As chair of the Hamilton County Democratic Party, Jocelyn Vare spends much of her efforts focused on local politics.
But she said that job got a bit easier last month after President Joe Biden announced he would drop his reelection bid, with Vice President Kamala Harris becoming the new Democratic nominee at the top of the ticket. She said the change energized local left-leaning voters and reengaged some who had “checked out.”
“I’m not sure if it was (switching) from one candidate to another as much as from a candidate that people were familiar with to something new,” Vare said. “It’s a new kind of energy that is really infectious.”
With the change, Vare said she expects voter turnout to be higher than if Biden had remained in the race. And the increased interest is good news for local Democratic candidates, she said.
“What we see from this new excitement and awareness and involvement is this is trickling down to our local candidates,” she said. “People are like, ‘How do I get involved? How do I learn about who else is on my ballot? Because now I care a lot more about what happens in November.’”
Mario Massillamany, chair of the Hamilton County Republican Party, said Biden’s announcement didn’t change anything for local GOP candidates. He said local voters were already engaged in the November elections and remain enthusiastic about their candidate at the top of the ticket, former President Donald Trump.
“I ordered 3,000 Trump yard signs. We’ve already given out or sold over 2,000 in about 65 days,” he said. “We’re about to have our Fall Dinner, and it’ll be probably the largest event in the state of Indiana, outside of our other event, which was our Lincoln Day Dinner in the spring.”
Former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who left the Democratic Party in 2022 to become an independent, will be the featured speaker at the Oct. 1 GOP Dinner. Gabbard was a Democratic candidate for president in 2020 alongside Biden and Harris but since leaving the party has embraced more conservative positions.
Learn more about the Hamilton County Democratic Party at hamcodemsin.org. Learn more about the Hamilton County Republican Party at hamiltoncountygop.org.
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