GOP local ballot challenges: One candidate booted, one stays
Challenges include effort to remove a state teachers union leader’s bid to be delegate to Republican state convention. Plus, preparing to say goodbye to WL’s ‘Kissing Tree.’ And more
Some this and that in a midweek, evening edition …
ELECTION BOARD DECIDES CANDIDATE CHALLENGES, SETS VOTE CENTER ON PRIMARY DAY AT PURDUE
Here are a few takeaways from a Wednesday session for the Tippecanoe County Election Board:
Candidate challenge, No. 1: Jaime Ortiz, who had filed to run as a Republican for a seat on the Tippecanoe County Council, was removed from the May 5 primary ballot after a successful challenge of his candidacy by the party.
Ortiz filed to run for Tippecanoe County Council’s District 3 seat, which also drew Republican Lynn Beck, who is in his third term as Lauramie Township trustee. But Ortiz was challenged by Tracy Brown, Tippecanoe County Republican Party chair, because he’d run as a Libertarian in the past two election cycles – in 2024 for county commissioner and in 2022 for a county council seat.
Ortiz told the Election Board on Wednesday that he expected the challenge. Ortiz, who had voted in Republican primaries, said he questioned a system that allowed a party to exclude some candidates, acting as a private entity, while relying on public, tax-paid primaries to decide which candidates would be nominated for the general election.
The Election Board accepted the challenge, backed by a Fourth District Congressional Committee recommendation, removing Ortiz from the ballot. Brown said the exclusion would last for this one election cycle and that Ortiz would be open to file as a Republican candidate in elections beyond 2026.
Ortiz, who has challenged the county council’s spending that he contends doesn’t stick to small government principles, said he did not plan to refile for the 2026 general election as a Libertarian and would aim to run another time as a Republican.
Candidate challenge, No. 2: Jennifer Smith-Margraf, running as a delegate to the state Republican convention, was allowed to remain on the May primary ballot after an unsuccessful challenge of her standing with the party.
The challenge came from Joe Daubenmier, a Republican also running to be a delegate to the state convention – a slot that includes a direct say in statewide party leadership and nominations of several state level offices, including Secretary of State. (In 2024, the push to win delegate seats played a key role in the campaign and victory by Micah Beckwith for the lieutenant governor nomination.)
Smith-Margraf, a Lafayette teacher, has run five times on the Republican ticket to be a delegate, winning three times.
The complaint was that despite a primary voting record of pulling Republican ballots, Smith-Margraf had posted social media support and canvassed for Jennifer McCormick, a former Republican state superintendent for public instruction who ran an unsuccessful campaign as the Democratic nominee for governor in 2024. The complaint also pointed to Smith-Margraf’s role as president of the Indiana State Teachers Association, a union that Cindy Pratt – a Tippecanoe County Republican who testified before the Election Board Wednesday – said spent an overwhelming amount of its money on Democratic candidates.
The Fourth District Congressional Committee held a hearing earlier in the week and recommended against removing Smith-Margraf from the ticket, despite that it “does not condone supporting Democratic candidates against Republicans,” according to documents presented during Wednesday’s hearing.
Pratt told the Election Board that Daubenmier had filed an appeal.
“I think we ought to look at the intent of the law. The intent, I believe, is that Republicans in good standing represent Republicans at our state convention,” Pratt said. “And I think it shows clearly that they agreed yesterday that there are concerns that she is not a Republican in good standing.”
The Election Board voted 3-0 to keep Smith-Margraf on the ballot, understanding that the party could still decide whether to seat her as a delegate for the state convention in the summer.
Smith-Margraf said she wasn’t aware of an appeal. But after the meeting she said she thought the Indiana Republican Party should be “a big tent” that allowed voters to decide who should represent them at the state convention.
Candidates on the ballots: For a look at who is on Tippecanoe County primary ballots, here are links to Democratic candidates and Republican candidates.
Vote centers and early polling sites: Early voting ahead of the May 5 primary will start April 7 and run through May 4. For a list of sites and dates, if you’re really into planning, here’s a link.
Primary Election Day will include 15 vote centers approved Wednesday by the Election Board, including:
In Lafayette: Tippecanoe County Fairgrounds, Lafayette Community Church of the Nazarene, The Grove Covenant Church, the Tippecanoe County Historical Association History Center, Wea Ridge Baptist Church, Eastside Assembly of God and Northend Community Center.
