Indy Statehouse primaries: Open seat draws four GOP candidates; Democratic incumbents face challengers

U.S. Rep. Greg Pence’s decision not to seek reelection started a domino effect. State Rep. Mike Speedy decided against seeking another term representing the southeast side at the Statehouse to run for Pence’s Congressional seat.

And now, four Republicans are seeking their party’s nomination to fill Speedy’s open Statehouse seat.

It’s the most hotly contested Indianapolis-area Statehouse race. House District 90 encompasses Indianapolis’ far southeast corner, including most of Franklin Township. For the past 14 years, Speedy has represented the district. The primary winner will face Democrat Dominque Davie in November’s general election. 

Candidates in the crowded race are: Andrew Ireland, a former deputy attorney general; Elizabeth Williams, a veteran, daycare operator and mom of 13, including six adopted children; property manager and part-time school bus driver Tim McVey; and retired pharmacist David Waters.

A few of them told IBJ they plan to use the position to work on issues they believe the Democrat-controlled city isn’t addressing.

In financial reports that cover a period between Jan. 1 to April 12, Williams led the field in funds raised with $42,560, due in part to a $30,000 loan. Ireland raised $35,200, $6,673 of which he loaned to his campaign. Waters self-funded the $1,452 his campaign reported. McVey raised $4,317, with $4,000 coming from the excavating company he is vice president at, G&W Excavators.

Andrew Ireland

Ireland grew up in the small southern Indiana town of Darmstadt. The 29-year-old attended a local private school, which he attributes his success to in part. That’s why if he’s elected he would work to create universal school choice in Indiana.

He began his career in law as a clerk under former Attorney General Curtis Hill, and then became Deputy Attorney General under Todd Rokita. In that role, he handled appellate litigation for the state, including those related to abortion, the Second Amendment, election security and border issues, he told IBJ.

He recently made the switch to working for a private practice on behalf of the trucking industry. When he saw that Speedy was forgoing another run, he decided to run, believing he’s the right person for the job.

“I looked at the rest of the crowd and again, and they’re all good people, but at the end of the day, I think we need somebody one with some real experience on these really important issues, particularly in a post-Roe world,” Ireland said.

A main pillar of his campaign has been reeling in prosecutors and judges he said are “rogue.” It’s a criticism that was used often by now-Sen. Cyndi Carrasco, a Republican, against Democratic Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears in the 2022 race for the countywide position.

Ireland said he would be in favor of implementing a law where the governor is able to suspend prosecutors who “violate their oath,” similar to the existing system in Florida.

“I think there’s an appetite for it, because frankly, so many of the problems we’re seeing in Indianapolis stem directly from the fact that we lack leadership of the Prosecutor’s Office and the Mayor’s Office,” he said.

Legislation related to the Marion County Prosecutor has been introduced at least four times over the past several years. It’s just one example of Democratic city officials and Republican lawmakers butting heads over local control.

Ireland said he’s in favor of local control in regional cities like Evansville and Fort Wayne, but that Indianapolis should be in part governed by the Legislature because it is the capital city and the seat of state government.

“I think that there’s nothing wrong with the state Legislature having a bigger footprint here,” Ireland told IBJ.

Elizabeth Williams

A preacher’s daughter from Lafayette, Williams decided after 9/11 to join the military.

At the Indiana National Guard, she created the first crisis intervention unit that dealt with sexual assault, suicide prevention, domestic violence and critical incident stress management. That framework was eventually rolled out nationwide.

During her military service, she served as a commander in the U.S. and abroad in Iraq and Kuwait. That fueled, in part, her commitment to the Second Amendment.

“When you see a population that has had to deal with tyrannical government, you see how important it is to have the Second Amendment,” she said.

Four years ago, she retired from the military and settled down in Franklin Township with her family. As foster parents with 13 children, she and her husband quickly realized there weren’t enough preschools in their area.

They decided to start their own, taking a Florida-based franchise called Creative World and bringing it to Indianapolis. It opened in February.

Williams said opening the preschool solidified her views that parents should have a choice in their children’s education and schools should avoid social programming. This work, combined with her past as a State Farm insurance agent and a health care administrator, have led her to believe the state needs more small-business-friendly legislation. She said that would involve removing “red tape” in state regulations and looking for opportunities to streamline the permitting process.

