Republican Mayoral Candidates Far And Few Between As Filing Deadline Nears

The filing deadline for this May’s municipal primary election filing is Feb. 6 less than a month away, and Marion County Republicans are still without a noteworthy candidate vying to replace Mayor Greg Ballard, who’s not seeking reelection.

So far, only one Republican — perennial candidate Jocelyn-Tandy Adande — has filed with the Marion County Election Board for May’s mayoral primary.

Well-known names, such as former State Sen. Murray Clark and State Sen. Jim Merritt, have declined to run. So, with a little more than three weeks before the deadline, should local Republicans be concerned?

"There should be some concern," says Andy Downs, director of the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics. "They don’t have to be concerned, yet."

But, while Downs says Republicans shouldn’t be sweating just yet, he also says waiting too long could be cutting it close.

"You know, this is a campaign for which a couple of million dollars is probably going to be necessary, and it’s not going to be easy to raise that kind of money," Downs says.

And if money and name recognition does provide a hefty electoral advantage, it could be hard to compete with former U.S. Attorney Joe Hogsett, who announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination last November. As of last week, campaign finance filings show Hogsett has raised $1.4 million so far.

Still, Downs says, a well-known name is not a Republican necessity.

"If somebody files, you know, Feb. 5 or 6 and doesn’t have good name recognition, but has a resume that looks good for being a city executive, then that’s not a huge concern," Downs says.

He says an unknown candidate can build recognition during a long campaign, as Ballard did in 2007 when he defeated well-known and well-financed incumbent Bart Peterson.