With day left to file, more races taking shape

With a day left to file for major-party candidates, state and local races continue to take shape.

Locally, three more candidates have thrown their hats into the ring for three seats on the Johnson County Council, including Democrat Amanda Stevenson-Holmes; six Republicans have filed for those at-large seats, and this fall, three of them will face off against Holmes and any other Democrats who may file by Friday. Ron Deer, a former Greenwood City Council member, and Tim Frye have joined the Republican race.

County coroner is the only other local race that is contested. That could change between now and noon on Friday, the filing deadline.

Two Republicans have filed to be Johnson County Coroner, Travis Kost and Michael Pruitt, a local firefighter and public information officer for Indiana Task Force No. 1. Coroner Craig Lutz had not filed for re-election as of Wednesday, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.

Both parties will choose candidates to compete for seats in the Indiana House of Representatives, while Democrats will also pick a candidate to run for Congress in November.

All registered voters in Johnson County are eligible to cast ballots this year and make decisions about who will lead some of the county’s highest courts, the state and the nation.

Locally, 25 seats are up for grabs, more than half of which are on school boards. County offices that will appear on the ballot this year include: three superior court judges; treasurer; coroner; surveyor; county commissioners in districts 1 and 3; and three Johnson County Council at-large members. Voters will also select precinct committeemen and state convention delegates.

Major party candidates have one more day to file the necessary paperwork ahead of the 2020 presidential election. All candidates hoping to run for office can pick up an application at the county’s voter registration office, located in the basement of the Johnson County courthouse in Franklin.

The parties will select their candidates in the primary election May 5.

Any resident who wants to seek office as an independent candidate has until July 1 to file to be on the ballot in November. Those candidates have different requirements than major party candidates.

Local politicians will battle it out for Rep. Woody Burton’s District 58 seat. Burton, R-Whiteland, plans to retire at the end of the year after more than three decades serving Johnson County residents. He was honored this week in Washington D.C. during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union.

Greenwood City Council member J. David Hopper has filed for Burton’s seat, as well as recently ousted city council member Bruce Armstrong, who served the southeast side of the city for more than 14 years, and former city council candidate Jay Hart, also of Greenwood. Michelle Davis, director of adult education at the Central Nine Career Center, is also a Republican candidate in District 58.

Whoever wins in the primary will face Democrat Cindy Reinert, a retired Greenwood attorney who has run against Burton in the past.

Republican John Jacob has signed on to face District 93 Rep. Dollyne Sherman, R-Indianapolis, who won the House seat via caucus last year. 

Democrats Angela Elliott, Andy W. Miller and Abdul-Aziz Yamobi will compete this spring for a spot on the fall ballot when they will face off against Jacob or Sherman.

Also at the state level, a new Democrat race has taken shape in the Indiana Senate. Democrats Ashley Eason and Jason E. Fletcher will compete for a spot on the fall ballot. Whoever wins will go head to head with Sen. Jack Sandlin, R-Indianapolis.

Candidates for governor need to collect at least 500 signatures in each of Indiana’s nine congressional districts by noon Friday to get their name on the ballot.

As of 3:46 p.m. Tuesday, only Gov. Eric Holcomb had met those requirements, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.

At the national level, Johnson County voters will help decide who will represent Indiana’s 9th Congressional District in Washington, D.C. The seat is currently held by Rep. Trey Hollingsworth, R-Indiana, who is completing his second term. Voters will also be tasked with deciding who they want to be President of the United States for the next four years.

Vice President Mike Pence’s wife returned Wednesday to the Indiana Statehouse where her husband used to serve as governor, filing paperwork to put President Donald Trump’s name on the state’s presidential primary ballot.

Karen Pence walked with Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb and about 50 supporters to the secretary of state’s office for the formal filing, then touted Trump’s actions as president in urging his reelection this year.

Trump won’t be alone on the Republican primary ballot in May as former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld’s campaign also collected enough petition signatures for him to qualify and filed his candidacy on Tuesday, according to the Indiana secretary of state’s office.

Weld’s candidacy has gained little traction across the country, and Trump will almost certainly have his renomination secured by the time of Indiana’s primary. Trump easily won the 2016 Indiana primary and later selected Mike Pence as his running mate on his way to carrying the state in the general election by 19 percentage points over Hillary Clinton.

The Democratic primary ballot could be crowded as at least nine Democratic candidates have met Indiana’s requirement of at least 500 voter petition signatures from each of its nine congressional districts.

Former Vice President Joe Biden, Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Bernie Sanders and businessman Tom Steyer had filed their candidacy by the end of Tuesday. Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, businessman Andrew Yang and Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard can be added until Friday’s noon filing deadline.

Some offices will only appear on ballots during the General Election in November. That includes all school board seats, which are non-political, and lieutenant governor, who is selected by governor candidates. The state parties will nominate candidates for the offices of attorney general and superintendent of public instruction.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Here is a look at how primary races are shaping up with a week left to file:

DEMOCRAT RACES

U.S. Representative, 9th Congressional District

Brandon Hood

D. Liam Dorris

James C. O’Gabhann

Mark J. Powell

Andy Ruff

Republican challenger: Trey Hollingsworth

Indiana Senate, District 36

Ashley Eason

Jason E. Fletcher

Republican challenger: Jack E. Sandlin

Indiana House, District 93

Angela Elliott

Andy W. Miller

Abdul-Aziz Yamobi

REPUBLICAN RACES

Indiana House, District 58

Bruce Armstrong

Michelle Davis

Jay Hart

J. David Hopper

Democrat challenger: Cindy (Cynthia) Reinert

Indiana House District 93

John Jacob

Dollyne Sherman

Johnson County Council At-Large (3)

Ron Deer

Tim Frye

John Mallers

Joshua L. Marshall

Joshua C. McCarty

John Myers

Democrat challenger: Amanda Stevenson-Holmes

Johnson County Coroner

Travis L. Kost

Michael D. Pruitt

CANDIDATES WHO HAVE FILED BUT ARE NOT CONTESTED:

Eric J. Holcomb, Republican, Governor

Jack E. Sandlin, Republican, State Senator, District 36

Rodric D. Bray, Republican, State Senator, District 37

John Young, Republican, State Representative, District 47

Chris May, Republican, State Representative, District 65

Paula Staley, Democrat, State Representative, District 65

Peter D. Nugent, Republican, Judge of the Johnson Superior Court, No. 2

Lance Hamner, Republican, Judge of the Johnson Superior Court, No. 3

Marla Clark, Republican, Judge of the Johnson Superior Court, No. 4

Michele Ann Graves, Republican, Johnson County Treasurer

J. Gregory Cantwell, Republican, Johnson County Surveyor

Brian P. Baird, Republican, Johnson County Commissioner, District 1

Ronald (Ron) H. West, Republican, Johnson County Commissioner, District 3

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Here is a look at the filing window for all open seats on the ballots this election:

Major party candidates can file until noon Friday;

Independent candidates can file until noon July 1

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