What Are We Even Doing?

Pete Buttigieg is a friend. I've known him for 15 years. He's the same guy I met at the IDEA Convention in French Lick in 2011.

Pete's incredibly smart. He's articulate, and he can communicate a message like few other in political circles. In fact, I'd go as far to say that he's one of the smartest and most well-spoken men I have ever met. Even though he's that smart, he retains the ability to be relatable. If he runs for President in 2028, I will support him. He will be my candidate because I think we need a smart candidate who has proven he can lead whether it be in the Mayor's Office in South Bend or as Secretary of Transportation.

I also get that this is 2026. Many find Pete's brand of politics unpalatable. They want a Democrat who is further left. They want someone who ticks off every box on their bingo card of issues. I know this because I posted a link to an article talking about how Buttigieg is the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination in a recent Emerson College poll. It didn't take long for people to start opining.

Listen, I'm not here to tell you how to vote or who to vote for. I'm just telling you that whatever candidate prevails throug the 2028 Democratic Primary, Pete or otherwise, will have my vote. I know that there is no purity test when it comes to electing a Democrat in 2028. We need someone with a "D" beside their name to put this country back together from the mess that has been made.

Unfortunately, I'm seeing a trend developing that makes me wonder if other Democrats have that same philosophy. It seems that, for some and not all, it's their candidate or the highway. That disturbs me, and it makes me really wonder what we're even doing out here.

For a more pertinent example that's happening right now, I'm seeing this same mentality on display in our own Secretary of State race here in Indiana. You have delegates out here pledging support to Blythe Potter or Beau Bayh. You also have some, not all, delegates saying they won't vote for the winner of the nomination. I don't get it. Does the Republican platform of election reform appeal to you? Don't you think we need a Democrat in that office to at least advocate and protect our rights from the GOP supermajority. Staying home elects Republicans. Whether it's Beau or Blythe, they need the support of every Democrat they can get.

I know that many of you quit reading by now and are already calling me an "establishment shill" and that's ok. I'm just saying that we have to elect Democrats in 2026 and 2028. I am just urging you to see the big picture.

Carson Fends Off All Challengers, Other Incumbents Advance in Congressional Primary Races

André Carson

Congressman André Carson took a big step towards returning to Congress with a resounding win over Destiny Wells, George Hornedo and Denise Paul-Hatch. 

In a race that many had circled as one to watch, Carson is leading with 62 percent of the vote with 97 percent of the precincts reporting. Wells (23 percent) and Hornedo (10 percent) combined for 33 percent of the vote. Hatch is tracking at around four percent.

Carson will face Patrick McAuley. McAuley leads his competition, Felipe Rios, 84-16 percent with 97 percent of precincts reporting. In November, Carson will be the heavy favorite to head back to Congress for his 10th term. 

In other U.S. House primaries around the state...

In the 1st District, Incumbent Frank Mrvan will take on Barb Regnitz in November. Mrvan, a Democrat is leading Lavetta Sparks-Wade, 80-20, with 99 percent of precincts reporting.

Staying in Northern Indiana, incumbent Republican Rudy Yakim and Democrat James Decio will square off in November. Decio has apparently defeated his primary opponent, Shaun Mayens, 71-29 with 89 percent of the precincts reporting. Yakim was unopposed.

Democrat Kelly Thompson was unopposed in the 3rd District Congressional Primary. She'll take on incumbent Republican Marlin Stutzman. With 66 percent of the precincts reporting, Stutzman roughly has a 2/3 advantage on his opponent, Jon Kenworthy.

Out in West Central Indiana, Congressman Jim Baird leaned heavily on his endorsement by President Donald Trump and leads fellow Republican Craig Haggard, 61-31, with 80 percent reporting. Jon Piper is a distant third with eight percent of the vote. This race was thought to have been one to watch, but Baird has apparently easily won the GOP nod. On the Democratic side, it was an eight-way battle royale. It appears Drew Cox has emerged from the jumble with 30 percent of the vote. 

