HD-70: Harrison / Clark / Floyd / Washington Counties (Safe R, Open Seat) -- Contested Primaries on Both Sides
House District 70 covers all of Harrison County and portions of Clark, Floyd, and Washington counties in far southern Indiana, along the Ohio River. Corydon -- the state's first capital -- is the Harrison County seat and the district's center of gravity. The district stretches from the rural hills and hollows of Harrison and Washington counties north into the suburban fringes of the Louisville metro area in Clark and Floyd counties. This is deep-red territory: Trump carried Harrison County with 72.5% in 2024, and the broader district has not elected a Democrat to this seat in modern memory. [1] [2]
Why the Seat Is Open
Karen Engleman (R-Georgetown) has represented HD-70 since 2016, when she succeeded Rhonda Rhoads. Before entering the legislature, Engleman served three terms as Harrison County Auditor and seven years as Crandall Town Clerk-Treasurer. She rose to become Assistant Majority Floor Leader -- a leadership position within the House Republican caucus -- and chaired the Statutory Committee on Ethics. She attended Indiana University Southeast, Bellarmine University, and Jefferson Community College. [1] [3] [4]
Engleman did not file for reelection in 2026. Her departure, after roughly a decade of service, was framed around family: she plans to spend more time with her husband, five children, and 10 grandchildren. She was honored with a formal farewell recognizing her decade of service in the Indiana House. Her consistent margins -- winning by 31 to 49 points in every general election -- underscore how safely Republican this seat is. The real competition for her successor is in the primaries. [3] [4]
Republican Primary
Scott Fluhr (R)
Scott Fluhr is a lifelong Harrison County resident from Corydon and the clear institutional favorite in this primary. He is the son of retired Corydon Central High School teachers Lawrence and Peggy Fluhr. He attended St. Joseph Catholic School, graduated from Corydon Central High School, and earned a business degree from Indiana University Bloomington. He works as a human resources analyst. [5] [6]
Fluhr's primary credential is organizational rather than electoral: he has served as Harrison County Republican Party Chairman for eighteen years. Under his leadership, he has built the county GOP into a dominant force -- every single county and township office in Harrison County is held by Republicans, and Trump received over 72% of the vote in both 2020 and 2024. He is also president of the Harrison County Parks and Recreation Board, a member of the Harrison County Tourism Board, a Knights of Columbus member, and an NRA member. He chairs the annual Harrison County Popcorn Festival Parade. [5] [6]
Fluhr has assembled an endorsement list that signals statewide Republican establishment backing. He has been endorsed by U.S. Senator Jim Banks, Attorney General Todd Rokita, State Treasurer Daniel Elliott, Harrison County Sheriff Nick Smith, and the Harrison County Commissioners. State Senator Gary Byrne (District 25) is chairing his campaign. These are not token endorsements -- Banks and Rokita represent the highest levels of Indiana Republican politics, and their backing of a county party chairman running for an open state house seat is a strong signal of institutional support. [5]
His campaign message centers on "faith, family, freedom, and hard work" and frames the race in national terms: "If we don't fight to put America first, the freedoms and life we've enjoyed won't be here for future generations." This is standard Republican primary rhetoric for a conservative Southern Indiana district, but his organizational credentials and endorsement portfolio make him the candidate to beat. [5] [6]
John Colburn (R)
John D. Colburn is a persistent challenger making his third attempt at this seat. Born in New Albany and raised in Sellersburg, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in 1989. He started Goodfella's Pizza in Henryville in 1999 and has since launched multiple business ventures. He currently owns an accounting firm in Sellersburg. He is Catholic, married to Angie for over 22 years, and has two children. [7] [8]
Colburn's electoral record is one of near-misses and withdrawals. He withdrew from the 2022 Republican primary before voting day. In 2024, he challenged incumbent Karen Engleman and lost 31.1% to 68.9% (2,741 votes to 6,084). That 2024 race did demonstrate some base of support -- just under a third of Republican primary voters preferred him over the incumbent -- but it was a decisive loss. His 2024 campaign raised $18,954 and spent $20,801. [7]
Colburn describes himself as a "Constitutional Conservative and Free Market Capitalist" and stakes out positions that are more ideologically libertarian than standard Indiana Republicanism. He advocates eliminating the state income tax in favor of a sales tax, eliminating the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and public-private partnerships, returning all education decisions to parents while abolishing the Department of Education, and opposing government mandates on vehicle power sources. He is pro-life with exceptions for self-defense situations but opposes capital punishment -- an unusual combination in Indiana Republican politics. He also advocates removing insurance companies from medical decisions, arguing that "when people motivated by profit begin making healthcare decisions for others, people will die unnecessarily." [8]
The Republican primary dynamic here is institutional vs. insurgent, but with the insurgent running from a libertarian rather than populist direction. Fluhr has the endorsements, the organizational infrastructure, and the party-building credentials. Colburn has a business background and some name recognition from prior runs, but his libertarian-inflected platform -- opposing capital punishment, criticizing crony capitalism from the right -- may not align with the instincts of Harrison County Republican primary voters. Fluhr enters as the heavy favorite.
