The field of Republicans vying for the party’s nomination for the Indiana House of Representatives district that includes the northwestern part of Jackson County shrank to two candidates Friday.
That’s when the Indiana Election Commission made the decision to uphold a residency challenge of Myra Kinser of Bloomington for the Republican nomination for the District 62 seat.
The two remaining GOP candidates on the ballot in the May 3 primary election are Dave Hall of Norman and Greg “No Bull” Knott of Bloomington. Democrats competing for that party’s nominations are Penny Githens of Bloomington and Brad Swain of Springville.
The challenge against Kinser was made by Vallonia resident Amanda Lowery, chairwoman of the Jackson County Republican Party.
Lowery told the election commission during a public hearing that state statute requires a candidate to live within the state for two years and at least one year to be eligible to run for a House seat.
She said Kinser and her husband lived in Woodland Park, Colorado, from May 2019 until at least April 16, 2021.
“During this time, they owned and operated a business in Woodland Park called Nutrition Depot,” Lowery said.
She also presented video of Kinser testifying for her husband, who was a city councilman in Woodland Park, when he was facing a recall.
In that video, Kinser said she was a resident of Woodland Park.
Kinser later told the commission she had never voted in Colorado or anywhere else and her name was never on the business, which closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Wild horses could not have dragged me away from being a native of Bloomington,” she said.
Kinser said she purchased a home in Indiana and grew up in Smithville, and there is no way she would have ever been a resident of Colorado.
She said she went back and forth between Indiana and Colorado and participated in activities in Woodland Park.
“My intent was to always return home,” she said. “I did return home often.”
Kinser also submitted her Indiana driver’s license and voting record to the commission.
Lowery said she agreed that Kinser would meet the one-year requirement if she remained in Indiana until the May 3 election but did not meet the two-year residency requirement.
The district includes Salt Creek, Pershing and Owen townships in Jackson County, all of Brown County and Bloomington, Clear Creek, Indian Creek, Perry, Polk, Salt Creek and Van Buren townships in Monroe County. It does not include the city of Bloomington, which is House District 61.