The County Line
There are probably very few folks who don’t know that next year is a big election year, with offices from precinct committeeman to President of the United States at stake. And, the process starts Jan. 8 when filing for office begins here in Indiana.
In Hamilton County, voters will select from dozens of candidates who file for the all-important primary election to be held May 5. Besides president, the offices of congressman, governor, state legislators, judges, two county commissioners, and several other county offices will be up for election. Winners in the party primaries will, of course, compete in the November general election.
There are questions to be answered by the election:
Will Hamilton County help elect a new congressman or congresswoman who lives in our county? Both Republican and Democratic primaries are expected to feature several congressional candidates because the 5th District, in which Hamilton County is located, has an open seat with Rep. Susan Brooks’ decision to retire.
Will Democrats win any local offices or will President Trump lead another statewide landslide like 2016 that carried many Republicans into office? Democrats won three city council seats locally in November. But, these wins came in relatively confined areas whereas next year’s election will involve mostly races that are countywide.
And, what will the issues be in the coming election? Certainly for state legislative candidates there will be matters involving education, transportation and drug abuse. At the county level, issues are harder to predict, but matters dealing with the explosive local growth and development such as road building, zoning and recreation are possible.
With the first of the year, candidates can be expected to begin announcing their intentions to seek election or re-election. Most incumbent officeholders are expected to run for new terms.
With election year comes political events and many forms of electioneering. One of the first events of the new year will be the county Republican Lincoln Day Dinner, scheduled for March 19 in Carmel at the 502 East Event Center.
Other events will follow, and as the political season gets underway, readers can keep abreast of candidates, issues and other election information right here in the Hamilton County Reporter.