In Indy's Northside suburbs, 5th District incumbent, Republican Victoria Spartz, leads her challenger, Scott King, 60-40. Indiana State Senator J.D. Ford will be her opponent in November. In a seven-way primary, Ford has around 43 percent of the vote with 96 percent of the precincts reporting.

The 6th Congressional District encompasses East Central Indiana as well as the Southside of Marion County and much of the city's southern suburbs. It will be a rematch from 2024 as Democrat Cinde Wirth goes up against incumbent Jefferson Shreve. Wirth easily advanced, but it's been very tight for Shreve. Shreve is up 53-47 over Sarah Brown.

In he 8th District, Republican Mark Messmer, the incumbent, will take on Democrat Mary Allen.

Finally, in Indiana's 9th District, Representative Erin Houchin will have to wait until the morning to find out her opponent. It's a race that's too close to call as of yet. Brad Meyer leads Tim Peck in the race for the Democratic nomination by roughly 1,600 votes with 92 percent of the precincts reporting.

Libertarians will name their candidates at their party convention later in the election season.

Kern Appears to Possibly Swing Marion County Clerk's Race

Bob Kern
Photo: Hoosier Enquirer

For the second time in his long political career, Bob Kern has sent some shockwaves through Central Indiana politics. 

This time, he's not here to see it.

Back in 1998, Kern defeated the Democratic Party-backed candidate and a handful of others in the May Primary to take on Dan Burton in the General Election. Kern lost that race with Burton claiming 72 percent of the vote to Kern's 17 percent. Libertarian Joe Hauptmann came in with 11 percent of the vote. 

Since then, Kern's run for a wide variety of offices including his choice this year, Marion County Clerk. Unfortunately, Kern had a stroke and passed in early April. It was too late to remove his name from the ballot.

It appears that, from the grave, Bob Kern certainly played a factor in the Marion County Clerk's race. It appears that former Marion County Democratic Party Chair, former Marion County Recorder and the incumbent Marion County Clerk, Kate Sweeney Bell just got past attorney Karla Lopez-Owens.

As I write this blog post at 10:30 pm. Lopez-Owens trails Sweeney Bell by 2,088 votes with 97 percent of the vote in. Kern has 4,564 votes. If just half of the people who voted for him voted for Lopez-Owens, the race would have flipped. 

Of course, there are still votes to count and things could change, but it does appear that Bob Kern swung a race from the Great Beyond. Ain't politics grand? 

Perhaps Kate Sweeney Bell should pour one out for Bob tonight.

No Joe...No

Hogsett and Easter on the
campaign trail in 2015

Joe Hogsett is teasing a run for Mayor in 2027, and no one I've talked to on either side of the aisle can figure out why.

Listen, not everything that Joe Hogsett has done since he was sworn in as Mayor of Indianapolis and the Chief Executive of Marion County has been bad. He does have some wins he can point to on his resumé that show he's succeeded as Mayor. 

That said, the mishandling of multiple scandals and the perception of inpropriety within his administration has drawn widespread and bipartisan criticism that, frankly, has been warranted.

I could detail it all here, but I think most of the readers of this blog would understand the laundry list of things that have gone wrong under Joe Hogsett's occupancy of the 25th Floor of the City-County Building. Multiple city agencies have come under review. His own inner circle has been rocked by scandal. He rehired people like Thomas Cook after strong allegations of inappropriate and creepy behavior came to light. He, himself, has been accused of being inappropriate towards a female staffer in his administration.

All of these allegations and mistakes have some on all sides of the political aisle, including me, calling for the resignation of the Mayor. When confronted in public, the Mayor has little to say. He dodges the allegations, and he continues to do things that just make you scratch your head. 

I don't take joy in saying any of this. Joe, at one time, was a very good friend of mine. Without me even asking him, Joe Hogsett, then US Attorney, showed up at my mother's funeral viewing. He spoke with my brother and me about loss and his own personal feelings when his parents passed. Joe included me on campaign mailings when I ran for City-County Council without asking for anything in return. He campaigned with me here in Decatur Township, an area I was never likely to win. That's why the behavior I see now seems so foreign with the Joe Hogsett I knew before he was Mayor. Maybe I just didn't see the signs. 

