Incumbent Rep. Bruce Borders (R-Jasonville) will be the Republican nominee in the race for House District 45. He had 53 percent of votes with 97 percent of precincts reporting. His opponent, fellow Rep. Jeff Ellington (R-Bloomfield), received 47 percent.
Borders currently has a clear path to the Statehouse – no Democrats have filed in the race yet.
He fended off a vigorous campaign from District 62 Rep. Ellington, who announced he’d seek the District 45 nomination after redistricting shook up his current district.
The race quickly became bitter, with Borders calling Ellington a carpetbagger and Ellington making jokes about Borders’ experience as an Elvis impersonator. Both candidates touted their conservative records in the General Assembly and questioned the results of the 2020 presidential election.
“I'm doing the best for my constituents, and I’m honoring God in what I do,” Borders said in a Tuesday night phone interview.
He has maintained he will vote to override the governor’s veto of the transgender sports bill later this month, and said he was encouraged by reports the issue of abortion rights could be left back to the states.
“We'll be going to do battle for the unborn,” Borders said.
Ellington statement on #HD45 GOP primary: https://t.co/Z7s7R1bAbU — Mitch Legan (@ByMitchLegan) May 4, 2022
Borders has served House District 45 since 2014. He also served the district from 2004 to 2012.
This story has been updated.
