INDIANA BUSINESS

Bartholomew County candidate slate, unopposed incumbents listed for 2026 fall election

WKKG reported on 2026-10-05 that the fall ballot includes statewide offices plus U.S. House, Indiana legislature, school board and township races, and published Bartholomew County matchups — with multiple contested local races and several incumbents running unopposed.

BUSINESSINDY BRIEFBy BusinessIndy Editorial StaffCommentsPublished October 6, 2026 at 6:56 AM EDTOriginal reporting: October 4, 2026 at 8:00 PM EDT · Brief prepared from earlier coverage

AI-generated illustration of the topic: Bartholomew County candidate slate, unopposed incumbents listed for 2026 fall election — AI illustration · Not a photograph of the reported event.

WKKG reported Oct. 5, 2026 that the fall ballot will include Indiana secretary of state, comptroller and treasurer, members of the U.S. House and the Indiana legislature, along with school board and township races. The station also listed Bartholomew County contests.

WKKG’s county-level listing names these Bartholomew matchups: county auditor (no incumbent) — Republican Vickie E. Michael vs. Democrat Kimberly Wadholm; county clerk — Republican incumbent Shari Lentz vs. Democrat Quisha Jackson; County Commissioner — incumbent Republican Carl Lienhoop vs. Democrat Grant Hale; County Council Districts 1–4 — Greg Patterson (R) vs. Lisa Crane (D); Leah Beyer (R) vs. Zack Patchett (D); Mark Gorbett (R) vs. Janae Garner-Kelly (D); Barb Hackman (R) vs. Michelle Carr (D). The report also lists county recorder (no incumbent) Debra Settle (R) vs. Nancy Merbitz (D) and county treasurer (no incumbent) Sandy Beatty (R) vs. Elizabeth Cleland (D). WKKG noted several incumbents listed with no opponent, including Superior Court 2 Judge Jon Rohde, Prosecutor Lindsey Holden, Sheriff Chris Lane and County Assessor Ginny Whipple.

WHY IT MATTERS

This WKKG release outlines which offices will appear to voters and who is running in Bartholomew County for the fall 2026 election. When a ballot includes statewide offices, seats in the U.S. House and all members of the Indiana House, it means voters will be choosing leaders across multiple levels of government at the same time. The article reports that every U.S. House seat and every Indiana House seat is on the ballot this year, so local choices sit alongside contests that shape state and federal representation.

An unopposed incumbent — described in the WKKG listing for four county officials — means voters in that particular race will not have an alternative candidate listed; those races typically proceed to the official result tally without a contested vote. Contested local races named by WKKG (auditor, clerk, commissioner, council seats, recorder and treasurer) are the specific decisions Bartholomew County voters will see on their ballots, according to the report.

Next step to watch: WKKG’s Oct. 5, 2026 report is a candidate roster; the outcome to follow will be the official vote counts and results reported after the fall election. Local voters and observers should consult county election officials or follow local news outlets for posted results and any official notices about the election timetable.

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