Staff Reports
A record number of Bartholomew County voters cast ballots in Tuesday’s midterm election. With 12,302 of them heading to the polls (almost 25 percent of registered voters), that was about 2,000 more voters than the 2014 midterm. It was also about 500 more than the 11,865 cast in 2006, the previous high.
Besides county office holders and high-profile positions in the U.S. Senate and 6th District of Congress who represent Bartholomew County, voters also backed a pair of incumbents who represent parts of Bartholomew County in the Indiana legislature. They will move on to the fall general election, along with a pair of newcomers.
Jim Lucas, Seymour, garnered 61 percent to Seymour challenger Nancy Franke’s 34 percent and Columbus challenger Charles Johnson’s 5 percent in Tuesday’s Republican primary for District 69, which includes the southern tip of Bartholomew County. The small-business owner defeated Columbus school teacher Nancy Franke for the second straight time in the primary.
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Lucas has made headlines across the country in recent years with his backing of constitutional carry legislation, which would eliminate all permit requirements for Hoosiers to carry a gun. He also has advocated for legalization of medicinal marijuana, CBD oils and production of industrial hemp.
“We’ve got a great message and people know where I stand on the issues,” Lucas said. “We’ve got a lot of really great things going, and I want to continue that.”
Lucas will now face Democrat Steve Schoettmer of Elizabethtown, who was unopposed in Tuesday’s primary, and Libertarian Steven Buffington of Seymour in the Nov. 6 general election.
Lucas was first elected in 2012. The district represents portions of Bartholomew, Jennings, Jackson and Jefferson counties.
In District 57, which includes northeastern Bartholomew County, incumbent Sean Eberhart of Shelbyille advanced to the general election Tuesday by outpacing Republican challenger Luke Campbell, also of Shelbyville. Eberhart pulled in 64 percent of the votes to his opponent’s 36 percent.
Eberhart, who runs a tool-rental company and has been a state representative for the district since 2006, received 911 votes in Bartholomew County, while Campbell, an insurance adjustor, received 492. A Democratic or Libertatian challenger could still step forward by the end of June to run in the general election.
The district covers Shelby County, northeastern Bartholomew County and a small portion of Hancock County.
Incumbent Rep. Milo Smith, R-Columbus, didn’t seek re-election in District 59, which includes Columbus and most of outlying Bartholomew County. That opened the door for Republican Ryan Lauer, a technical specialist and test technology engineer, who won his party’s nomination with 36 percent of the votes in his third attempt seeking the office.
JoAnne Flohr finished second with about 25 percent of the votes, while Allen K. Smith II was third with 16 percent. Lew Wilson finished fourth with 15 percent; John Counceller was fifth with 6 percent; and Benjamin Chastain, who ended his campaign early, got 2 percent.
In the Democratic primary, Columbus North math teacher Dale Nowlin advanced to the fall election, where he will face Lauer. Nowlin got 62 percent to community volunteer Mary Kohen’s 38 percent. It was Nowlin’s second straight time seeking the Democratic nomination.
In Bartholomew County’s only contested town or township election, Sand Creek Township Trustee Sandy Bayles received 70.5 percent of the votes to 29.5 for challenger Andrew Brunni.
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State Representative District 59
Benjamin Chastain (R); 126
John Counceller (R); 463
JoAnne Flohr (R); 1,835
Ryan Lauer (R); 2,683
Allen K. Smith II (R); 1,190
Lew Wilson (R); 1,085
Mary Kohen (D); 953
Dale Nowlin (D); 1,541
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State Representative District 57
Luke Campbell (R); 2,803
Sean Eberhart (R); 4,902
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State Representative District 69
Nancy L. Franke (R); 2,482
Charles Johnson (R); 359
Jim Lucas (R); 4,452
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Complete list of winners in Tuesday’s Bartholomew County primary elections.
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