Indiana Democrat foregoes reelection in favor of county judge bid

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Indiana's state representative from District 77, Ryan Hatfield, announced on Thursday that he will not seek re-election in the upcoming fall elections. Instead, Hatfield, a Democrat from Evansville who has served in the Assembly since 2016, is campaigning for Vanderburgh County Circuit Court Judge.

Hatfield views the prospect of serving as Circuit Court Judge as a great privilege which would allow him to have a direct role in resolving significant legal issues affecting people in his community. He previously served Vanderburgh County as a deputy prosecutor.

The Evansville representative is currently the top-ranking minority member on the Indiana House Judiciary and the Employment, Labor and Pensions committees. In his announcement, Hatfield emphasized that his decision to run for Judge is driven by his deep personal commitment to creating a legal system that reflects the communal values and needs of Vanderburgh County.

Reflecting on Hatfield's contribution since his election in 2016, House Democratic Leader Phil GiaQuinta recognized the Democrat's departure as a "loss". GiaQuinta applauded Hatfield's use of his widely-acclaimed legal knowledge to serve not just Evansville, but the entire Hoosier state.

Hatfield is part of an increasing number of Indiana legislators opting not to compete for re-election in 2024. Within the past few months, Republican state representatives Denny Zent and Randy Lyness independently declared their intentions not to seek re-election. In November, State Rep. Bob Cherry, a Republican from Greenfield, also announced his retirement after 25 years, followed shortly by Rep. Donna Schaibley and Rep. Jerry Torr in October.

On another note, other state lawmakers have stepped down this year. For instance, State Sen. Jon Ford expressed his wishes to resign in September, and his position has now been taken over by Greg Goode. State Senator Chip Perfect handed in his resignation back in September, with Randy Maxwell chosen to complete his term. Furthermore, Rep. Randy Frye resigned because of health issues, and J. Alex Zimmerman was selected to fill his term.

The Republicans faced another blow when Sen Jack Sandlin passed away unexpectedly in September, and Cyndi Carrasco was subsequently sworn in to occupy his place in the Senate.

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