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Major party candidates for Senate will run unopposed in primary

The Indiana Election Commission listens to challenges filed by voters who have issues with candidates on the upcoming primary ballot.
Screenshot of Indiana Election Commission livestream
The Indiana Election Commission listens to challenges filed by voters who have issues with candidates on the upcoming primary ballot.

U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) will not face a primary challenger in May following an Indiana Election Commission hearing on Friday. The panel also cleared the way for Tom McDermott to be the Democratic candidate for the seat.

The Indiana Election Commission removed Democratic candidates Haneefah Khaaliq and Valerie McCray as well as Republican candidate Danny Niederberger from the primary ballot. Each candidate failed to submit at least 500 signatures on a petition in all Indiana congressional districts by the deadline.

It all means the Republican and Democratic candidates will have no primary challengers. Incumbent Senator Young and Democrat Tom McDermott will face each other on the ballot in the fall.

In the same meeting, U.S. Rep. Jim Banks (R-Columbia City) won a challenge against his candidacy claiming he supported the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Contact reporter Justin at  jhicks@wvpe.org or follow him on Twitter at @Hicks_JustinM.

Copyright 2022 IPB News. To see more, visit IPB News.

Justin Hicks is a workforce reporter for IPB News based at WVPE in Elkhart. He comes to Indiana by way of New York. He has a master's degree from the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute at New York University and earned a Bachelor of Music Degree from Appalachian State University where he played trumpet. He first learned about Elkhart, Indiana, because of the stamp on his brass instrument indicating where it was produced. Justin was born and raised in Mt. Olive, North Carolina. He currently lives in South Bend with his dog, Charlotte.
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