Melinda Griesemer, Craig Haggard seek newly carved out District 57 seat

MOORESVILLE — In the race to represent Indiana's newly carved out House District 57, it's a battle between two relative political newcomers in Hoosier politics who live on opposite sides of the district.

The Indiana General Assembly approved new state legislative district maps on Oct. 1, 2021.

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District 57 is currently represented by Republican Sean Eberhart, but that will change after the 2022 general election.

While it once stretched over parts of Bartholomew, Hancock and Shelby counties, the newly redrawn district now includes portions of Johnson Hendricks counties, as well as Brown Township in Morgan County, including the nearly 10,000 residents in the town of Mooresville, which was formerly part of District 60.

The candidates

Melinda Griesemer, a Johnson County councilwoman at-large from Greenwood, officially announced her candidacy on Feb. 4, 2022. Griesemer graduated from Purdue University and went on to start her own health consulting firm, Indianapolis Medical Consulting.

She is a registered a nurse, a member of the National Rifle Association and an active member of the Mary Bryan chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, a nonprofit service organization whose members are direct descendants of people who were involved in the United States' efforts toward independence from Great Britain.

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In a press release announcing her candidacy, Griesemer laid out three of her top issues: small business support, freedom from restrictions and mandates and support for more mental health and substance abuse providers.

"I stepped into the race to run for this position because the candidates who had filed to run were not proactively out there representing my values," Griesemer recently told the Reporter-Times. "I want a state representative who is proactive for conservative values."

Craig Haggard graduated from Mooresville High School in 1987 and Hanover College in 1991. He went on to join the U.S. Marine Corps, where he fulfilled his childhood dream of flying military planes. He also became a commander at Camp Atterbury and led humanitarian missions in central Mexico.

In 2013, he retired as a lieutenant colonel and returned to his hometown of Mooresville, where he owns a storage business. He also became a field representative for the National Rifle Association.

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During his time in the military, Haggard witnessed the shutdown of state mental hospitals and the patients who were left in the lurch.

Improving mental health services in the state of Indiana has become a central issue of his campaign.

"There are people with mental health issues that should not be in our jail system," Haggard said. "But there's no facilities that are equipped to do that."

Haggard said he would also like to see less barriers and red tape for small business owners without sacrificing safety.

"I think we probably need to curb some of that regulation to get people on their feet and be entrepreneurs," he said.

While both candidates are pro-life and staunch defenders of Second Amendment rights, Griesemer considers herself the candidate that represents true, conservative values.

"We have enough placeholders in the statehouse that go along with whatever Gov. Holcomb wants," Griesemer said. "And unlike my opponent, I am not personal friends with Eric Holcomb."

Haggard says he and the governor went to college together, but they don't talk shop.

"We don't agree on everything," Haggard said. "We've never spoken politics with each other because we're friends."

Morgan County Election Information

Early voting in Morgan County continues at the Morgan County Administration Building, 180 S. Main St., Martinsville.

Voting at this location will occur Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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The county will also offer early voting from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays beginning Monday, April 18, at the Mooresville First Christian Church, 525 N. Indiana St., Mooresville.

Early voting sites will also be open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 23, and Saturday, April 30, at the county administration building, Mooresville First Christian Church and Monrovia Christian Church, 710 Gordon Rd., Monrovia.

The Martinsville and Mooresville sites will be open from 8 a.m. to noon on Monday, May 2.

The county's vote centers will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 3, and local residents are reminded they need a government-issued photo identification in order to cast their ballots.

Contact reporter Peter Blanchard at 765-346-2942 or pblanchard@reporter-times.com. Follow him on Twitter @peterlblanchard.

This article originally appeared on The Reporter Times: Melinda Griesemer, Craig Haggard run in Indiana House District 57