Local News
VanNatter outraising Clements as primary heats up
Buck, Herrell ahead of challengers in 2010 campaign fundraising
In what is expected to be a hotly contested Republican Party primary for the Indiana House District 38 seat, challenger Heath VanNatter is raising more money than incumbent Jacque Clements.
According to campaign finance reports filed with the Indiana Secretary of State’s office for 2009, VanNatter raised $22,957. Clements, of Frankfort, raised $11,823.
Clements started 2009 with cash on hand of $138 and spent $2,042 during the year. She entered 2010 with a balance of $9,923.
Her campaign received contributions of $3,075 from individuals, $1,700 from corporations and $6,150 from political action committees.
Listed as a contributor is Nikish Corp. of New York, which provided $250 to the campaign. Clements and Nikish are named in a civil lawsuit filed by Clinton County over a county contract to provide accounting software. Clements was the county auditor when the contract was awarded. The case is still pending.
VanNatter started 2009 with a cash balance of $2,469 and spent $9,181 during the year. He started the 2010 election cycle with a cash balance of $16,245.
VanNatter’s committee reported contributions of $7,100 from individuals, including $300 from Kokomo businessman Scott Pitcher and $75 from former Kokomo Mayor James Trobaugh.
The committee reported receiving $3,601 from corporations, $9,750 from political action committees and $2,455 from other organizations, which included $1,000 from the committee of former State Rep. John Smith and $250 from U.S. Rep. Dan Burton’s campaign committee.
VanNatter was selected by District 38 precinct committeemen to complete the term of Jim Buck, who filled a Senate District 21 vacancy after Jeff Drozda resigned. But the committeemen selected Clements to appear on the 2008 ballot. She went on to defeat Democrat Bob Snow that year.
No Democrat has filed to run in District 38 in the primary election.
In the race for the Senate District 21 seat, incumbent Republican Jim Buck reported $22,024 on hand at the start of the year. Democrat Chuck Sosbe reported a balance of $11.
Sosbe reported unitemized contributions of $30 and expenditures of $19.
Buck started 2009 with a cash balance of $11,799 and received $29,187 in contributions. His committee reported expenditures of $18,962, leaving a campaign war chest of $22,024.
Neither Sosbe nor Buck are being challenged in the May primary.
Incumbent Democrat Ron Herrell, seeking re-election in House District 30, reported a cash balance of $2,205 at the start of 2009, raising $7,150 and spending $3,920 during the year. He started 2010 with $5,434 for the campaign.
Herrell’s committee reported receiving no donations from individuals. The committee received $5,650 from political action committees and $250 from corporations. The report showed $1,500 in unitemized donations.
Republican Mike Karickhoff reported no contributions or expenditures in 2009 and a zero cash balance starting the year.
Karickhoff’s committee showed no activity in 2009, despite conducting a fundraising event in October at the Kokomo Country Club to announce his candidacy. Approximately 100 people attended the event.
Neither Herrell nor Karickhoff are opposed in the primary.
• Ken de la Bastide is enterprise editor of the Kokomo Tribune. Contact him at ken.delabastide@kokomotribune.com or 765-454-8590.
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