There were two major election contests on the May 7 ballot – Indiana state governor and the 5th Congressional District.  The outcomes may have an impact on Fishers.

Our Mayor, Scott Fadness, was a big supporter of gubernatorial candidate Brad Chambers, even hosting fund-raising events for him.  In a crowded Republican primary, Mike Braun was the winner.  Chambers finished third in the vote count, behind second-place finisher Suzanne Crouch.

Fadness was also a supporter of Chuck Goodrich, an area business owner and member of the Indiana General Assembly, in his campaign for the Republican nomination in the 5th Congressional District.  This race was a bit strange, because incumbent Victoria Spartz had stated for months she would not seek another term.  Then, a day before the filing deadline, Spartz announced she would run for re-election after all.  Spartz won by about 6 percentage points.

How does this impact Fishers?  Our fair city depends on actions (and sometimes, inactions) at the Indiana Statehouse and on Capitol Hill.  Mayor Fadness took a gamble by backing specific candidates in the primary election.  This time, he lost.

I want to say emphatically I do not fault Mayor Fadness for backing those hopefuls.  Had his candidates taken office, Fishers would have more influence in important decisions made in downtown Indianapolis and Washington D.C.

It was a calculated risk on behalf of the mayor and he is known to be a risk taker.  But, risk takers do not win every time.

No doubt, as a suburb of Indianapolis with a population likely well over 100,000, Fishers will have a say in actions taken by state and federal governments.  It just won’t be as strong as it might have been following these primary election results.

One other post-primary thought.  James Briggs has a provocative commentary posted election night on the IndyStar Web site, essentially saying the campaigns and election  results should be a source of concern for the Republican Party in Indiana.  You can read the piece at this link, but you may need to be a paid IndyStar subscriber to access it.