Democratic Primary (Three-Way)
Sarah Blessing (D)
Sarah Blessing is the only candidate in this Democratic primary with prior electoral experience in HD-70, having run against Engleman in the 2024 general election and lost 26.6% to 73.4%. She was born in Louisville, Kentucky, graduated from Floyd Central High School, earned a bachelor's degree from Indiana University in 2003, and a master's degree in education from Indiana Wesleyan in 2008. She taught fifth grade for 18 years before leaving the profession. She lives in Palmyra, Indiana (Harrison County) with her husband and three children. She filed for the 2026 race on January 7 -- the earliest of any HD-70 candidate. [9] [10] [11]
Blessing's platform centers on three issues: public education funding (opposing the voucher system and education defunding), women's healthcare access (specifically reproductive autonomy -- "all medical decisions to be between the woman and her doctors"), and environmental accountability (she has pointed to Harrison County losing OBGYN services and Republicans gutting environmental regulations that allowed toxic sludge dumping in the district). At the HD-70 Democratic primary debate, she argued for single-issue bills to prevent loopholes and criticized data center development for forcing residents to subsidize infrastructure while producing few local jobs. [10] [11] [12]
Her prior run gives her name recognition within the district's Democratic electorate and an understanding of the terrain, but that electorate is small -- she received just 9,325 votes in 2024 across the entire general election. She co-founded Project Next Media and describes her motivations as rooted in concern for democratic institutions. [9] [10]
Jerry Finn (D)
Jerry Finn brings the most extensive professional resume of any candidate in either primary. He is a seventh-generation resident of an 1839 family farm and lives in Starlight, Indiana (Clark County portion of the district) with his wife Jill. They have four adult children and nine grandchildren. He served in the Indiana National Guard and as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve. He served as executive director of Catholic Youth Ministries for Harrison, Floyd, and Clark counties. He then spent 19 years as executive director of the Caesars Foundation of Floyd County, retiring in 2021. He currently serves on the Board of Advisors at Indiana University Southeast. [13] [14]
Finn's civic portfolio is deep. He has held volunteer leadership positions with the Southern Indiana Mentoring Partnership, Friends of the Town Clock Church, the Metro United Way Advisory Council, the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana, the Donors Forum of Kentuckiana, the New Albany-Floyd County Education Foundation, and the Youth Philanthropy Initiative of Indiana. This is not a list of casual memberships -- executive directorships and advisory board seats at community foundations and United Way councils reflect serious institutional civic engagement over decades. [13]
At the Democratic primary debate, Finn positioned himself as pragmatic and community-focused. He emphasized childcare costs crushing families, small business loan access, education as the defining feature of community quality, and environmental stewardship. On data centers, he offered the most nuanced position of the three Democrats: "Can support technology if done smartly with proper regulations protecting citizens." On healthcare, he argued "adequate healthcare saves money" and that "women's health not given priority it deserves." His military background and Catholic community service work distinguish him from the other two Democrats and could appeal to moderate voters in a district with a strong Catholic heritage. [12] [14]
Finn filed on January 22, 2026. No campaign finance data is publicly available as of this writing. [14]
Tamyra Persinger-Andres (D)
Tamyra Persinger-Andres grew up in New Albany and retired after 31 years as an educator in the New Albany-Floyd County School system. She is now a realtor with Ward Realty Services, working with clients in both Indiana and Kentucky. She also owns a small farm. She has two adult children. She filed on February 6, 2026 -- the last day to file and the last of the five HD-70 candidates to enter the race. [12] [15] [16]
At the Democratic primary debate, Persinger-Andres leaned into her teaching credentials and practical knowledge of the district. She noted that teachers spend $400-500 out of pocket annually on classroom supplies, cited Indiana's $50 billion state surplus as evidence that broadband gaps and infrastructure neglect in HD-70 are policy choices rather than resource constraints, and pointed to 90 data centers statewide "draining water and energy from communities." She advocated expanding Hoosier HealthWise, promoting healthy lifestyles in schools, stronger school-business partnerships, and mental health training for police. Her platform is the most centrist of the three Democrats -- she emphasized transparency, tax relief, and stronger partnerships between schools and businesses, which are frameworks that borrow from conservative language. [12]
She also serves on the Governance/Agency Council of St. Elizabeth Catholic Charities, reflecting community engagement in the Southern Indiana Catholic institutional network that is a significant social force in this district. [15]
The HD-70 Primary Dynamics
Republican primary: This is a race between an 18-year county party chairman with statewide endorsements (Fluhr) and a persistent three-time challenger with a libertarian streak (Colburn). Fluhr is the overwhelming favorite. He has the organizational infrastructure of having built the county party, the endorsements of every major state Republican officeholder, and a campaign chairman in the sitting state senator. Colburn's 31% showing against the incumbent in 2024 gives him a floor, but challenging an open seat against the party's own chairman -- the person who has been organizing Republican voters in Harrison County for nearly two decades -- is a fundamentally different proposition.
