by
Fred Swift
Hamilton County Reporter
In what could be a record number of candidates, seven hopefuls have lined up interested in filling retiring State Sen. Luke Kenley’s seat. One of the seven will be elected Sept. 6 in a caucus of the Senate District 20 Republican precinct committee.
There are about 100 precincts in the district which includes all of Noblesville, Washington and Wayne townships plus parts of Clay and Delaware townships.
Kenley has represented the district for 25 years. He announced his retirement earlier this summer to be effective Sept. 30.
In what may be a marathon session, the caucus will be held at the Ivy Tech auditorium in Noblesville. Republican State Chairman Kyle Hupfer is expected to chair the meeting. While it is not open to the public, Hupfer will allow members of the news media to attend.
Political insiders predict no candidate will get a majority of votes on the first ballot at the caucus. If so, the person with the fewest votes will be dropped from the list of candidates before a second ballot and this will continue until someone gets a majority of those present.
The winner will likely be sworn into office on Oct. 1 and represent the district through December 2020 when the four-year term expires. Kenley was last elected in 2016. The new senator will therefore serve during three legislative sessions in 2018-19-20.
Candidates in the hunt thus far are: Brad Beaver, Sue Finkam, Mark Hall, Joe Morris, Dan Schmidt, Victoria Spartz and Megan Wiles. Most of those in the field have a history of involvement with the GOP and two are current officeholders.
State law provides that the precinct organization of the party which elected the outgoing official shall choose a replacement to fill out the unexpired term.
Local officials and attorneys are also closely watching to see who fills another elected office vacancy. Judge Wayne Sturtevant retired this summer after 20 years on the bench of Hamilton Superior Court 5. In this case, since the court is technically a state court, Gov. Eric Holcomb will name a new judge. Interviews by the governor’s staff are being held to aid Holcomb in making his decision. The names of applicants have not been released but are said to exceed a dozen, all attorneys living in the county.