Verkamp retains Circuit Court seat; Lampert named next Sheriff

Poll worker Dan Hollinden marked the end of the line at 6 p.m. at the Thyen-Clark Cultural Center Tuesday evening. Hollinden only had to turn away a couple of people who showed up late. **Photos by Matthew Crane.**

Dubois County voters returned Circuit Court Judge Nathan Verkamp to the bench Tuesday, giving the Democrat a win over Republican challenger Brian Lucchi.

Verkamp was the only Democrat to win a contested countywide race. Republicans carried the sheriff, recorder and both contested County Council seats.

Turnout reached 49.52%, with 15,228 of the county’s 30,749 registered voters casting ballots. That’s up from 46.10% in the 2022 midterm, when 14,028 of 30,429 registered voters cast ballots.

Most of those votes were in before the polls opened. Early walk-in voters cast 8,363 ballots and 294 more came in by mail. Another 6,571 people voted on Election Day.

*Oscar Morales, 9, and his aunt, Juana Escobar, stand together as she voted at Huntingburg* Tuesday morning.

County races

Verkamp finished with 8,439 votes to Lucchi’s 6,364. Verkamp has been the circuit judge since 2015. Circuit judges serve six-year terms.

In the sheriff’s race, Republican Tim Lampert received 10,460 votes (75.44%), defeating independent Tim Rasche, who received 3,406 (24.56%). No Democrat filed.

Republican Tammy Guth won the county recorder’s race with 9,720 votes (68.10%), defeating Democrat Adam Mann, who received 4,554 (31.90%).

Two County Council seats were contested:

District 1: Republican Dylan Schmitt defeated Democrat Ed Cole, 2,556 (66.01%) to 1,316 (33.99%).
District 2: Republican Michael J. Stallman defeated Democrat Daniel A. Kreilein, 2,026 (59.66%) to 1,370 (40.34%).

Republicans running unopposed included Prosecuting Attorney Beth E. Schroeder, Circuit Court Clerk Stephanie (Stallwood) Fair, Auditor Emily C. Meyer, Assessor Angela (Angie) Giesler, County Commissioner District 2 Doug M. Uebelhor, and County Council members Meredith Voegerl (District 3) and Alex Hohl (District 4).

*Jim Kennington of Huntingburg voted at the Huntingburg Event Center Tuesday morning.*

Congress and the Statehouse

Dubois County split from the rest of Senate District 48. Democrat Brad Hochgesang of Jasper carried the county by 147 votes. But unofficial results from the Indiana Secretary of State show Republican Sen. Daryl Schmitt winning the district, 24,945 (57.35%) to 18,552 (42.65%).

This was Schmitt’s first general election for the seat. A Republican caucus chose him in September 2024 to finish Mark Messmer’s term. Hochgesang, a software engineer, built his campaign around opposing the Mid-States Corridor–which may have contributed to the Dubois County numbers he pulled–and serving as a voice for the majority.

In House District 63, an open seat after Republican Rep. Shane Lindauer chose not to run again, Republican Amy Kippenbrock defeated Democrat Tiffanie Arthur, 11,718 (61.03%) to 7,482 (38.97%). Kippenbrock has served as Dubois County Clerk since 2019.

In House District 74, Republican Rep. Stephen Bartels won another term, defeating Democrat Lena Goffinet of Tell City, 12,875 (60.25%) to 8,496 (39.75%). Bartels has held the seat since 2017.

In the 8th Congressional District, Republican U.S. Rep. Mark Messmer defeated Democrat Mary Allen, 101,333 (56.40%) to 78,349 (43.60%). He ran slightly behind that pace in Dubois County, at 54.23%.

Race	Dubois County	Full district
U.S. House, District 8	Messmer 7,940 (54.23%), Allen 6,694 (45.72%)	Messmer 101,333 (56.40%), Allen 78,349 (43.60%)
State Senate, District 48	Hochgesang 7,432 (50.50%), Schmitt 7,285 (49.50%)	Schmitt 24,945 (57.35%), Hochgesang 18,552 (42.65%)
State House, District 63	Kippenbrock 5,301 (57.86%), Arthur 3,860 (42.14%)	Kippenbrock 11,718 (61.03%), Arthur 7,482 (38.97%)
State House, District 74	Bartels 3,363 (62.23%), Goffinet 2,041 (37.77%)	Bartels 12,875 (60.25%), Goffinet 8,496 (39.75%)

The line of voters at the Thyen-Clark Cultural Center stretched past the end of the library around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. Poll workers said the Constitutional Questions and the length of the ballots, along with increased turnout (about 1,200 more votes were cast yesterday than in the 2022 midterm), led to the long lines.

Townships and towns

Ferdinand Township Trustee: Republican Travis Blake Vonderheide defeated Democrat Nancy M. Hall, 851 (61.05%) to 543 (38.95%).
Patoka Township Trustee: Republican Eric D. Jochim defeated independent Jeff Summers, 1,220 (70.28%) to 516 (29.72%).
Birdseye Town Clerk-Treasurer: Democrat Brittany L. Schepers defeated independent Vikki Venekamp, 48 (53.93%) to 41 (46.07%).

Public questions

Voters in the Southeast Dubois County school district approved a referendum, 1,867 (67.38%) to 904 (32.62%).

Dubois County also backed both statewide constitutional amendments. The Right to Bail question passed locally 9,032 (68.25%) to 4,201 (31.75%), and the Judge Residence question passed 9,254 (67.42%) to 4,472 (32.58%).

Statewide offices

Dubois County voted for Republican Max Engling for Secretary of State, but Democrat Beau Bayh won statewide. Unofficial results from the Indiana Secretary of State show Bayh with 803,327 votes (49.13%) to Engling’s 743,726 (45.48%), a margin of 59,601. Greg Ballard received 56,975 votes (3.48%) statewide and Lauri A. Shillings received 31,094 (1.90%).

In the State Comptroller race, Republican Elise Nieshalla won statewide with 802,580 votes (50.42%). Democrat Jessica Bailey received 741,241 (46.57%) and Libertarian John Schick received 47,891 (3.01%). Nieshalla’s 61,339-vote margin was much narrower than her margin in Dubois County, where she got 59.34%.

Republican Treasurer Daniel Elliott won re-election statewide, 863,054 (54.32%) to 725,833 (45.68%) for Democrat Coumba Kebe, a margin of 137,221. Elliott got 66.61% in Dubois County.

Here is the Dubois County Election Summary Report.

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