Indiana governor begins process of filling Walorski seat

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) on Tuesday scheduled a special election to replace Rep. Jackie Walorski (R), who died in a car crash last week, that will coincide with November’s midterm elections.

The winner of the special election is expected to take office quickly after Nov. 8 but will only serve for a matter of weeks until the end of Walorski’s term, which concludes on Jan. 3, 2023. 

Walorski, who had served in the House since 2013, died in a car accident last Wednesday while traveling with two of her aides, both of whom also passed away in the crash.

A simultaneous election for Indiana’s 2nd Congressional District will be held in November to fill the seat for the next two-year term, but not all voters will see both races on their ballots.

Redistricting takes effect when the new Congress is seated in January, so voters currently in the 2nd Congressional District will vote in the special election, while voters living in the district under the new map will decide who to seat for the forthcoming full term that begins on Jan. 3.

Voters in Elkhart, Fulton, Marshall, Miami, Pulaski, St. Joseph, Starke and Wabash counties will see both elections on the ballot, according to a fact sheet shared by the governor’s office.

But voters in portions of Cass, LaPorte, and Kosciusko counties were moved under redistricting, and their ballots will include a variety of different race combinations.

Indiana law provides that the state chair of each major political party calls a caucus of the precinct committeemen in the district to determine the nominees for the special election.

Parties must file their nominees with the state’s election department by noon on Aug. 26.