Democrats find candidate to face Rep. Sally Siegrist in House District 26 State Democrats plan caucus for June 27 to slate candidate to face Rep. Sally Siegrist in West Lafayette-centered House District 26.

Dave Bangert | Journal & Courier

LAFAYETTE, Ind. – State Democratic Party leaders on Tuesday called for a June 27 caucus to slate a vacancy in Indiana House District 26 in the November election, signaling that Chris Campbell of West Lafayette plans to run.

John Zody, chairman of the Indiana Democratic Party, said Campbell – a member of the West Lafayette Redevelopment Commission – would file her candidacy Wednesday. On Tuesday, Campbell removed her name as a candidate for the Wabash Township Board.

Democrats in House District 26 – which covers parts of West Lafayette and Lafayette – will have until 72 hours before the caucus to file for candidacy through the Indiana Election Division in the Secretary of State’s office.

Precinct committee men and women in District 26 will meet at 7 p.m. June 27 at Tippecanoe County Democratic Headquarters, 826 Main St. in Lafayette, to select the candidate who would face state Rep. Sally Siegrist, a first-term Republican, on Nov. 6.

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Campbell confirmed Tuesday that she planned to challenge Siegrist but was traveling and unavailable for further comment. Siegrist declined comment, saying she was busy at the Statehouse.

Democrats left District 26 vacant in the May primary, promising to slate a candidate by the June 30 deadline. Democrats actually had a candidate before the February filing deadline for the primary ballot. Deanna McMillan, an engineer and educator living in West Lafayette, filed and then withdrew to work on the campaign of Joe Mackey, who finished behind Tobi Beck in the 4th District congressional race. McMillan had run for the seat in 2016, losing in the primary to Vicky Woeste, who in turn lost to Siegrist.

The blank slate this deep into the election process didn’t keep Zody from telling the J&C that the state party had pegged House District 26 as one Democrats could take in November. Democrats, Zody said, would be looking to flip some districts in the General Assembly, where Republicans have 70 of the 100 seats in the Indiana House and 41 of the 50 in the Indiana Senate.

In May, Zody said the Democratic Party saw Siegrist as vulnerable.

“She’s part of the supermajority that has done things we clearly disagree with and we think there should be some changes,” Zody told the J&C.

Siegrist, back in May, said her campaign “isn’t going to be about my opponent. It’s going to be, just like last time, what I want to accomplish for my district.”

Reach Dave Bangert at 765-420-5258 or at dbangert@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @davebangert.