A collection of Curt Nisly campaign signs are seen along Center Street in Warsaw last week. InkFreeNews photo by Dan Spalding.

By Dan Spalding
InkFreeNews

WARSAW – If Curt Nisly wins Tuesday, May 3, in the Republican Primary for State District 22, it will be without the support of most elected Republican colleagues in the General Assembly.

In recent weeks, it’s become clear the Republican leadership in Indianapolis and some Republican leaders in north central Indiana have turned on Nisly, in doing so, throwing a large amount of campaign money and other support toward State Rep. Craig Snow’s campaign.

Nisly and Snow are seeking to win Tuesday’s Republican primary in the redrawn District 22.

Curt Nisly

Nisly has served as the District 22 representative for eight years and perfected a reputation as an ardent supporter of gun rights and an end to abortion, but very little beyond those hot topic issues.

In four previous elections, the 49-year-old who lives outside of Milford has cruised to victory with the closest battle coming two years ago when Republican Bill Dixon challenged Nisly and won 40 percent of the vote.

But the political landscape – with its epicenter in Indianapolis – appears to have shifted against Nisly.

Nisly has prided himself on going against leadership and instead relying on constituents. He was one of the first Republicans to criticize Gov. Eric Holcomb’s handling of the shutdown and continues to lobby to remove the governor’s emergency powers.

Nisly’s lack of willingness to work with Republican leaders in Indianapolis has stymied all of his major legislative efforts. In recent years, none of his bills have even received a committee hearing, and Nisly no longer caucuses with his Republican colleagues.

When it came to redistricting, Republican leaders reshaped the district to include Snow, who is finishing his first term as a state representative for District 18.

District 22 was one of five districts in the state in which Republican incumbents were shifted into the same district. But Nisly is the only incumbent lawmaker who is running and pitted against another incumbent Republican. The other four either had announced their retirement or had died.

After redistricting Republicans began pouring money into Snow’s campaign, the Indiana House Republican Campaign Committee provided Snow with more than $200,000 – a rare move in local Republican politics.

Craig Snow

Former State Rep. David Wolkins, who served as a mentor to Nisly, (but admittedly gave up trying), has become an outspoken critic of Nisly.

While Wolkins rarely comments on letters, he recently did so in an InkFreeNews letter to the editor that suggested money from House Republicans was a “slush fund” for the “Indy establishment.”

Wolkins, in his comment, pointed out that Nisly routinely complains about “The Swamp.”  Republicans, he said, decided to spend it on lawmakers “they respect and can work with.”

“Rep. Snow has the respect of his colleagues and they will support him in solving local issues he brings to them,” he wrote.

Wolkins also took offense to the swamp reference. “Who are they? They are the 68 other Republican reps from such places as Avilla, Middlebury, Jasonville, Decatur and a couple actually from Indy,” Wolkins wrote.

The fallout with leadership was also apparent last month during an online legislative update sponsored by the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce. But only two of four lawmakers who were invited attended.

Nisly did not attend either legislative update this year. He said he was unaware of the first one and chose not to attend the second one because of work commitments.

During the online event, lawmakers were asked to highlight their legislative accomplishments. Snow, along with State Rep. Ryan Mishler, both offered a quick summary.

Moderator Rob Parker, the CEO of the chamber, checked again to see if Nisly was online.

In his absence, Parker asked Mishler if he was aware of any legislation authored by Nisly. None that I know, Mishler said.

Parker also noted that he was disappointed Nisly did not participate.

Nisly on Monday, May 2 had little to say about his apparent falling out with Republican leadership.

“I have stood with the people of the district from the beginning and I still stand with the people in the district,” Nisly said.

Asked again about the issue, Nisly added, “The only ones that matter are the Republicans in my district. We’ll find out tomorrow what the Republicans in the district think.”

Snow, who said he was in Indianapolis discussing US 30 on Monday, May 2, was asked about the financial support he’s received from Republican leadership.

“I didn’t ask for support. I didn’t lobby for it. I worked hard (in Indianapolis) for a couple of years I was here, building relationships. Maybe that’s why they’re supporting me,” Snow said.

Campaign ads for both candidates are also a bit of a contrast. Nisly and Snow both repeatedly highlighted their support for gun rights and an end to abortion.

Nisly, though, also focused on national issues. One video on his campaign Facebook page shows clips of rioters. In one instance, Nisly references radical liberals in Washington and Indianapolis and then shows photos of Snow alongside US Reps. Nancy Pelosi and Alexandria Ocasio Cortez.

Asked about the video, Kosciusko County Republican Chair Mike Ragan said he had not seen it, but added that Snow is far from being liberal and that such a suggestion is a “stretch.”

Snow, 53, laughed off the video and said he likes the fact he looks much younger than Pelosi.

State Rep. Craig Snow is pictured alongside Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (L) and Nancy Pelosi in a video appearing on Craig Nisly’s campaign Facebook page.