POLITICS

Hogsett, Brewer to face off in November

Brian Eason
brian.eason@indystar.com
Indianapolis mayoral candidates Joe Hogsett (left) and Chuck Brewer.

And now the real campaign begins.

Restaurateur Chuck Brewer and former U.S. attorney Joe Hogsett dispatched their challengers with ease in a low-turnout Indianapolis' mayoral primary on Tuesday, setting the stage for a match-up that has seemed inevitable for months.

Brewer won the Republican nomination with 77 percent of votes cast; Hogsett secured the Democratic nod with 89 percent.

And neither one had to deplete their substantial war chests to do it.

At separate victory parties, the two candidates talked public safety and economic development — which, along with infrastructure, figure to loom large in the November election.

Hogsett addressed supporters at the Madame Walker Theatre, an icon of African American culture.

"Friends, the challenges we face are daunting," Hogsett said. "A rising tide of violent crime that, as federal prosecutor, I saw first hand. One-third of children in Indianapolis living in poverty; struggling schools; some neighborhoods that feel left behind, others that feel completely forgotten."

Blocks away at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Downtown, Brewer paid tribute to his Republican predecessor, Mayor Greg Ballard, before stressing that "we can't take our foot off the gas."

He spoke of the importance of quality of life amenities, such as the bike lanes and trails that have become a hallmark of Ballard's legacy. But, he said, his top priorities will be crime, jobs and education.

"We have to be a city that people want to live in and not just commute to," Brewer said. "And our core responsibility is to do all we can to ensure the safety of our residents and all those who visit our city."

The make-up of the electorate, political analysts agree, favors Hogsett. Today, Marion County is as Democratic as it's been in recent memory. Last November, Republicans lost countywide races for prosecutor, sheriff and clerk by margins as wide as 22 percentage points.

Couple that with Hogsett's substantial cash advantage and existing name recognition, and a Brewer victory would go down as an upset — something he referenced early and often in a speech to supporters Tuesday night.

"The experts like to talk about who has the most money in their campaign, and no, that's not me," Brewer said. "But I'm not afraid of a tough challenge."

Brewer is an Iraq War veteran, who served 23 years in the U.S. Marine Corps. He owns a pair of restaurants off Monument Circle, and is mounting his first ever run for political office.

In Hogsett, he faces a seasoned candidate, whose political resume includes three failed bids for office alongside a victorious run for secretary of state in 1990. He also served four years as federal prosecutor, a President Barack Obama appointee. But he pledged not to take the race lightly.

"Tonight, I pledge to spend the next six months earning the support of the residents of this city," he said. "And we will earn this support by taking no person and no part of this city for granted."

To date, neither candidate has unveiled much in the way of policy details. Hogsett unveiled a summer jobs program for teens in April, but otherwise, both have kept their plans close to the vest. Neither candidate even has a policy platform on their respective campaign websites.

The conventional thinking was they didn't need to do much in the way of campaigning. And primary voters dutifully obliged, choosing the two frontrunners over a hodgepodge field to represent their interests in the November general election.

With all precincts reporting, Hogsett defeated Larry Vaughn, a community activist, 23,920 votes to 3,033. Brewer had 13,631 votes, to second-place Jocelyn-Tandy Adande's 1,682. Terry Michael had 1,302, Larry Shouse had 594 and Darrell Morris had 586 to round out the GOP field.

Turnout was dismal. Just 7.4 percent of registered voters cast ballots in Marion County, the lowest mark in an Indianapolis municipal election since the 2007 primary's 6.5 percent.

Call Star reporter Brian Eason at (317) 444-6129. Follow him on Twitter: @brianeason.