In late May, Southern Indiana Democrats met to select a new representative for House District 71. Two weeks earlier, Democrat Rita Fleming had announced her immediate retirement, soon after running unopposed in the primary.
The group confirmed Wendy Dant Chesser — a longtime business leader in Southern Indiana – to fill the remainder of Fleming’s term, which ends this year. Fleming endorsed the first-time candidate, who was also selected to take her place in the general election.
Dant Chesser is hoping to keep that seat — one that’s long been held by Democrats even as Republicans have held a majority in statewide seats.
But she isn’t a shoe-in. Libertarian Greg Hertzsch and Republican Scott Hawkins are also vying for the seat. Hawkins narrowly lost to Fleming in 2022, after election night results showed him with a 35-vote lead.
Dant Chesser said she wants to build on the foundation built by Fleming, and before her Democratic Rep. Steve Stemler.
“They stood up for what they believed in, and they stood up for the people of their district,” Dant Chesser said. “That is really what I would hope to be my legacy as well.”
She said she supports education and workforce development, quality health care and child care options, and government accountability.
She said access to child care is one of the biggest issues the state faces right now and that state government leaders need to look at solutions to help fill the gap. She said leaders also need to look to the future to see what the needs will be for senior care.
Dant Chesser is now the Chief Director of Corporate Strategy and External Affairs at River Ridge Development Authority. Before that, she was president and CEO at One Southern Indiana for more than a decade.
In her months in the district seat, Dant Chesser has started on preliminary legislation for the upcoming session. One is a bill that would allow seniors to switch Medicaid coverage within 60 days of their birthday without underwriting.
She also recently announced a government ethics legislation package in the wake of the conviction of Jamey Noel, former Clark County sheriff and head of a nonprofit emergency services company.
Hawkins has taught at Jeffersonville High School for nearly three decades, and has coached youth and high school sports teams over that time, according to his campaign website. He is in his third term on the Jeffersonville City Council, and serves as president of the Jeffersonville Economic Redevelopment Commission.
He said on his campaign page he brings leadership experience that will help Clarksville and Jeffersonville get support from the state to realize local potential.
“Both communities need a partner in Indianapolis who understands how our municipalities are transforming and how the state of Indiana can help... or stay out of the way,” it reads.
He said the district needs a leader who reflects community values and who will uphold its fiscally conservative principles.
Hawkins didn’t participate in this story. But he did submit information for the Southern Indiana Voter Guide from LPM News.
In that, he said he wants to cap property taxes for older residents and strengthen teacher recruitment and retention. He wants to support skilled trades in schools and give residents tools to challenge RiverLink, which tolls bridges.
Hertzsch works at marketing company Vivid Impact, LLC. He serves as a region alternate on the Libertarian Party National Committee. He previously ran for Clarksville Town Council and Clark County Council.
Hetzsch said he’s running on core principles of transparency and fiscal responsibility.
Hertzsch said he echoes a lot of the platform of Indiana Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Donald Rainwater. That includes his take on property taxes — Hertzsch supports a plan that would limit those taxes for people who owned their home a long time.
Hertzsch said the best way to keep up the growth momentum Southern Indiana has seen in recent years is to rely on the free market.
In interviews for this story, both Hertzsch and Dant Chesser discussed the revamp of Indiana high school diplomas requirements.
Hertzsch said so far, he likes what he sees in the proposed changes, and thinks it provides more flexibility. Dant Chesser hosted a town hall on the topic in August. She said even with the current proposal, there are still unanswered questions like how school counselors will manage the changes.
All three candidates talked about concerns with RiverLink. And they have other overlapping priorities – strong education, support for seniors and quality of life across Southern Indiana.
But the philosophy that will drive that change will depend on who gets elected.
Election Day is Nov. 5, and early voting is underway in Indiana. Learn more about other candidates on ballots on Clark and Floyd Counties with LPM’s Southern Indiana Voter Guide.
Clarification: This story has been updated to clarify the outcome of the District 71 race in 2022.
Coverage of Southern Indiana is funded, in part, by Samtec Inc., the Hazel & Walter T. Bales Foundation, and the Caesars Foundation of Floyd County.
