GREENSBURG — One candidate is in and another is out in the race for state Indiana attorney general. Decatur County Prosecutor Nate Harter announced Tuesday that he will seek the Republican nomination for the office, while another candidate dropped out of the race and endorsed Harter.
Harter has served as Decatur County’s prosecutor since he was first elected in 2014, shortly after graduating from the IU Maurer School of Law. Harter also serves as Chairman of the Decatur County Republican Party.
“I am running for Attorney General because Hoosiers deserve a tested and proven prosecutor who will be tough on crime, support law enforcement, protect victims, and defend our conservative core values in words and deeds,” Harter said in a release announcing his candidacy to challenge incumbent Attorney General Curtis Hill.
Endorsing Harter on Tuesday was former state revenue commissioner Adam Krupp, shortly after Krupp announced he was dropping out of the race.
“Nate is a talented lawyer and a strong conservative with a track record of integrity. He has a passion for creating a positive organizational culture," Krupp said. "He is a servant leader in his community."
Harter joins Indianapolis attorney John Westercamp in the Republican field, along with Hill – who is running for reelection. Hill is still awaiting a final ruling from the Indiana Supreme Court in a disciplinary hearing stemming from allegations that he sexually assaulted a state lawmaker and three female legislative aides at a bar in 2018. A hearing officer recommended that Hill’s law license be suspended for 60 days without automatic reinstatement, which could disqualify him from holding the Attorney General’s office. Hill has denied the allegations, and a special prosecutor declined to bring criminal charges.
There is no primary for attorney general. The nominee will be chosen at the state Republican Party convention, which is scheduled for June. As of now, the convention is still scheduled to be held in person despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Two Democrats are running for that party’s attorney general nomination – former Evansville mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel and State Senator Karen Tallian of Ogden Dunes. The Indiana Democratic Party will choose its nominee at a virtual convention in June.