Democratic primary: This is a three-way race in a district where Democrats face 45-to-50-point general election deficits. The stakes are modest -- the winner will almost certainly lose the general election -- but the primary itself is a genuine choice. Blessing brings prior electoral experience and issue-specific passion on education and reproductive rights. Finn brings the deepest resume, the strongest civic credentials, military service, and a pragmatic temperament that could theoretically narrow the general election gap. Persinger-Andres brings 31 years of teaching, real estate knowledge, and a more centrist framing. All three found substantial common ground at the primary debate on broadband, addiction treatment, farm support, data centers, and the Ohio River.
The consensus issues among the three Democrats -- broadband access, environmental accountability, data center regulation, and rural healthcare -- reflect real concerns in HD-70 that transcend partisan lines, even if the district's voting patterns ensure a Republican will represent them.
HD-71: Jeffersonville / Clarksville / New Albany (Toss-Up) -- Contested Republican Primary
House District 71 is one of the most competitive state house districts in Indiana. It encompasses Jeffersonville and Clarksville in Clark County and a portion of New Albany in Floyd County -- all part of the Louisville, Kentucky metro area across the Ohio River. This is suburban Southern Indiana: increasingly diverse, economically tied to Louisville, and politically contested in ways that rural Southern Indiana districts are not. [17] [18]
The numbers tell the story. Trump carried this district by just 0.3 percentage points in 2024 -- making it one of only three Indiana House districts held by Democrats where Trump won. In the 2024 state house race, Democrat Wendy Dant Chesser defeated Republican Scott Hawkins 49.6% to 46.6% (with Libertarian Greg Hertzsch taking 3.9%). In 2022, Democrat Rita Fleming beat the same Scott Hawkins by an even thinner margin: 50.6% to 49.4% -- a gap of just 226 votes. Republicans have not held this seat since 1990, but the margins have tightened dramatically. As Hawkins himself observed after his 2024 loss: "The district is just very much a toss-up district and the environment matters." [17] [18] [19]
DLCC Targeting and Strategic Context
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) designated Indiana as one of its eight "Powerbuild" target states for 2026, with the specific objective of breaking the Republican House supermajority. Indiana Democrats hold 30 of 100 House seats; they need to gain four seats (reaching 34) to break the Republican supermajority threshold of 67. [20] [21] [22]
HD-71 is not among the four or five primary offensive targets the Indiana Democratic Party has identified for flipping (those tend to be suburban Hamilton County and Hendricks County seats like HD-24, HD-25, HD-39, and HD-40). Instead, HD-71 is a defensive priority -- a seat Democrats already hold that they cannot afford to lose while trying to pick up seats elsewhere. Losing HD-71 would mean needing five pickups instead of four, a substantially harder path. [21]
The Indiana Democratic Party has treated this district with appropriate seriousness. The "Break the Supermajority" tour stopped in Jeffersonville ahead of the 2024 caucus to select Dant Chesser. The district has been blue since 1990 -- over three decades -- making it one of the longest-held Democratic seats in Southern Indiana. But the Trump +0.3% presidential margin and the razor-thin 2022 and 2024 results demonstrate that holding it is no longer automatic. [17] [22]
The DLCC's $50 million 2026 budget -- the largest single-year investment in the organization's history -- includes Indiana among 42 target chambers. Whether that investment translates to direct spending in HD-71 depends on whether the seat remains genuinely at risk in the fall. [20]
Wendy Dant Chesser (D, Incumbent)
Wendy Dant Chesser is the incumbent Democrat and faces no primary opposition, allowing her to conserve resources and prepare for what will likely be a competitive general election. She grew up on Maple Street near downtown Jeffersonville, graduated from Jeffersonville High School, and earned a B.S. in Business Management from Indiana University Southeast. She received her Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) credential from the International Economic Development Council in 2010. [18] [22] [23]
