After moving to Fishers in 1991, I discovered something about our town elections…we didn’t always have them. Why? There were election cycles when no Democrat was on the ballot. The only competition existed in the Republican primary.
There were other years when one, maybe two Democratic candidates were on the general election ballot. I admired the Democrats stepping forward to run, but there were few of them.
When Fishers became a city following the 2012 referendum, more Democrats ran but none won. Then came 2019, when two Democrats were elected to the Fishers City Council.
Five years ago, I recorded a podcast with Greg Purvis and Joe Weingarten, two Democrats that had run for office in Fishers. They both believed at that time Democrats had a bright future in Fishers. Many people in town did not agree with that assessment. Turns out they may have been right.
New leadership was elected recently for local Democrats with a new, younger set of leaders emerging. Whey do I bring all this up?
First, let me explain something. In Indiana, one must declare a party in order to vote in a primary election (other than school board elections, if held in a primary cycle, because they are non-partisan). For the most part, in order to vote in an Indiana primary election, you must declare a party.
When my wife & I married, we wanted to vote in primary elections but weren’t happy that a party must be declared. So, Jane & I made a deal – I would vote in the Democratic Primary, she would vote in the Republican Primary. That did not necessarily mean we would vote with that party in the general election. We would talk to each other and decide how we would vote in each primary election.
It appears Hamilton County Democrats are using the primary election data to send out fund raising letters listing those that have voted in recent Democratic primary elections. I assume that is the case because I received a fund raising letter and Jane did not.
Just so you know, it is not ethical for a journalist, even a volunteer reporter like myself, to make a contribution to any political party. Sorry, Democrats, you will not receive a donation from me.
What this does tell me is the local Democratic Party leadership appears to be doing something I do not remember happening in the past – fund-raising in a serious way.
I find this a step in the right direction for local Democrats, and in general, is a good thing if you believe in a viable two-party system locally.
Now, don’t misunderstand me. Although there are two Democrats on the Fishers City Council, the council majority, the mayor’s office, the clerk’s office and the city judge are all Republicans. The GOP is in firm control of local government.
If local Democrats find candidates in the 2022 county elections, that may be a sign the party is serious about recruiting candidates and raising funds for them. In recent elections, most Republicans have had no problem raising money for their general election campaigns. If you don’t believe me, just review the campaign finance reports filed in recent years.
I am not cheerleading for local Democrats, just pointing out that a good, viable opposition party is generally good for the local body politic. It is good to have a choice in the general election.
Having a Democratic Party in Fishers and Hamilton County that can recruit viable candidates and raise enough money to be competitive are generally good things. Republicans have been successful locally in raising money and recruiting candidates, with primary contests common. Let’s see how the political parties fare in the 2022 county and 2023 Fishers city elections.