Presidential primary election ballot finalized

The primary ballot for Indiana and Monroe County has been set, as of the filing deadline at noon Friday.

In the race for the White House, incumbent President Barack Obama is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

For the Republican Party primary, Indiana’s 46 delegates to the party convention will go to one of five candidates: Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Rick Santorum and Patricia Inez Sandifer, an Indiana resident who only submitted one signature for nomination.

Indiana law states that anyone who files with the Secretary of State’s office can be included on the ballot unless they are challenged. Sandifer and Santorum are likely to be challenged because neither had the proper number of signatures — 500 from each congressional district — to be nominated.

In the gubernatorial race, Republicans U.S. Rep. Mike Pence, R-6th District, and Jim Wallace, along with Democrat John Gregg, will be on the ballot.

For the U.S. House representative for District 9, incumbent Rep. Todd Young, R-9th District, is running unopposed for the Republican nomination, while the Democratic primary ballot lists Robert Winningham, Johnathan George and John Tilford.

The race for U.S. Senator features State Treasurer Richard Mourdock running against longtime incumbent Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., for the Republican nomination, and U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly, D-2nd District, running unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

The Indiana primary is May 8.

— Charles Scudder