GOP has hot contest for Evansville mayor — and not much else

EVANSVILLE — Ben Trockman has caught some political breaks, and he knows it.

A Democrat representing a Republican ward on the Evansville City Council, Trockman could be a target in this year's municipal election on that basis alone. His attention is divided at the moment, too: He's chairing Democratic candidate Stephanie Terry's campaign for mayor.

But Republicans haven't found even one candidate willing to run against Trockman in November, in a ward so Republican that Democrats didn't even try to elect a councilman there for 16 years before Trockman won in 2019.

More:FOP puts support behind Cheryl Musgrave in Evansville mayoral race

That's not the GOP's only candidate recruitment failure so far. Ten Republicans stood for City Council's six ward and three at-large seats in party primary elections in May 2019. This year's pre-primary candidacy filing deadline passed on Feb. 3, and just four Republicans have stepped forward. Democratic recruitment is down too, from 12 to eight — but it is Republicans who are leaving several ward seats uncontested.

What happened?

"We’ve talked to several people, and people are just not really interested in putting in the time or the effort (to run for City Council)," said Vanderburgh County GOP chairman Mike Duckworth. “One guy approached me before our Lincoln Day dinner (on March 2), and I haven’t heard from him since."

Duckworth addressed persistent rumors that Republicans will fill ballot vacancies in the First Ward — Trockman's seat — and in the Third Ward represented by Democrat Zac Heronemus. By state law, vacancies can be filled in precinct committee caucuses before the June 30 deadline for candidates to declare.

"No one has asked me to consider them or to run, so I don’t have any plans for any (caucuses) at this point," Duckworth said.

Heronemus could be defeated "if we had the right person," the GOP chairman said. But they don't.

"I’ve just not been approached," Duckworth said.

More:Mayor seeks funds for one Republican candidate, says another would be 'terrible' for city

'A rift in the party'

Republican at-large Councilman Jonathan Weaver, a former Democrat who three times has been elected citywide, said the GOP's high-profile primary election for mayor is sucking all the oxygen out of the room.

The intraparty contest pits County Commissioner Cheryl Musgrave against Natalie Rascher, senior talent acquisition advisor at Clifton Larson Allen. Rascher has the support of Musgrave's longtime intraparty rival, Mayor Lloyd Winnecke. Musgrave, a veteran politician herself, was endorsed last week by Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 73.

Weaver has actively tried to recruit City Council candidates, discussing it with one Republican in the Third Ward and one in the First Ward. But neither has taken the plunge yet.

"This primary for mayor has put a rift in the party and has caused a little distraction in recruiting council candidates," said Weaver, a Musgrave supporter. "But I would think after the primary, that hopefully the rift will close up."

Weaver maintains hope also that the individuals with whom he spoke, or other Republicans, will step up to fill ballot vacancies. The part-time City Council job pays about $20,000 annually plus benefits.

GOP chair Duckworth has said he won't support Musgrave in the mayoral primary, citing her decision to support Democrat Jeff Hatfield against him in a narrowly decided race for a Board of Commissioners seat in 2018.

Just how Republican are pivotal City Council wards?

It is an axiom of political science that baseline party loyalty can be measured in statewide races for Indiana treasurer, secretary of state and state auditor, when voters likely lack familiarity with the candidates and the offices themselves are low-profile. In such circumstances voters typically have only the candidates' partisan identification to use as a voting cue.

A Courier & Press analysis of the 2022 races for auditor and treasurer showed there is more than enough baseline Republican support in Trockman's mostly East Side ward for a viable GOP candidate to defeat him. The Third Ward, neighboring to the west and represented by Democrat Heronemus — and cited by GOP chair Duckworth — showed less support for Republicans, but enough to mark the ward as politically competitive.

The Courier & Press analysis excluded the race for Indiana secretary of state, which did generate media coverage of controversies surrounding eventual winner Diego Morales. The analysis also accounted for changes to the city's voting map as a result of redistricting of City Council wards in October.

In the new version of Democrat Trockman's First Ward, Republican incumbent State Auditor Tera Klutz defeated Democratic challenger ZeNai Brooks and Libertarian John Schick with 55% of the vote. Brooks got 43% of votes and Schick received 2%.

In the race for state treasurer, Republican Daniel Elliott defeated Democrat Jessica McClellan in the newly constituted First Ward by a 54-46% margin. Republicans also won the battle of straight-ticket voters, winning 1,515 compared to 1,205 for Democrats and 14 for Libertarians.

In the redrawn Third Ward, Democrats Brooks and McClellan won. Brooks received 50% of votes compared to Republican Klutz's 47% and Libertarian Schick's 3%. McClellan defeated Republican Elliott by a 53-47% margin. Democratic straight ticket voters outnumbered Republicans by 1,359 to 1,224 with 12 going to Libertarians.

Trockman knows strong support for Republicans in his ward potentially makes him vulnerable in the Nov. 7 general election. He acknowledged he tracks the rumors that Republicans will caucus in an opponent.

"I thought they were and then I thought they weren't and then I thought, 'You know, I'm just not going to pay attention and wait until somebody tells me otherwise,'" he said with a chuckle.

Trockman, son of Vanderburgh Superior Court Judge Wayne Trockman and project manager at Change For Balance, was considered a prized recruit for local Democrats when he decided to run for City Council in 2019. He suffered a broken neck and spinal cord injury during a March 2006 motocross race in Poole, Kentucky. He was 17 at the time.

Ben Trockman's widely publicized injury galvanized many Evansville residents, who responded with benefits, memorials and other expressions of support.

If Republicans do caucus in a challenger for him, Trockman said, he will counter support for the GOP in his ward with his own singular political base. In 2019, he defeated Republican Tim O'Brien by a 53-47% margin.

"I've just been lucky to have lived in this area for a long time and have a lot of friends and know a good amount of people around this area, and they aren't afraid to reach out to me if they need or want something," he said.

Trockman acknowledged that heading up presumptive Democratic mayoral nominee Terry's citywide campaign will be easier if he doesn't have to worry about his own re-election.

"There's still a little bit of insecurity as to what might happen, but it certainly makes it a little less stressful that I don't have to run my own campaign currently," he said.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: GOP has hot contest for Evansville mayor — and not much else