Republican side of ballot filling up for May primary

A pair of incumbents and a newcomer to county politics have added their names to the May primary ballot, giving the Republican Party at least one candidate in nearly every county-level race.

The Democrat Party still awaited its first county candidate as of Monday afternoon.

Current Clerk of Courts Heather Gilbert and Sheriff Scott Stockton have each registered to seek a second term in office.

Additionally, Haywood Ware will seek the District 3 County Council seat currently held by the retiring Darrel Thomas. Ware previously ran for Greencastle mayor in 2015.

Stockton joins GOP challenger Jerrod Baugh on the ballot, making for the only contested primary race at the county level thus far.

Other Republicans set to appear on the ballot are Prosecutor Tim Bookwalter, Recorder Tracy Bridges, District 1 County Councilman Dave Fuhrman and District 4 Councilman Keith Berry, as well as Janet Brown, who is looking to replace retiring Assessor Nancy Dennis.

These filings leave only three Republican positions on the ballot yet to be filled — surveyor (incumbent David Penturf), County Commissioner District 2 (Rick Woodall) and County Council District 2 (Jill Bridgewater).

Among these incumbents, none has officially announced whether or not he or she plans to seek another term.

Although no Democrat has officially filed, Matt Cummings has announced to the Banner Graphic his intention to seek the Democrat nomination for County Council District 3.

The filing period is also open for two Cloverdale Town Council positions, as well as all township trustee and township advisory board positions. These races will be updated in a later edition of the Banner Graphic.

Among other races of local interest, Democrat Kimberly Fidler and Republicans Beau Baird and Jess Norton are seeking the District 44 state representative seat currently occupied by Jim Baird.

The elder Baird is among nine candidates seeking Indiana’s U.S. Congress Fourth District. The Republicans on the ballot include Baird, Steve Braun, Kevin Grant, James Nease and Tim Radice, while the Democrats on the ballot are Tobi Beck, Roger Day, Joseph Mackey and Veronikka Ziol.