By Eric Berman
7/30/2010
|
| Former State Rep. Randy Borror |
For the third time since the May primary, northeast Indiana Republicans are caucusing Saturday to replace one of their nominees.
Listen:
Four candidates are running to replace Fort Wayne Representative Randy Borror, who resigned to take a lobbying job after losing a caucus for Mark Souder's congressional seat.
51 precinct leaders will pick someone to serve the final four months of Borror's term, then vote again to replace him on the ballot.
The precinct leaders are not required to pick the same candidate in both elections, but Republicans have learned from a bitter 2008 caucus at which Kokomo's Heath VanNatter was chosen to complete then-Rep. Jim Buck's term, but Frankfort's Jacque Clements won Buck's place on the ballot.
VanNatter trounced Clements in May's primary.
"I'm going to suggest to the four candidates that they acknowledge that the winner of the first election would be the person that they would unanimously agree would be the winner of the second election," says Allen County Republican Chairman Steve Shine.
Republicans successfully used that technique at the caucus to replace Souder, who resigned after admitting an affair with a staffer.
The caucus will continue until someone wins a majority. The last-place finisher will be eliminated after each round of voting.
Along with the Souder caucus, precinct leaders have had to replace Avilla Representative Matt Bell on the ballot after Bell resigned to take a job with the Northeast Indiana Chamber of Commerce. They'll have to caucus again after the November election if Howe Senator Marlin Stutzman wins Souder's seat.
Derek Pillie, director of the vacant congressional office, is one of the four candidates running to replace Borror. Also running are Allen County Commissioner Bill Brown, former Fort Wayne school board member Jon Olinger, and Fort Wayne health-food store owner Bob Morris, who lost to Stutzman in the caucus for the congressional seat.
The winner will face Democratic nominee Fort Wayne teacher Evan Smith, who was laid off after the school year.
Shine predicts the demographics of the district make it safely Republican.
» State Lawmaker Stepping Down (7-8-10)
|
«
Return to previous page
»
Send to a friend
|
|
|