In West Lafayette: Faith West Community Center, Córdova Recreation Center at Purdue, Connection Point Church, John Dennis Wellness Center and Tippecanoe Township Fire Station No. 2.
Outside Lafayette/West Lafayette: Shadeland Town Hall, Battle Ground Fire Station and Dayton Gathering Point Church.
The lone change from the most recent election in November 2024 is the addition of the Córdova Recreation Center, instead of West Lafayette City Hall. The lack of a vote center on campus caused protest that prompted promises from Purdue and county elections officials to remedy the issue in 2026. The Co-Rec also will host a day of early voting from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. April 21.
Voter registration deadline: … is April 8 to be eligible to vote in the May 5 primary. To register or for more details, go to the Secretary of State’s voter portal at indianavoters.in.gov or to the county’s voter registration page.
In other election challenge news: … there’s this one heard Wednesday in Indianapolis by the Indiana Election Commission, featuring a pair of candidates with the same last name of Wilson running in the Republican primary in the Terre Haute area. Via Indiana Capital Chronicle’s Tom Davies: “Alexandra Wilson is a Republican primary challenger to state Sen. Greg Goode. So is Brenda Wilson, whom President Donald Trump endorsed last month because of Goode’s vote against the Indiana congressional redistricting plan. The dual Wilson candidacies has a top political ally of Indiana Gov. Mike Braun calling it a “trick” by local Republicans to help Goode survive the May primary by taking votes away from Brenda Wilson, who is a Vigo County Council member.” Here’s more: “Dual Wilson candidates tangle Trump-backed challenge to Republican senator. A top ally to Gov. Mike Braun calls situation a “trick” as Election Commission deadlock keeps candidate on primary ballot.”
KISS IT GOODBYE: FAREWELL PLANNED FOR WEST LAFAYETTE’S ‘KISSING TREE’
West Lafayette has been prepping those who live near or travel down Grant Street for the removal of what city leaders have dubbed “The Kissing Tree” just up the hill from West Lafayette Jr./Sr. High School. (The legend has it that former Mayor John Dennis said he had his first kiss at the oak and the lore stuck.)
“Unfortunately, we have tried for years and years to keep it in its incredible shape where it is, but between the landowner and the city, we’ve determined that for safety reasons, it will need to come down,” West Lafayette Mayor Erin Easter said.
The tree, sitting in city right of way near the corner of Grant and Forest Hill Drive, has pushed a gaping bulge into a retaining wall along the sidewalk. Easter said that beyond a danger of limbs falling, the tree poses problems with meeting Americans with Disabilities Act standards.
The city has plans to bring the tree down during West Lafayette schools’ spring break, which is the week of March 16-21. The city plans to install a plaque at the site to commemorate it as the site of The Kissing Tree. West Lafayette Parks plans to plant 126 trees citywide in 2026, designating one of them in honor of the oak coming down.
The city also is planning an event from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Monday, March 9, where a photographer will be stationed for anyone wanting to commemorate one last kiss under the tree.
THIS AND THAT/OTHER READS …
A public memorial for Jesse Moore, a community leader who was past president of Greater Lafayette’s Indiana Black Expo chapter and Purdue’s first director of supplier diversity, will be at noon Saturday, Feb. 28, at the Purdue Memorial Union’s East-West Faculty Lounge on campus. Moore died Jan. 29, at age 78. J&C reporter Elijiah Greene had this tribute from friends and family who recount Moore’s role in the community as a mentor, a friend and, as Monica Keyes, Greater Lafayette Black Expo chapter president, put it, “a true legend.” Read more here: “Community to honor the late Jesse Moore.”
A new group is looking to raise money to buy a building first opened on South Seventh Street in 1867 as home to the Jewish congregation Ahavath Achim. Considered the oldest synagogue in Indiana, the building across the street from the Tippecanoe County Public Library was once home to Temple Israel, the Unitarian Universalist Church and eventually a martial arts studio. J&C reporter Jillian Ellison has a look at those behind Ahavas Achim Cultural Center, a nonprofit founded to buy and preserve the synagogue and establish a local history center. Read the history and the work to preserve it here: “Indiana’s oldest synagogue for sale; group fights to save history.”
