That kind of interference would have been stopped cold in an earlier era, though the rest of the state never loved the big city. Coming from Indianapolis was a liability in any statewide political race. Mayors of Indianapolis routinely lost statewide races. Mayor Bill Hudnut lost a 1990 race for secretary of state, in what he and Republican supporters saw as a stepping stone to run for governor. Mayor Steve Goldsmith lost a race for governor in 1996, after putting the city on the national map. One Indianapolis political figure overcame the handicap. Mitch Daniels had never run for office but served presidents at the top levels. He campaigned around the state in an RV and stayed in people’s homes. Rural voters forgot his Indianapolis roots.