This and That: A 4th District challenge looms for Rep. Baird
This and that early in the week …
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This and that early in the week …
CHALLENGE COMING FOR CONGRESSMAN JIM BAIRD IN THE 4TH DISTRICT: In 2023, state Rep. Craig Haggard, a Mooresville Republican, took a novel approach to a potential congressional run: He formed an exploratory committee, filed with the Federal Election Commission, to be a candidate in the 4th District whenever current U.S. Rep. Jim Baird decides not to run. Baird, a Greencastle Republican first elected to the 4th District seat in 2018, did, in fact, run and handily won another two-year term in a district that includes Tippecanoe and surrounding counties.
This week, Haggard indicated that he would formally announce a bid Tuesday to run for the seat, whether Baird is in the race or not. Baird has not announced his intentions, yet.
Indiana Capital Chronicle reporter Whitney Downard reported this about Haggard’s potential bid: “However, the possibility of mid-cycle redistricting could fundamentally alter the direction of any 2026 congressional campaigns — even potentially drawing Haggard’s Mooresville home out of the 4th District. Congressmen don’t technically have to live in the district they represent. … Republicans seeking to weaken the Democratic hold over the 7th Congressional District in Indianapolis may mean redrawing the boundary to include Hoosiers in the redder doughnut counties, such as Haggard’s Mooresville hometown. … In response to questions about redistricting, Haggard iterated his belief in the district’s conservative bent, saying he didn’t think there was an ‘appetite for redistricting.’ ‘Indiana is a solid Republican state, It has voted for Trump 3 times already and I think proof of Indiana being conservative is our super majority. I have been hearing from constituents and I do not believe at this time there is an appetite for redistricting in our communities. I still plan on running in the 4th regardless, where I have met with tens of thousands of voters the last two years and where I plan to represent them in Congress if I am elected,’ Haggard wrote.”
Here's more from the Indiana Capital Chronicle about Haggard and his pending run in the 4th District, including plans to announce it all Tuesday: “Haggard announces 4th congressional district campaign.”
QUESTIONS ABOUT REP. BAIRD AND FRANKING PRIVILEGES: Indianapolis Star reporters Kayla Dwyer and Brittany Carloni had a pair of looks at how U.S. Rep. Jim Baird, the Greencastle Republican who represents Indiana’s 4th District, has been using his franking privileges recently. A story posted Monday mentions questions raised by state Rep. Craig Haggard, as he lined up a 2026 primary run in the 4th District, about how Baird’s franked mailers – those paid for by public funds – have been including his son, state Rep. Beau Baird, more frequently. Beau Baird, whose Indiana House district, runs just south of Tippecanoe County, has long been rumored to be interested in the 4th District seat in Congress once his father is done. That was a frequent line from Charles Bookwalter, who challenged Baird in the 2024 primary. Haggard has picked that up. From Dwyer and Carloni’s reporting: “The perception is, and I believe it to be true, that there's a little bit of nepotism going on,” Haggard said. "And he's trying to use taxpayer money to enhance his son's chance of winning his seat.”
For more, here’s the rest: “Is Rep. Baird using taxpayer funds to prep his son for a congressional seat? An opponent thinks so.”
A companion piece from Carloni looks at just how much Indiana’s congressional delegation uses the mailing privileges covered by taxes. Baird clocked in at No. 2, among three Indiana representatives to top six figures.
Here’s more: “Indiana's U.S. House members can pay for flyers with taxpayer dollars. Here's who spent the most.”
ALSO, IF HAGGARD’S NAME SEEMS FAMILIAR LATELY …: He is the second-term state representative whose wife was allegedly targeted by a deepfake video – one that took video of her at a talent show and turned it topless – that launched allegations and an investigation into actions by the staff of Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith.
Reporter Tom LoBianco has the latest on that at his 24sight News site: “Hoosier circus atmosphere shrouds investigations of deepfake video, former Beckwith supporter: 'Feels like that office is being run by an 8th-grader.’”
