In Indiana, there is no election the year after a presidential election is held. That normally gives state politicos a chance to catch their collective breaths and perhaps take a little time off.
But this year will feature elections for county party officers. Both Democrats and Republicans will be meeting in Hamilton County to select their party officers on March 6.
Laura Campbell is the current Hamilton County Republican Party Chair. Fred Swift, a columnist for the Hamilton County Reporter and experienced hand at local politics, says Ms. Campbell could see a challenge.
“It seems likely Mrs. Campbell will seek re-election this year. It is possible, but not certain, that a contest may develop for the chairmanship,” Swift wrote in a recent column. “A Fishers faction of the GOP is the most likely to field a candidate if any emerges.”
On the Democratic side, Swift says current party Chair Joe Weingarten is not likely to seek re-election, but there was no speculation on who may run for county officer positions.
A new group, calling themselves “HamCo United,” is running a slate of candidates for the county Democratic Party.
The slate of candidates includes:
Chair – Dayna Colbert, Fishers
Vice Chair – Ronnie Saunders, Westfield
Secretary – Sarah Russell Goddard, Noblesville
Treasurer – Al Moore, Carmel
Democrats in Hamilton County have much to cheer in recent years. There is a Democrat on the Carmel City Council, two Democrats on the Fishers City Council and one Democrat on the Fall Creek Township Board. I have lived in Fishers for nearly 30 years, and any Democrat elected locally is a major step forward. Republicans still control local government, but Democrats are making progress.
It should be noted that Joe Biden carried the cities of Fishers and Carmel in the 2020 election.
“A united party is the best way to move the county forward. The slate represents the four cities in the county as well as a diverse set of experiences and backgrounds,” Colbert said in a HamCo United news release. “I look forward to taking up the mantle and leading the march from purple to blue here in Hamilton County.”
It is expected there will be more candidates coming forward. So there is some political news in a year with no elections in Indiana.