OTHER READS/A STATEHOUSE EDITION
How about a speed round of coverage culled from the flurry of final days of the 2026 General Assembly session?
On immigration enforcement, via IndyStar reporter Marissa Meador: “The Indiana attorney general could sue local government, hospitals, schools and colleges that attempt to restrict immigration enforcement under a bill that passed the Indiana General Assembly on Feb. 25 after hours of at-times tense debate. Senate Bill 76 would also add state-level penalties for employers who knowingly or intentionally hire unauthorized workers and require local police to hold inmates at the request of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.” Read the rest as the bill heads to Gov. Mike Braun: “Indiana immigration bill heads to the governor, strengthening partnership with ICE.”
On homeless camps, from IndyStar reporter Jordan Smith: “The Indiana House of Representatives on Feb. 24 passed Senate Bill 285, which would make living on public land a misdemeanor punishable by up to 60 days in jail or a maximum $500 fine, with a close 53-44 vote after nearly an hour of debate. Critics ranging from social service providers to law enforcement officials say the policy will burden the state’s criminal justice system with a problem it can’t solve and create more obstacles to housing for more than 1,500 Hoosiers who live unsheltered.” Read more: “Indiana House votes to ban homeless camps. Some fear it will worsen the crisis.”
On efforts to shrink township government, via IndyStar reporter Hayleigh Colombo: “The Indiana House passed a bill by a wide margin that, if agreed to by the Senate, will result in the consolidation of hundreds of township governments across Indiana. … The version of Senate Bill 270 that passed by the House 61-35 will require mergers for townships that don’t meet certain performance criteria, such as doling out township assistance or meeting other regulatory requirements.” Read it here: “Township merger bill passes.”
On the attempt to lure the Chicago Bears to Hammond, via The Athletic’s Jon Greenburg: “The Indiana House passed Senate Bill 27 by a 95-4 floor vote Tuesday, establishing a Northwest Indiana stadium authority to issue bonds to finance, build and lease a stadium as the state continues its process to lure the Chicago Bears south to Hammond. … Lawmakers who spoke Tuesday were universally effusive about the possibilities of a stadium in Northwest Indiana, with politicians from both sides of the aisle lavishing praise on each other and on Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston (R-Fishers) for a strong, unified approach to the legislation.” Read the rest: “Indiana lawmakers vote 95-4 to advance bill to fund new Bears stadium.”
On environmental regulation rollbacks, via Indiana Capital Chronicle’s Casey Smith: “One of the most contentious votes (Tuesday) came on Senate Bill 277, an environmental policy overhaul that passed the House 53-45, with 16 Republicans joining Democrats in opposition. The proposal makes dozens of changes to Indiana’s environmental statutes, including replacing certain mandatory requirements with discretionary authority at the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. Supporters argued the measure modernizes outdated language and gives regulators flexibility. Critics, meanwhile, have warned it weakens safeguards for air and water quality.” Read more here: “Indiana House sends environmental deregulation bill back to Senate.”
On a proposed crackdown on immigrant truckers, via Indiana Capital Chronicle’s Casey Smith: “A push from Gov. Mike Braun and Republican lawmakers to tighten oversight of commercial truck drivers advanced in the Indiana Senate Monday, fueled by recent fatal crashes and a broader, ongoing debate over immigration enforcement. New language folded into House Bill 1200 would require commercial truck drivers in Indiana to prove English proficiency — and risk losing their licenses if they lack legal immigration status.” For more: “Indiana Senate adds English-language CDL testing, immigration checks to trucking bill.”
On a couple of ideas that didn’t fly, via Tom Davies at the Indiana Capital Chronicle: “Indiana hemp drug ban, early voting restrictions die at deadline.”
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Tips, story ideas? I’m at davebangert1@gmail.com.
This is in no way a comment on Dave’s reporting, but after reading through the various stories and considering legislation etc., I’m feeling like that motto of “Hoosier Hospitality” is a thing of the past.
The “Kissing Tree” definitely needs to come down. It’s too bad because it is a cool landmark. Maybe there is an opportunity to generate some revenue for a worthy cause. Donate the wood to a craftsman and create something that can be auctioned off.