As most of you have probably heard, Andy Horning is moving to Texas.  Oddly, the Star has given greater coverage to his departure than they did any of his campaigns.  The thing is, Indiana is losing one of the good guys.

Andy has been a constant defender of liberty and of limited government.  Andy may have been a Libertarian, but his greatest success (if you can still call a loss a success) came as a Republican (lesson learned to Libertarians?  Just saying).  That election directly impacted the way two individuals looked at politics and the role of government.  I’m talking about Chris Spangle and me (of course!).  Now, I stayed with the party, whereas Chris has gone on to be quite the influencer in Indiana Libertarian politics.

But I have taken the lessons I learned on that ‘04 campaign for Congress and tried to bring them back to the Republican party in the hopes of making the change from the inside.  For that, I’m very grateful for and to Andy.  We may not agree on all the issues, but he challenged the way I thought and looked at government.

The ever present candidate, Andy has never been a politician.  Sometimes he speaks over people’s heads, but he never quits educating people.  And quite frankly, even more than a candidate, he was an educator on the campaign trail.

He may have never won many votes, but I know he challenged the way people thought and changed opened a few minds in the process.  Let’s be honest, during the gubernatorial debates last year, it was more of a debate between Andy and Mitch.  Jill Long Thompson was just along for the ride on a major party ticket.

So to you Andy, a man I consider a friend and a teacher to me, I wish you well in Texas.  Indiana is losing a friend and one of the most reasoned voices for limited government.

By the way, there is a going away party for Andy tomorrow night at Rick’s Cafe Boatyard.  Click here for more details.

Have any good Andy stories?  Leave them in the comments section!