Everyone in Indiana has a chance to determine top-of-the-ticket races, including U.S. Senate and statewide office holders, as they cast ballots in Tuesday’s general election.
Incumbent U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly, a first-term Democrat from Granger, is being challenged by Republican Mike Braun, a Jasper auto-parts distributor, and Libertarian Lucy Brenton, a Fishers business consultant.
Polls show that the Indiana Senate race is a tight one between the two major-party candidates, and the result may help determine the balance of political power on Capitol Hill, where Republicans hold a 51-49 margin in the Senate. The Indiana Senate seat, for a six-year term, is one of 35 Senate seats across the nation that will be determined Tuesday, 26 of them held by Democrats who need to gain two seats to take control.
Every Indiana ballot will also include selections for three state-level races, each of them four-year terms:
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Republican Connie Lawson, a former state senator who has been Indiana Secretary of State since 2012, is being challenged by Democrat Jim Harper, a Porter County attorney, and Libertarian Mark W. Rutherford, a Carmel attorney.
Incumbent State Auditor Tera Klutz is a former Allen County auditor who was chosen by fellow Republicans to succeed now-Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch after the 2016 election. Klutz is being challenged by Democrat Joselyn Whitticker, a former teacher and small business owner from Marion, as well as Chesterton business consultant and Libertarian candidate John Schick.
Seeking her second consecutive term as state treasurer, Kelly Mitchell is a former Cass County commissioner who managed government investments for the state before being elected in 2014. Mitchell is being challenged by Democrat John Aguilera, who served two terms as a Lake County councilman before voters sent him to the Indiana House of Representatives for three terms.
U.S. House
All nine of Indiana’s seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are up for election, as they are every two years. In Bartholomew County, voters will select a new representative for the Sixth Congressional District.
The field includes Republican Greg Pence, a Columbus businessman; Democrat Jeannine Lake, a Muncie newspaper publisher; and Libertarian Thomas Ferkinhoff, a certified public accountant from Richmond. The winner will succeed Luke Messer, who ran for U.S. Senate in the May Republlican primary, and lost, instead of seeking re-election in the House.
The winner will represents constituents in 19 counties, stretching from northeast to southeast Indiana, including some of the central and south-central regions of the state.
Statehouse races
Bartholomew County will choose a new representative in the Indiana House of Representatives for District 59, which encompasses Columbus, Taylorsville and, in general, areas west of State Road 7 in western and southern Bartholomew County. The winner will fill the seat held by Milo Smith, a six-term lawmaker from Columbus who chose not to run for re-election.
The three-person race features Republican Ryan Lauer, a technical specialist for Cummins Inc.; Democrat Dale Nowlin, a Columbus North High School math teacher; and Libertarian Clyde Myers, an information technology manager and project manager for a private firm. All are from Columbus. Lauer and Nowlin have sought the post before, while Myers is making his first run.
Two candidates are seeking the Indiana House District 69 seat, which represents the village of Elizabethtown and other areas in Sand Creek Township in Bartholomew County, along with parts of Jackson, Jennings and Jefferson counties.
They are Republican incumbent Jim Lucas of Seymour, a small business owner seeking a fourth term; and Democratic challenger Steve Schoettmer of Elizabethtown, a retired U.S. Postal Service worker and union representative seeking his first public office.
In Indiana Senate District 41, incumbent Republican Greg Walker, a senior consultant for Proffer Brainchild Analytics Innovation, is being challenged by Democrat Ross Thomas, who has a law practice in Indianapolis. Walker has served six terms in office, while Thomas is a political newcomer. Both live in Columbus. The seat includes northwestern Bartholomew County communities of Columbus, Edinburgh and Clifford, and the eastern half of Johnson County.
County races
Two Bartholomew County Council races have competition.
Residents in certain areas of Hawcreek, Clay, Clifty and Rockcreek townships, as well as sections of northeast Columbus, can vote in the District One Bartholomew County Council race between Republican Scott Bonnell and Democrat Hanna Omar. These political newcomers are seeking to fill the position being vacated by Chris Ogle, who did not seek re-election.
In the District 4 council race between incumbent Republican Jorge Morales and Democrat challenger Lynne Fleming, voting on this race is limited to people residing in certain areas of Harrison, Ohio, Sandcreek, Wayne and Jackson townships, as well as people living in parts of southern Columbus and southeastern Bartholomew County. Fleming was unsuccessful in a county council run two years ago.
Two other county council races are unopposed, along with county offices such as Superior Court 1 judge, sheriff, prosecutor, county clerk, District 2 county commissioner, auditor, assessor, treasurer and recorder.
Town council
Four candidates, including two incumbents, are seeking two at-large seats on the Hope Town Council.The two political newcomers are Louis M. Kujawski Jr., a Republican listed as “Lou K.” on the ballot; and Democrat Chelsea Warriner.They are challenging two incumbents, Republican Clyde Compton and Democrat Jerry Bragg, for their at-large council seats.
Five candidates, including two incumbents, are seeking three at-large seats on the Clifford Town Council.The Republican candidates are Bonnie “BJ” Everroad and Charlie Bob Moore. Two Democrats, Ed Stone and Danny James, are seeking to retain their seats on the council.A third Democrat on the ballot is Carroll Thompson. The third council incumbent, Republican Mark Floyd, chose not to seek re-election.
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The following vote centers in Bartholomew County will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday:
- Flintwood Wesleyan Church, 5300 25th St., Columbus
- St. John’s Masonic Lodge, 4131 Rocky Ford Road, Columbus
- Grace Lutheran Church, 3201 Central Ave., Columbus
- Healing Waters Church, 2330 Midway St., Columbus
- Donner Center, 739 22nd St., Columbus
- Columbus Township Fire Station, 935 Repp Drive, Columbus
- The Commons, 300 Washington St., Columbus
- German American Bank, 2310 W. Jonathan Moore Pike, Columbus
- Terrace Lake Church, 4260 W. 200S, Columbus
- Faith Lutheran Church, 6000 W. State Road 46, Columbus
- Bartholomew County REMC, 1697 W. Deaver Road, Columbus
- Elizabethtown Fire Station, 10203 E. Legal Tender, Elizabethtown
- Shiloh Baptist Church, 11988 E. State Road 46, Columbus
- Hope Moravian Church, 202 Main St., Hope
- Clifford Fire Station, 7850 N Depot St., Clifford
- German Twp. Fire Station, 9428 Main St., Taylorsville
- Southwest Fire Station, 8500 S. State Road 58, Ogilville
- White Creek Lutheran Church, 16270 S. 300 W., Columbus
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Bartholomew County has 66 different precincts, and a total of 49 different ballots have been prepared for voters. That includes national and state races, countywide and town, township and school board races. But residents can know exactly what’s at their ballot before stepping into a vote center. Registered voters can visit indianavoters.com and enter their name, address and date of birth to learn what’s on their ballot.
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