By Dan Spalding
InkFreeNews

WARSAW – The number of people filing to run for Indiana’s Second District Congressional race doubled on Tuesday, Aug. 16, ahead of Wednesday’s deadline.

Ten people are now expected to participate in the Saturday, Aug. 20, dual caucuses in Mishawaka, according to the Indiana Secretary of State’s Election Division website.

The deadline was 11 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 17.

The caucus was called after the death of Jackie Walorski and three others in a car crash Aug. 3.

The newest entrants are:

• Terry Harper, of Granger
• Michael Hogberg, of Lakeville
• Scott Huffman, of Plymouth
• Michael Nidiffer, of Granger
• Scott Wise, of Columbia City

Personal backgrounds on those five were not immediately available.

They join five others – State Rep. Curt Nisly of Milford; former Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill of Elkhart; former State Rep. Christy Stutzman of Middlebury; Rudy Yakym, the former advisor to Walorski who lives in Granger; and Tiernan Kane, an attorney who lives in South Bend.

The candidates now enter a highly-compressed four-day campaign, much of which is expected to likely be done by phone as they try to line up support from more than 500 precinct committee members from across the congressional districts.

Two candidates, Yakym and Nisly, quickly established campaign websites for Saturday’s contest.

Yakym has been endorsed by Walorki’s husband.

There will be two caucuses – one to fill the existing vacancy through a special election that will be party of the Nov. 8 general election – and another to be on the ballot that will decide who represents the district for the next term, which begins in January.

Wise is the only one who resides outside of the district.

There is no legal requirement to live in the district to qualify for the special election, said J. Bradley King, the Republican co-director of the Indiana Election Division.

The caucuses will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 20, at Grissom Middle School, 13881 Kern Road, Mishawaka.