Dant Chesser's career trajectory is distinctive for a state legislator. She joined Gov. Frank O'Bannon's administration in 1997 and served in various roles for seven years, ultimately becoming Executive Director of the Indiana Rural Development Council. After eight years in Michigan, she returned to Jeffersonville in 2012 to become President and CEO of One Southern Indiana (1si), the regional chamber of commerce and economic development organization for Clark and Floyd counties. During her 11-year tenure at 1si, she facilitated the economic expansion of 130 companies that committed to creating nearly 10,000 jobs and helped grow hundreds of small businesses. She was named one of North America's Top 50 Economic Developers of 2015, received the "Economic Development Professional of the Next Half-Century" award from the Indiana Economic Development Association in 2018, and was named Indiana's "Chamber of Commerce Executive of the Year" in 2016. The Indianapolis Business Journal named her one of Indiana's 250 most influential business leaders in both 2022 and 2023. [22] [23]
She left One Southern Indiana in October 2023 to become Chief Director of Corporate Strategy and External Affairs at the River Ridge Development Authority. When Rep. Rita Fleming -- a retired OB/GYN who had held the seat since 2018 -- announced her immediate retirement in May 2024 to spend more time with her family, local Democrats selected Dant Chesser through a caucus vote on May 29, 2024. She was the only candidate and was confirmed unanimously. Fleming explicitly endorsed her. She was sworn in June 4, 2024. [22] [24]
In her first general election five months later, Dant Chesser won by 3 points over Hawkins in a three-way race. She told LPM after her win: "Having been caucused in was a wonderful opportunity to finish out Dr. Fleming's term, but now that the electorate has said that I am their state representative, it's quite overwhelming and humbling." [19]
In the legislature, she serves on the Commerce, Small Business and Economic Development Committee; Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee; Insurance Committee; and Roads and Transportation Committee. Her most notable legislative accomplishment to date is authoring House Enrolled Act 1226, which creates cost-saving opportunities for seniors through "The Birthday Rule," ceremonially signed into law in August 2025. She was selected among 38 state legislators nationally for the Midwestern Leadership Institute fellowship in 2025. [23]
Her platform emphasizes attracting quality jobs, fighting for higher wages, supporting public schools, expanding affordable childcare, and anti-corruption governance. She describes herself as staying "in the center of the political spectrum" and seeking "ways to compromise and make the best policy." Her 2024 campaign raised $14,961 and spent $6,982. She earns the standard state representative salary of $33,032.24 plus a $213 daily per diem. [18] [23] [25]
Republican Primary
D.M. (Dale) Bagshaw (R)
Dale M. Bagshaw is a lifelong Floyd County resident from Georgetown. He is a high school graduate and self-employed contractor who has been married for 42 years, with four adult children, 10 grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren. He filed for the HD-71 Republican primary on February 3, 2026. [26] [27] [28]
Bagshaw's primary credential is local government experience. He was first elected to the Floyd County Council At-Large in 2016 and has served for nine years. He was reelected in 2020 and again in 2024. He also served for six years on the Clarksville Community School Board. He sits on boards for Community Action of Southern Indiana (CASI), Purdue Extension, the Farm Bureau, the local Youth Shelter, the Legacy Foundation, and Floyd County Soil and Water. [26] [27]
His policy priorities, articulated through his county council work, focus on practical service delivery: public safety and infrastructure, the judicial system (addressing the need for new courts and administrative staff), and emergency medical services planning. He views local government's primary role as "to provide services to the residents of the community -- including public safety and infrastructure." This is a nuts-and-bolts, service-delivery conservatism rather than ideological positioning. [28]
Bagshaw also ran for New Albany Township Trustee as a Republican in 2022, demonstrating a pattern of seeking elected office at the local level. His council experience gives him familiarity with budgets, constituent services, and the mechanics of governance -- practical credentials that matter in a district where voters demonstrate willingness to split tickets. [27]
James McClure Jr. (R)
James R. McClure Jr. is the more unusual candidate in this primary. His most notable feature is serial candidacy across party lines. He ran in the Democratic primary for Indiana's 9th Congressional District in 2014 (finishing third with approximately 25% of votes) and again in 2016 (receiving about 10%). He then switched to the Republican Party and attempted to run in the Republican primary for HD-71 in 2022, but withdrew or was disqualified. In 2024, he ran in the HD-71 Republican primary and was defeated overwhelmingly by Scott Hawkins, 21.8% to 78.2% (892 votes to 3,195). [29]
