The Indiana Primary was held May 3.

In the newly redrawn 9th congressional district for U.S. House of Representatives, with minimal campaigning and advertising locally on either side, Republican Erin Houchin won a nine-candidate horse race with 37.3% of the vote. Democrat Matthew Fyfe eased to victory in a three-person race, nearly doubling up Isak Asare 56.8%-29.2%.

Houchin, a former state senator and resident of Salem, defeated former congressman Mike Sodrel by close to 12 percentage points. Stu Barnes-Israel of Greensburg was third and Jim Baker a distant fourth. D. Eric Schansberg, J. Michael Davisson, Brian Tibbs, Dan Heiwig and Bill Thomas all received less than 3% of the votes. Liam Dorris was a distant third in the Democratic primary.

Fyfe lives in Bloomington and has been a high school math teacher. Locally, Democrat voters went for Fyfe at a 58.2% clip with Dorris earning 23.6% and Asare 18.2%. Houchin received 31.2% locally from Republican selectors, whose next three choices mirrored final results. Tibbs, Davisson, Heiwig, Schansberg and Thomas were at 3% or below.

For U.S. Senator, Republican incumbent Todd Young and Democratic challenger Thomas McDermott Jr. were both unopposed.

In state legislative action, Lindsay Patterson of Brookville won five of the six counties represented in District 55 to advance in the four-individual race, showing strongest in Fayette and Rush counties. Dr. David Welsh won hometown Ripley County by just two votes over Patterson. Overall, Patterson won 39.3% of ballots and Curtis Ward, also of Brookville, was next with 25.3%. Welsh secured 19.6% of the pie. John Moton of Ripley Co. finished fourth at 15.8%. Patterson received 39.7% and Ward 20.9% of home county votes; Welsh picked up 20.5% and Moton 18.9%.

There were no Dist. 55 candidates on the Democrat side. 

Ronald Itnyre (D) and incumbent Jeffrey S. Raatz (R) were unopposed for State Senator Dist. 27.

No Republican primary challengers locally included races for Franklin Co. Prosecutor Christopher Huerkamp, Neysa R. Raible for circuit court clerk, Karla Bauman for auditor, Peter W. Cates for sheriff, Brian R. Baxter for coroner (all incumbents), Debbie Schoettelkotte (currently First Deputy) for assessor, incumbent Gerald Wendel for county commissioner Dist. 1, Jeff Koch (president) for county council Dist. 3 and Tonja M. French (Laurel), Mike Ferman (Metamora), Tim Hollars (Posey), Joe Herbert (Ray) and Roy N. Hall (Whitewater) for township trustees.

Unopposed for the Democrats were Stephanie A. Tolhurst (Springfield Twp. Trustee), Bradley Spurlock (Laurel Twp. Trustee), Arthur Defossett Jr. (Highland Twp. Trustee), Angie Nobbe (Fairfield Twp. Trustee), Butch Flaspohler (Butler Twp. Trustee), Kit Flaspohler (Brookville Twp. Trustee) and incumbent Joe W. Gillespie Jr. (county council Dist. 4).

In one local Democrat contest, June Shepler comfortably got by Thomas W. Vohland for Blooming Grove Township Trustee.

There were several local notable contests on the Republican ballot and no fewer than three current office holders unseated. 

John J. Heis (60.4%) knocked off longtime county commissioner Tom Linkel (39.6%) in Dist. 2 while Mary Strong (48.4%) dethroned Joe Sizemore (26.2%) and topped challenger Cody Hollars (25.4%) for county council Dist. 1. Former councilman Dean McQueen (60.6%) was chosen over incumbent Scott McDonough (39.4%) for county council Dist. 2. In the county council Dist. 4 race, Bob Evans earned 64.6% of votes to Dwight Ball’ 35.4%. Irv Vonderheide won the Brookville Township Trustee race over Adam R. Moehlman, 60.6%-39.4%.

Brookville Town Council will see new faces. Bridget C. Hayes earned 74.6% of Republican voters’trust to Benjamin J. Summey’ 25.4% in Ward 2; Earl Moore was liked by voters in the fourth ward to the tune of 56.1% over Rudy Rudisell (43.9%).

Heis, Strong, Evans, Vonderheide, Hayes and Moore are all new to the elected official game.

Three-person township advisory boards are on track to include the following: Bath (Democrats Roy J. Chesnut and Gregory D. Rosenberger), Blooming Grove (Republicans Kyle Hildebrand and Neil Whittington and Democrat Jeffrey M. Sauerland), Brookville (Republicans Gary D. Dorrel, Cindy K. Hall and Roger J. Bommer), Butler (Democrats Teresa L. Fledderman, John V. Obermeyer and Melvin A. Pulskamp), Fairfield (Democrats Velda M. Clark, Laura Hodapp and Delores Dobbs), Highland (Republican Michael E. Kohlsdorf and Democrats Michael Hoog and Stephen A. Haas), Laurel (Republican L. Joe Combs and Democrat Jordan A. Cox), Metamora (Republicans Larry Ferman and Scott L. Lyle and Democrat Gary R. Baker), Posey (Republicans Roger L. McQueen and Dale Fields and Democrat Annette Hunter), Ray (Democrat Lawrence K. Bedel) and Whitewater (Republicans Larry H. Bolser, Dee Ann Harding and Rosella Goodin).

Up for Springfield Twp. Board are Republicans Jeffery G. Dorrel and Ervin E. Roberts and Democrats Cecil Bruns and John C. Kolb.

State conventions for both major parties take place June 18. Independent or minor party candidates can file a petition for nomination by the end of June. July 3 is the deadline for both major parties to conduct a political caucus to fill a vacancy existing on the general election ballot –a convention in the case of the Libertarian Party. Write-in candidates have until July 5 to file. There are a few exceptions for late candidate filing.