Speedy is backing Williams, whom he donated $5,000 to from his campaign committee.

He told IBJ in a statement that Williams is a friend and a good fit because she isn’t a “traditional” politician.

“Our part time state Legislature is designed to attract leaders from all walks of life, and Elizabeth is exactly the kind of leader that will use her real-life experience to make an impact for the families and local businesses she serves,” the statement said.

She’s also supported by conservative political action committee Americans for Prosperity.

Tim McVey

McVey believes that the southern portion of Indianapolis is getting the short end of the stick on infrastructure funding, public transportation and zoning decisions, which are controlled by the Democrat-controlled city government. If elected, he would work to pass legislation that uplifts his community.

Specifically, McVey would like to see more diversification of the tax base. He said that housing developments are springing up throughout the district, replacing farmland and locations marked for future commercial development. Residential developments are taxed at a lower rate, and McVey is concerned that the population is growing more quickly than the local revenue can support.

Through his work in schools as both a part-time school bus driver and a volunteer basketball coach, McVey sees he impact an increase in residents can have on education.

“Eventually we’re gonna get to a point, if we’re not there already, where our school system is not going to be able to afford us,” he told IBJ.

McVey is also a court appointed special advocate, or CASA, for children in need of services cases.

If elected, he also would support school choice and the Second Amendment.

David Waters

While the other candidates jumped into the race in part because there was no incumbent, Waters faced Speedy in the 2022 primary, where he lost by a 64% margin. He also ran for Indianapolis City-County Council last year against incumbent Republican Minority Leader Brian Mowery. He lost that primary by 54o votes.

He’s focused on property taxes, medical liberty and election security.

If elected, Waters would advocate for reform at the Legislature and in Indiana’s voting process. He believes rather than legislative leaders choosing committee chairs, that decision should be left to committee members. At the ballot box, Waters wants to see a return to paper ballots and precinct-based polling locations. In Marion County, voters can vote anywhere in the county at the nearly 200 vote centers.

Waters also shares concerns with McVey about Franklin Township’s growth, noting it needs more infrastructure funding. He would advocate for higher standards in road repair efforts.

“The roads down here aren’t designed to carry the traffic load that they’re seeing, they are literally crumbling,” Waters said.

Other Indianapolis races

In a few Democratic-leaning districts, incumbents are facing primary challengers.

House District 95: Incumbent State Rep. John Bartlett, who was first elected in 2008, will face Autumn Carter. Carter is an alum of Democratic training program Hoosier Women Forward and works as a project assistant for Marion County Health and Hospital Corp., along with being an author and public speaker. Bartlett is the parliamentarian of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus and has co-authored successful legislation on human trafficking and public health. He’s never faced a significant challenge in the primary.

There is no Republican candidate for the seat, but the GOP has until July 3 to fill the ballot vacancy.

House District 97: Democratic State Rep. Justin Moed will face 23-year-old Sarah Shydale. Shydale is an IUPUI student and, if elected, would be the state’s first transgender lawmaker. Moed led a push to create a funding mechanism for Indianapolis’ planned low-barrier shelter and authored a law preventing Indiana’s prisons from releasing inmates into areas they aren’t from in an effort to mitigate homeless shelter overcrowding.

The winner of the primary will face Republican candidate Stephen Whitmer and Libertarian Mark Renholzberger.

Senate District 35: In one Republican-led district, a fringe lawmaker faces a well-equipped challenger. Incumbent Republican Sen. Mike Young will face Phillip Clay. Young made headlines during the 2o22 special session of the Legislature because of his decision to leave the Republican caucus. Young resigned from the caucus amid disagreements with his colleagues about including exceptions for incest and the life of the mother in Indiana’s abortion law.

Clay is president of the Plainfield Redevelopment Commission and the co-founder of an organization that aims to help minority men in the workforce. He’s also a member of a research organization that aims to provide perspectives from Black conservatives. In 2022, he graduated from the second class of the Indiana Republican Diversity Leadership Series.

There is no Democrat running for the seat, but the party has until July 3 to fill the vacancy.