Election 2026: Contested local primaries, some November matchups take shape across Monroe County

The filing deadline for candidates in the May 5, 2026 primaries for the two major political parties was noon on Friday (Feb. 6). The election division spreadsheet after the final deadline included 249 candidates.

The lineup could change before the primary is held—the deadline for withdrawal is next Friday (Feb. 13).

But for now it looks like Monroe County will see a mix of crowded primaries in May and at least a couple of matchups in November’s general election. The lack of a matchup in November right now doesn’t mean there can’t be one later—if there is no primary candidate, a party can place a candidate on the ballot through an internal party process.

County government

Four county government offices feature contested Democratic Party primaries.

For county assessor, Bob Nyquist and incumbent Judith A. Sharp will face off in the Democratic Party primary. No Republican filed.

The county clerk’s race will produce both a primary and a general election contest. Democrats Tanner Dale Branham, Joe Davis and Tree Martin Lucas will compete in the primary, and the winner will face Republican Julie M. Hays in November.

Davis initially filed as a candidate in the District 2 county council race, but withdrew. That leaves the incumbent, Kate Wiltz, unchallenged in county council District 2. The other three county council races are also uncontested in the primary.

There is no incumbent in the clerk’s race, because the current Monroe County clerk, Nicole Browne, is term-limited.

For county commissioner District 1, Democrats Trent Deckard and David Henry are running in the primary with no Republican opponent filed. Incumbent Lee Jones is not seeking re-election.

And in the prosecutor’s race, Democrats Benjamin Arrington and incumbent Erika Oliphant will compete for the nomination, again with no Republican challenger.

Clear Creek Township

At the township level, Clear Creek features competition on both sides of the ballot.

For the Clear Creek Township Board, three Democrats—Joann Calabrese, Rachael Himsel and Kat Reynolds — filed for the three seats, so they will advance automatically to November’s election. Calabrese is an incumbent. Republicans will narrow a four-candidate field—Dustin Cole Dillard, R. Shannon Reed, Paul Strain and Steven E. Webb—to three nominees on May 5. Of those, Dillard is the only incumbent.

The Clear Creek Township Trustee race follows a similar pattern. Susan Luther is the lone Democrat, while Republicans Steven Hinds, Thelma Kelley Jeffries and Ty Mungle will compete in the primary. Jeffries is the incumbent. The GOP winner will meet Luther in November.

Perry Township

Perry Township has a crowded Democratic Party primary ballot. Five Democrats—Jack Davis, Jeremy Goodrich, Susie Hamilton, Jenny Olmes-Stevens and Barbara Sturbaum—are competing for three township board seats. Goodrich and Olmes-Stevens are the challengers. The other three are incumbents.

Democrats Levi Combs, Leon Gordon and Eric Petry are running for trustee. No Republicans have filed. Gordon was the pick of the Democratic Party’s caucus to serve out the term of Dan Combs, who died in early January. Levi Combs is Dan Comb’s son.

Richland Township

In Richland Township, four Republicans—Traves Conyer, Elaine Thomsen, Jay Thrasher and David Willibey—are seeking three board seats. Thrasher and Willibey are incumbents. No Democrats filed.

Indian Creek Township

In Indian Creek Township, the trustee race will see a November matchup between challenger Susan (Gus) Hingle, a Democrat, and Christopher Reynolds, the Republican incumbent.

For an independent candidate to get their name on the ballot for countywide office, a candidate has to submit signatures equal to 2% of the votes cast locally in the most recent Indiana Secretary of State race. That works out to 798 valid signatures, based on 39,884 votes cast.