The fact of the matter now is that a fourth term as Mayor is something only Joe Hogsett wants. While he may see a path to victory by being the incumbent, I see a humiliating defeat coming. A defeat where, quite possibly, he could finish behind two far superior candidates in a primary. Maybe he thinks that the anti-Hogsett vote will split and he will cruise to victory on the support of his loyal base. At this point, though, who is that base? Developers? I mean...who?

Some have speculated privately to me that Hogsett is waiting until later in the year to decline a run. They speculate that he's continuing to enrich his campaign coffers based upon the possibility he could run again for a fourth term and then play queenmaker or kingmaker in 2027. That seems possible, but I can think of nothing more destructive for the Democratic Party in Marion County in 2027 than a run by Joe Hogsett.

For these reasons, please, say it ain't so Joe. 

Classic Change vs. More of the Same Campaign in Marion County Clerk Battle

Sweeney-Bell

Sad to say, but one thing's for sure in the Marion County Clerk's race. Unfortunately, this will be Bob Kern's last ride as a candidate on the ballot. Kern passed away on April 4, 2026, from complications of a stroke. His presence on the ballot has been a given over the past 25+ years. It's been the Indy 500 in May, and Bob Kern on a Primary ballot.

In this race, there's no doubt that Kern will get at least a few votes for Clerk, but the two other candidates in the race will be fighting it out to become the favorite in November to win the job.

Incumbent Clerk Kate Sweeney-Bell was elected to the office four years ago in 2022. While she's put together a record to run on, it doesn't take a campaign expert to see that she is a little concerned and is not taking her opposition lightly. Sweeney-Bell is pulling out all of her rowdy Democratic friends who are recording endorsements for social media. The former Marion County Party Chair has that Rolodex, and she's using it.  She's been endorsed by Ed Delaney, Renee Pack, Carey Hamilton, Mitch Gore, Kristen Jones and Jeb Bardon. 

Attorney Karla Lopez-Owens is running against Sweeney-Bell (and Kern) for the Democratic nomination. Lopez-Owens, a past candidate in a crowded field for State Senate and a City-County Council caucus, is an immigrant and is talking about that part of her bio in this campaign. "Becoming a citizen and voting are privileges I don’t take for granted," Owens-Lopez says on Facebook. "I am prepared to meet this moment with courage and honesty. Together, we can rebuild trust in local government through transparency and accountability. Through that work, we can start changing the outcome of our circumstances and create new possibilities for ourselves."

Lopez-Owens

It's change vs. more of the same here. Sweeney-Bell is telling voters, in effect, that she's been there, done that and has all the t-shirts. Her campaign literature says, "As Marion County Clerk, Kate Sweeney-Bell has been on the frontlines defending free and fair elections, standing up to partisan redistricting attempts and fighting to protect access to the ballot...Kate is the experienced, steady, trusted leader who will keep Marion County Elections secure and ensure every voice is heard."

Sweeney-Bell remains the favorite, but that doesn't mean that Lopez-Owens can't make this interesting on Election Night. She has received endorsements from PACs like the Speedway Democrats and candidates like Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears. Mears co-sponsored a fundraiser for Lopez-Owens. 

The winner of the Democratic Primary will almost certainly win election in November...even if it is Bob Kern. The Republican candidate, Robbin Stewart, sure is a fun Google.

I think Sweeney-Bell probably has the inside track. That said, Sweeney-Bell, as I said earlier, is a former Marion County Democratic Party Chair. You don't become a Party Chair without ticking a few people off. Sweeney-Bell could lose this if enough people find Lopez-Owens as someone who could credibly replace her. At this stage, I don't think that's going to be enough. In the end, it will be those strong party ties that I think carry the day for Sweeney-Bell. That's not to say that Lopez-Owens is a bad candidate. On the contrary, she's very good, and I think she will someday win a race for an elected office.