OVERNIGHT SEARCH FOR 10-YEAR-OLD FINDS BOY WHO WANDERED INTO CORNFIELD: Social media posts late Sunday and early Monday were saturated with word about the search for Gabriel Hurt, a 10-year-old last seen Sunday evening walking into a cornfield near County Road 50 West, about a mile north of Harrison High School. Good news, though: After personnel from police and emergency management departments from Tippecanoe and surrounding counties search by air, with dogs and on foot, the sheriff’s office reported he’d been found around 9 a.m. Monday. J&C reporter Ron Wilkins had more details here: “Missing 10-year-old found safe 12 hours after he wandered into a cornfield.”
AI VS. FRESH TECH GRADS: Purdue wound up as the backdrop of a New York Times article this weekend looking at the job market for computer science grads in an unfolding world of artificial intelligence. Reporting by Natasha Singer led off with the experience of Manasi Mishra, a 21-year-old May Purdue grad who found a tougher market for six-figure jobs she figured were waiting when she started her studies. From the story: “‘I just graduated with a computer science degree, and the only company that has called me for an interview is Chipotle,’ Ms. Mishra said in a get-ready-with-me TikTok video this summer that has since racked up more than 147,000 views.” For more: “Goodbye, $165,000 Tech Jobs. Student Coders Seek Work at Chipotle. As companies like Amazon and Microsoft lay off workers and embrace A.I. coding tools, computer science graduates say they’re struggling to land tech jobs.”
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ICYMI: OPEN HOUSE SET WEDNESDAY FOR RAINBOW TROUT SOLAR PROJECT, AHEAD OF CRUCIAL VOTE: As crucial zoning vote approaches in two weeks, the companies hoping to build Tippecanoe County’s first utility-scale solar farm will hold a community open house from 4-7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 13, at the Convergence Center, 101 Foundry Drive in West Lafayette.
Molly Hale, director of marketing and communication for Geenex, said members of the team carrying the project dubbed Rainbow Trout will have tables set up to speak about the project during a series of events, including OutFest in downtown Lafayette on Aug. 16 and the Greater Lafayette Commerce Quarterly Development Series on Aug. 21.
Geenex and RWE Clean Energy have proposed a 120-megawatt solar project on 1,700 acres in western Tippecanoe County. Pushback from residents who live nearby has been growing since Geenex and RWE Clean Energy filed for the special exception in May for a project that covers miles of land from just north of Division Road to Jackson Highway in Montmorenci.
According to the application, property leases for the solar project would cover 1,791 acres, coming from six property owners. Of that, 1,051 acres are considered buildable and are anticipated to be used for the solar array and associated infrastructure, according to the application. The rest of the land will be used for required setbacks, buffers and environmental preservation, according to the 900-page application. The application also includes details decommissioning plans required under county zoning codes written four years ago for large-scale solar projects. Construction could start in 2026, with commercial operation starting in 2027, according to the application, with the project lasting an anticipated 35 years.
The project would include approximately 272,664 individual solar panels, according to the application. Those would be mounted on tracking systems that are about 180 feet long and can support 45 solar modules. Underground cables would lead to one of an estimated 53 inverters, which take direct current electricity generated by solar panels and convert it to alternating current electricity, which the electrical grid uses.
The key vote on Rainbow Trout was delayed earlier this summer until the Board of Zoning Appeals’ meeting Aug. 27. BZA approval on a special zoning exception would allow the solar project to move ahead, pending additional regulatory approval on drainage and other aspects coming after that.
Here’s more coverage, including maps, the county’s moratorium on other solar projects and more, leading up to that Aug. 27 hearing:
ICE CREAM SOCIAL AT THE CARETAKER’S COTTAGE: The West Lafayette Public Library Foundation will host an ice cream social fundraiser from 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 16, at the Caretaker’s Cottage, 1496 N. Salisbury St. Donations from the pay-what-you-wish event will support the 1903 cottage next to the Grand View Cemetery, which the library leases from the city as its local history center. The Bum Ditty Barn Dance Band will play on the back porch from 1-2 p.m., followed by the Wabash Valley Youth Symphony string quartet from 2-3 p.m. A raffle of tickets to area events is also planned. Attendees should bring lawn chairs or blankets for seating on the grass. The Cottage will be open for public viewing throughout the afternoon until 5 p.m., with docents on hand to discuss and answer questions about current exhibits inside. Limited parking is available in the cemetery, with more available across Salisbury Street on Highland and Carrollton streets.
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Not the challenger to Baird that I was hoping to read about. Although, to be fair, I haven't heard what he stands for. Is there an expected Democratic challenger?