McClure's 2024 campaign reported minimal financial activity: $1,130 in contributions and $1,081 in expenditures. He did not complete Ballotpedia's candidate surveys in either 2022 or 2024, meaning no formal platform positions are publicly documented. His campaign presence is limited to a Facebook page and social media accounts. He filed for 2026 on January 30 -- three days before Bagshaw. [29]
The party-switching pattern -- running as a Democrat for Congress twice, then switching to Republican for state house races -- is itself noteworthy. It suggests either genuine ideological evolution or a pragmatic search for electoral viability. His 78% loss in the 2024 Republican primary indicates the party's voters did not find his candidacy compelling.
The HD-71 Primary and General Election Dynamics
Republican primary: Bagshaw is the substantially stronger candidate by any conventional measure. He has nine years of elected experience on the Floyd County Council, extensive board service, and a record of winning elections. McClure has lost every race he has entered across two parties and has demonstrated no capacity for fundraising or platform development. Unless Bagshaw's campaign collapses or a major surprise emerges, he should be expected to win the Republican nomination.
General election preview: The real question is whether the Republican nominee -- almost certainly Bagshaw -- can unseat Dant Chesser in November. The structural case for Republican competitiveness is clear: Trump won the district (barely), Hawkins came within 3 points in 2024 and 226 votes in 2022, and the national political environment in midterm years has historically been challenging for the party of the sitting president.
But Dant Chesser brings unusual strengths for a one-term incumbent. Her career in economic development -- running the regional chamber of commerce, facilitating thousands of jobs, earning national professional recognition -- gives her a policy credibility that is difficult to attack in a district where economic growth matters. She has authored legislation that became law. She has been selected for national leadership fellowships. And she has the advantage of not facing a primary, allowing her to spend the spring building resources while Republicans split their votes.
Bagshaw's service-delivery conservatism -- focused on public safety, infrastructure, courts, and EMS -- is a sensible platform for this district. He can speak to property tax concerns, judicial capacity, and emergency services from direct experience on the county council. The question is whether he can raise the money and mount the campaign infrastructure necessary to compete in what will be, by every available indicator, the most expensive and closely watched state house race in Southern Indiana.
The DLCC's interest in Indiana's supermajority adds a structural dimension. If national Democrats invest in this race, Dant Chesser will have resource advantages that local Republican candidates typically cannot match. If they focus their spending on the offensive targets in Hamilton County and elsewhere, Dant Chesser will need to rely on her own fundraising and the strength of her incumbency record. Either way, HD-71 will be one of the handful of Indiana state house races decided by hundreds rather than thousands of votes.
Why It Matters
These two districts, located roughly 30 miles apart in Southern Indiana's Ohio River corridor, illustrate the full spectrum of partisan competition in Indiana state house politics.
HD-70 is a safe Republican seat where the real contest is intra-party: an 18-year county party chairman with statewide endorsements versus a libertarian-leaning entrepreneur on the Republican side, and three Democrats with strong civic credentials competing for the right to lose the general election by 40-plus points. The Democratic primary debate revealed genuine policy convergence on broadband, environmental accountability, data centers, and rural healthcare -- issues that matter to HD-70 residents regardless of which party governs.
HD-71 is the opposite -- a genuine toss-up where the outcome will depend on candidate quality, campaign resources, and the national political environment. It is one of only three Indiana House districts where Trump won but a Democrat holds the seat, making it both a DLCC defensive priority and a Republican pickup opportunity. Dant Chesser's economic development credentials and early legislative accomplishments give her a real record to run on; the Republican nominee will need to make the case that a county councilman or serial candidate can do the job better than a nationally recognized economic developer who has already been making law.