Indianapolis 2027 mayoral race could be 'open season' as Hogsett's grip fades

Indianapolis Star

25-06-2025

It's unclear if Mayor Joe Hogsett is running for reelection for a fourth term but his continued fundraising hasn't put speculation to rest.
Several potential candidates could be waiting to take over after Hogsett, including state Sen. Andrea Hunley, Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears and City-County Council President Vop Osili.
Local political observers say that the prospect of Hogsett running again has substantially dimmed due to the fallout over the harassment allegations.
The 2027 Indianapolis mayoral race is already quietly underway.
Several potential candidates waiting in the wings to take over after Mayor Joe Hogsett — like state Sen. Andrea Hunley, Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears, City-County Council President Vop Osili, among others — are weighing a run, setting up a competitive 2027 Democratic primary and general election, according to the politicians themselves or sources familiar with their thinking.
Already one candidate, Pike Township Trustee Annette Johnson, said she is planning to run.
The conversations have picked up with more vigor since Hogsett has faced calls for resignation by people who are frustrated with his handling of past sexual harassment allegations against his former chief of staff Thomas Cook, calling into question the mayor's own political future.
Mears, for example, didn't rule out the idea of running for mayor in 2027 when asked by IndyStar, and sharply criticized Hogsett's response to the harassment allegations, along with a lack of "bold leadership" to address challenges like housing and economic inequality.
"If you're fortunate to be in a position of leadership, you need to put the people you serve ahead of your own interests," Mears said. "Your focus should be on how I can help people, and not on trying to maintain power."
Mears, who stressed he was focused on serving as prosecutor and his own reelection in 2026, said Indianapolis deserves a leader who will devote "not only the financial capital but the political capital to make significant progress and improvement" on tackling root issues of crime.
"Certainly, some of the limitations of being prosecutor is we deal with a lot of the root cause issues in the criminal justice system whether it's housing or economic inequality," Mears said. "I think we have a tremendous opportunity to unify and bring people together if we focus on why we got into the job in the first place which is hopefully to try to help people."
Hunley has also more openly talked about her ambitions of late, though she's also already decided to run for reelection to Indiana Senate in 2026. She recently said that city leadership failed survivors of sexual assault and harassment.
"Indy needs undistracted leadership," she recently told local political newsletter Importantville. "And I am prayerfully, prayerfully listening, to our community's needs, and I'm keeping all future options on the table. ... We have a city leader who has failed his staff, and he's failed his people, and if he can't take care of them, how can we expect him to take care of us? How can we expect him to take care of our city?"
There are also some additional names floating in the air: state Sen. Fady Qaddoura, D-Indianapolis, who has quietly amassed a promising campaign war chest of about $400,000, said "many have asked me to consider a run" for mayor, but he was focusing on "serving the residents of Senate District 30." And former Indianapolis Public School Board member Will Pritchard told IndyStar he is considering a run. And it's unclear whether state Rep. Robin Shackleford, who challenged Hogsett back in the 2023 primary, will try again. Shackleford didn't immediately reply to a request for comment.
"This is what you'd consider open season for anyone who wants to run," Johnson said. "I don't see how (Hogsett would) be a viable candidate for 2027. We need new leadership. It's time for an African-American female."
Still, the elephant in the room continues to be the mayor's own political intentions. Hogsett has continued to fundraise this year, fueling speculation that he could run for a fourth term, which he hasn't so far put to rest.
Will Hogsett run for reelection in 2027?
Destiny Wells, a former Democratic statewide candidate who most recently mounted an unsuccessful challenge to lead the state Democratic party, said she's frustrated that Hogsett is "continuing to stretch out this conversation."
His campaign finance numbers dwarf those of the Marion County Democratic Party — Hogsett had $720,000 in the bank compared to less than $35,000 for the party at the end of 2024 — which she said is "a structural challenge that's holding Democrats back."
"The real conversation needs to be about where political power and resources are concentrated," Wells said. "Right now, much of Marion County's donor network remains tied to Mayor Hogsett, making it difficult for new Democratic leaders to emerge and grow."
Through a campaign spokesperson, Hogsett didn't answer directly when IndyStar asked whether he's decided to run again or if he's ruled it out.
"Mayor Hogsett continues to be focused on the remaining 2.5 years of this term and delivering on the promises of improved public safety, stronger infrastructure and enhanced quality of life that Indianapolis voters overwhelmingly supported in 2023," Emily Gurwitz said.
But local political observers say that the prospect of him running again has substantially dimmed due to the fallout over the harassment allegations.
"This is such easy ammunition (for an election) that supersedes partisanship," said Laura Merrifield Wilson, associate political science professor at the University of Indianapolis. "This is something that would presumably speak to both sides, and arguably speak to Democrats more that see this as a serious concern and issue. "
What remains to be seen is Hogsett's continued ability to fundraise, Merrifield Wilson said. He raised nearly $800,000 in 2024, an off-year for municipal elections. It won't be clear what he's raked in in 2025 until early next year due to the timing of campaign finance deadlines.
"He's known for being a prolific fundraiser," she said. "That matters quite a bit. If you had a strong challenge that can underscore that they're able to fundraise, that would cut him at the knees."
Then there's the question of what happens politically to people seen as Hogsett's allies, particularly Osili. He caught flak earlier this month, and separate calls for resignation, after ordering sheriffs to forcibly remove Lauren Roberts, a former campaign staffer accusing Cook of harassment and workplace abuse, from finishing her testimony at City-County Council. Two days later, he said he "failed Ms. Roberts."
Merrifield Wilson said she thinks the situation is "survivable" for Osili but puts him in a tricky position moving forward if he feels a need to put more sunlight between himself and Hogsett.
"Where does that funding go?" Wilson said. "It makes sense to go to Osili."
Could the fallout over harassment scandal help Republicans?
Indianapolis Republicans, who have been in the political wilderness in Marion County over the last decade despite their dominance in the state legislature and in statewide political offices, also see opportunity in 2027.
They've fallen short by substantial margins in each of the mayoral races since former Republican Mayor Greg Ballard 's 2011 win.
"The (Democratic) party is imploding, and Republicans can stand idly by," Merrifield Wilson said. "Hogsett has won handily, but this could be an opportunity for Republicans to mount an effective challenger there."
Most of the Council's six-member Republican caucus has so far held back on calling for Hogsett to resign. Just one member, Joshua Bain, has done so.
Still, new Marion County GOP chair Natalie Goodwin said she's eying 2027 with more optimism in light of recent events.
"Iron sharpens iron," Goodwin said. "For a city of Indy's magnitude, we have to have two strong parties pushing against each other to get the best outcomes. We're a decade in to essentially one-party rule and we're seeing the decay of what happens when there isn't an efficient challenger."
Goodwin said her job now is to find the "best candidates possible who we think can lead with integrity and do what's best to serve their constituents."
"I think the city is really hungry for a bold new vision," Goodwin said.