By GARRETT BERGQUIST
WISH-TV | wishtv.com
State Comptroller Elise Nieshalla said she will continue to look for ways to stretch Indiana’s tax dollars if elected to a full term.
Former Gov. Eric Holcomb appointed Nieshalla, a Republican, to the role in November 2023 after Tera Klutz resigned to take a private sector job.
The role primarily involves disbursing tax revenue to local governments and overseeing the state’s payroll and financial reporting systems. Nieshalla is now seeking a full four-year term. She is the first candidate from any party to announce a bid for that office for the 2026 election cycle. She told News 8 she plans to serve all four years if elected.
“I knew when I received the appointment to fulfill a term that I was only doing it with the intent to run,” Nieshalla said. “And it is an incredible privilege to serve as a state comptroller in a state that has its fiscal house in order.”
Nieshalla said she’s already streamlined the state’s timekeeping process and its financial management system. She said she’s beginning to explore ways to use artificial intelligence to help look for abnormalities that might indicate waste, fraud or abuse. She said she plans to share her findings with her city and county-level counterparts.
“[Artificial intelligence] is a brave new world with tons of opportunity, she said. “But there’s also a bit of concern as far as, we’ve got to make sure that our data is protected. So we’re going to take what we learn at the state level and pass that on in our partnership with local units of government.”
The state comptroller is one of three statewide offices up for election next year, along with the secretary of state and the state treasurer. There are no party primaries for those offices. Instead, the parties will choose their nominees at state party conventions. The Indiana Republican Party’s 2026 convention is scheduled for June 19 and 20 in Fort Wayne.
Both the Democratic and Libertarian parties told News 8 they will have nominees of their own at their state party conventions next year, though no one has yet come forward to run.
“Indiana Democrats are preparing for 2026 – a chance for Hoosiers to hold this Republican state government to account for 20 years of one-party control,” Indiana Democratic Party Spokesperson Sam Barloga said. “Our public schools are falling behind, childcare is unaffordable, and healthcare is out of reach for too many. Democratic statewide candidates will run to end the cost of living crisis in our state and support working families.”
This story was originally published by WISH-TV at wishtv.com/news/politics/indiana-state-comptroller-nieshalla-election.