Is Eric Holcomb a taller version of Mike Pence?

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Vice Presidential candidate Mike Pence was on the campaign trail in Iowa Monday and Lieutenant Governor Eric Holcomb got to fill in for him.

Holcomb is trying to walk a tight rope. He wants credit for the good things Pence has done and yet he wants to avoid responsibility for the controversial moves that had Pence fighting for re-election before he was chosen as Donald Trump’s running mate.

And so Holcomb was in Carmel passing out ceremonial checks to four Hamilton County mayors. The million dollar checks will pay for road improvements and it’s the sort of duty that Pence would handle himself if he was in town.

Yet Democrat John Gregg wants Holcomb to be blamed for RFRA and other policies that hurt the governor. He calls Holcomb “a taller version of Pence.”

“I’m my own guy,” said Holcomb. “Obviously governors in Indiana have always been their own person. I suspect if you look at any one who followed their predecessor, they were not much like it.”

Holcomb also wants voters to know that he worked for Mitch Daniels, a governor who gets higher marks from most voters.

Everyone will get a better of idea of who Holcomb is later this week when his campaign ads hit the air. They’ve already been produced.