A former Hope Town Council president who wants another term in office says that he is being forced to run as a Democrat even though he wants to run as a Republican.
Jerry Bragg of Hope initially filed to run for the GOP nomination for Hope Town Council Ward 3 on Jan. 16 but abruptly withdrew his candidacy three days later and then filed to run for the same seat as a Democrat, according to the Bartholomew County Clerk’s Office.
Bragg, who described the Republican Party as more “down to earth,” and “realistic,” said he supports the GOP “pro-life” stance. The only reason he filed to run this year as a Democrat is because county election officials told him he was not eligible to run as a Republican, he said.
“I wanted to run as a Republican, but they said I couldn’t because I hadn’t voted Republican for the last two primaries,” Bragg told The Republic. “…That’s the only reason.”
“I am registered as a Democrat … (but) I agree more with what the Republicans want to do,” Bragg said.
Bragg, for his part, has a long history as a Democrat in Bartholomew County, according to local records.
Bragg was elected to the Hope Town Council as a Democrat in the 2014 election after being appointed earlier that year to serve the remainder of another Democrat’s term. He was then reelected as a Democrat in the 2018 election.
Bragg also served as Hope Town Council president during his last four years in office but lost his reelection bid to two Republicans in the 2022 election.
When asked why he decided to run as a Democrat instead of as an independent, Bragg said, “It never crossed my mind, to be honest with you.”
Under election rules that took effect in 2022, primary candidates’ last two primary votes must be for the party they are seeking to represent. Previously, the requirement was for just the candidate’s most recent primary vote.
Bragg voted in the Democratic primary in 2022 and 2018, according to the Bartholomew County Clerk’s Office. He also was a Democratic candidate on the ballot in both of those elections.
“His voting history does not show that he has ever voted Republican in a primary election in Bartholomew County,” said Bartholomew County Clerk Shari Lentz.
But there was another away for him to get on the GOP ballot. The new rules state that candidates who do not meet the requirement on primary voting history can ask for authorization from the county party chair to appear on the primary ballot.
However, Bartholomew County Republican Party Chair Luann Welmer said she declined to allow Bragg to appear on the GOP ballot this year.
“Jerry and I had a very nice conversation, and I told him that he did not qualify due to his voting record,” she said.
Bartholomew County Democratic Party Chair Ross Thomas, for his part, said this type of situation is an issue that both parties have to contend with.
“If the last two times he voted in a primary were in Democratic primaries, he’s eligible to run as a Democrat,” Thomas said of Bragg. “…Obviously, we may field another primary candidate against him. Just because somebody runs doesn’t mean they have our endorsement.”
Bragg said there was no single moment in which he decided to shift away from the Democratic Party. Instead, Bragg said, “I just don’t see things exactly how (Democrats) do on a lot of different little issues and big issues.”
“(Both parties) have good points … but I agree more with the Republican Party,” Bragg said.
Following his defeat in the 2022 election by just 34 votes, Bragg said some local voters told him that “they thought I did a good job” on the town council, but “once they realized I was a Democrat, they couldn’t vote for me.”
However, Bragg said that did not play into his decision to initially file as a Republican this year.
“I just figured you could file for whatever (party) you feel that you are or want to be classified as,” Bragg said.
“I always vote for who I think is the best person is for that position, whatever that position may be,” Bragg added. “I don’t look at it (as), ‘He’s a Republican, so I can’t vote for him’ or ‘He’s a Democrat, I can’t vote for him.’”
For now, Bragg is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination for Hope Town Council Ward 3. Candidate filing runs until Feb. 9, according to the Indiana Election Division.
