The County Line
Nathan Altman may add a new dimension to the local political scene this year, and perhaps the statewide political landscape as well. Altman, a 30-year-old entrepreneur, wants to run for the United States Senate as an independent and has filed his intent to do so with the Federal Elections Commission.
The candidate-hopeful is the youngest in the nation to seek a Senate seat this year. And, he is just old enough to run. A person must be 30 to be a U.S. Senator. Altman grew up in Carmel, son of County Commissioner Christine Altman, who is running for re-election this year in the Republican primary.
The first big hurdle Altman faces is getting on the ballot. He must have signatures of nearly 27,000 registered voters on his candidacy petition. That is a big task, but one he thinks he can achieve.
If successful, he would face incumbent Democrat Sen. Joe Donnelly and a Republican who will be selected in the May 8 primary. While several independents have been elected to Congress over the years, Indiana has not elected an independent, at least in modern times.
In an IBJ interview, Altman says he is running because there is such a divide between the major parties. He says he wants to seek answers to problems and be a listener and a “uniter,” and not participate in the fight between sides. While not an entirely novel idea, and a lot of folks may say they agree, the fact is when Hoosiers go to the polls they almost always choose a candidate from one of the two major parties.
The young would-be candidate has considerable experience in life. As a teenager he started a successful lawn mowing business, then sold it for enough money to finance his college education. After graduating from Purdue University with a degree in building and construction management, he went into business in California for a few years, but maintained his legal residency in Indiana. He is co-founder of DevelopTown, a software consulting firm, and is reported to be well regarded in the central Indiana tech industry.
In a general election, Altman says his aim is not be a spoiler. But, that would seem to be a potential unintended consequence right here in Hamilton County. In a close senatorial race, Republicans would count heavily on the county to deliver a big margin. If Altman, as a local resident on the independent ticket, drew a few thousand votes it could affect the statewide outcome.
Altman made his first political appearance earlier this week at the Speakeasy, a Broad Ripple pub which he also organized.