether Kernan had ever talked withany of the group's organizers.
''It is just more sign of the interest and support that we haveseen for a number of weeks now from people curious about thegovernor's decision,'' Swain said Monday.
Dan Roy, a member of the draft Kernan group, said about a dozenpeople were involved in the effort, which started within the pastmonth after the death of Gov. Frank O'Bannon.
He described the group's members as mostly in their late 20s andearly 30s who had played minor roles in Democratic politics.
''We felt this was our first opportunity really to make adifference in a substantial way,'' said Roy, a 29-year-old lawyerin Indianapolis who grew up in Evansville. ''We thought maybe wecould do something to at least encourage the governor to get intothe governor's race here.''
Roy said the group had been self-funded and was not trying toraise money for a Kernan campaign.
The effort, he said, was modeled after the draft committees thatencouraged retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark to enter the Democraticpresidential race.
''We know a lot of people feel the same way we do,'' Roy said.''We also are focusing on the petition signatures because it issomething concrete we can do.''
Kernan, who became governor after O'Bannon's Sept. 13 death,stunned Indiana Democrats in December when he announced he wasdropping his expected campaign for governor.
The draft Kernan campaign is similar to one started last year bysupporters of Mitch Daniels, the former Bush White House budgetdirector.
Daniels entered the governor's race this summer and isconsidered the leading Republican candidate.
State Sen. Vi Simpson and former state and national DemocraticChairman Joe Andrew are seeking their party's nomination, but bothhave indicated they would back Kernan if he decided to enter therace.
Kernan has said he was reconsidering his decision. Swain saidthat he did not know whether formation of the draft Kernan groupwould play any role in Kernan's decision.
''This is a family decision that he and Mrs. Kernan arecontinuing to discuss,'' Swain said.
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