Today’s Congressional Caucus Will Have 12 Candidates
Posted
David Slone-dslone@timesuniononline.com
There will be two less candidates today on the Republican caucuses ballots for the 2nd Congressional District.
After the filing period ended Wednesday, the Indiana Secretary State’s website had listed 14. However, Michael Nidiffer, Granger, and Mick Hoeflinger, Elkhart, did not file paperwork with the Republican Party’s state committee so they won’t be included on the ballot.
The Indiana Republican Party lists the 12 candidates to be on the ballot as:
• Rudolph Yakym III, Granger.
• Scott Wise, Columbia City.
• Christy Stutzman, Middlebury.
• Curt Nisly, Milford.
• Marvin Layne, South Bend.
• Daniel Koors, North Manchester.
• Tiernan Kane, South Bend.
• Scott Huffman, Plymouth.
• Michael Hogberg, Lakeville.
• Curtis Hill Jr., Elkhart.
• Terry Harper III, Granger.
• Dallas Barkman, Albion.
Beginning today at 11 a.m., the caucus will be at Grissom Middle School, 13881 Kern Road, Mishawaka.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb called for a special election last week to coincide with the November general election after the death of District 2 U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski.
Walorski, 58, Elkhart, was one of four people killed Aug. 3 in a two-vehicle accident on Ind. 19, south of Ind. 119. The other three who lost their lives in the crash were Walorski’s district director, Zachery Potts, 27, Mishawaka; her communications director, Emma Thomson, 28, Washington, D.C.; and the driver of the other vehicle, Edith Schmucker, 56, Nappanee.
The Republican caucuses are to fill the remainder of Walorski’s current term in the old District 2 and to put a Republican candidate on the November ballot for the 2023-24 term for the new District 2.
The caucuses will be presided over by Indiana Republican Party Chairman Kyle Hupfer and be conducted in accordance with Indiana Republican State Committee-approved caucus rules and procedures, according to a news release from the Republican Party. Each candidate will be given the opportunity to have an individual speak for two minutes by way of introduction and each candidate themselves will be given three minutes to speak.
Following candidate speeches, voting will then occur, beginning with the caucus to fill the ballot vacancy for the general election. Following each round of voting, if no candidate receives 50% + 1 of the votes of those eligible, present and voting, the candidate or candidates who receive the lowest number of votes will be dropped. That same process will be repeated until a candidate receives 50% + 1, making them the nominee for the general election.
Following the selection of the nominee for the general election, selection of a nominee for the special election to fill out the remainder of the vacated term will then occur. Only precinct committeemen representing the current 2nd Congressional District will be allowed to participate in this process. The same voting procedures used during the first caucus will be used during the second.
Once both nominees have been selected, Hupfer will submit a notice of nomination for each caucus to the Indiana Election Division.
A Facebook Live stream will be available at www.facebook.com/indgop for those interested in watching the caucuses, according to the news release.
