Knox County Commissioner Kellie Streeter is poised to defeat 10-term incumbent Indiana state Rep. Bruce Borders for the GOP nomination in southwest Indiana’s House District 45 — the sole upset thus far in Indiana House primaries Tuesday.
Streeter nearly unseated Borders two years ago in a three-way primary contest.
She led by 6.46 percentage points with 90% reporting Tuesday evening, according to preliminary election results.
No anti-incumbent fervor in House
President Donald Trump’s retribution campaign against state senators who opposed mid-cycle redistricting did not extend to House members like Rep. Gregory Steuerwald.
The Avon Republican, who opposed the redistricting effort, led by a 50-point margin with 97% of votes reporting in his re-election bid against Hendricks County businessman Sid Mahant for the GOP nomination to HD 40.
Mahant portrayed himself as a political outsider, contributing $500,000 of his own money to the campaign.
But questions about his loyalty to the GOP followed Mahant, who fended off a good-standing complaint earlier this year from the Hendricks County GOP chair for a past donation made in his name to an Indianapolis Democrat.
The Indiana Election Commission removed Mahant from the ballot in an unrelated congressional campaign two years ago for failing to vote Republican in his two most recent primaries.
House Ways and Means Chair Jeffrey Thompson won by a 12-point margin Tuesday against registered nurse Sheila Zielinski, aided by a last-minute $60,000 contribution to his campaign from the House Republican Campaign amid concerns the leading budget writer may be in trouble.
“He’s conservative, and that’s what we’re after these days,” said Morris Hafley, who voted for Thompson at the Hendricks County Fairgrounds Tuesday. “Because of the craziness, we have to win this election and the next. We’ve got to stay ahead of this, because what’s on the other side is killing us. I’m for Trump.”
“He’s a good man,” said William McClain, who also voted for Thompson.
On the Democratic side, Rep. John Bartlett, of Indianapolis, survived a three-way primary with Lawrence councilor Tyrrell Giles and Indianapolis City-County councilor Keith Graves.
Primaries for open seats
Eight House members will retire or exit the chamber to seek higher office. Here are how the races for those nominations went:
HD 30: Paula Davis defeated Ray Collins for the GOP nomination to replace retiring Rep. Mike Karickhoff in House District 30, located in Kokomo. Davis will face Democratic candidate Jack Chance in November.
HD 34: Richard Ivy led over Randall McCallister in the GOP primary to decide who will face Democrat Sara Gullion in her bid to replace retiring Democratic Rep. Sue Errington in House District 34, which encompasses Muncie.
HD 56: Randy Retter will be the GOP nominee to replace Rep. Brad Barrett after a three-way contest against Republicans Pete Zaleski and Adam Blanton. He faces Democrat Thomas Rockwell in November. House District 56 is in Richmond.
HD 57: Wesley Bennett led by a narrow 1.67 points over Greg “No Bull” Knott in the four-way primary to replace Rep. Craig Haggard, who is seeking a seat in the U.S. House. The winner will face Democrat Suzanne Fortenberry in November. House District 57 is in the Plainfield-Mooresville area.
HD 58: John Reed led the three-way primary to replace Rep. Michelle Davis, who is leaving for the state Senate. Michelle Hennessee Sears defeated Eric Reingardt for the Democratic nomination. House District 58 is in Greenwood.
HD 63: Amy Kippenbrock defeated Richard Moss for the GOP nomination to replace retiring Rep. Shane Lindauer in the southwestern Indiana district, which runs through Jasper. She will face Democrat Tiffanie Arthur, who won in a three-way Democratic primary against Anthony Bolen and Adam Mann.
HD 70: Scott Fluhr held a 37-point lead over John Colburn in the GOP primary to replace Rep. Karen Engleman in this southern Indiana district. Sarah Blessing led by 12 points in the three-way Democratic primary against Jerry Finn and Tamyra Persinger.
Indiana Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Indiana Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Niki Kelly for questions: info@indianacapitalchronicle.com.
