Indiana, State House, District 59

Indiana House of Representatives District 59
Current incumbent	Ryan Lauer
Population	64,321
Race	88.5% White, 2.1% Black, 3.9% Asian, 3.8% Other, 1.7% Two or More
Ethnicity	6.7% Hispanic, 85.6% White Non-Hispanic
Voting age	74.8% age 18 and over

Indiana's fifty-ninth state house district is represented by Republican Representative Ryan Lauer.

As of the 2010 census, a total of 64,321 civilians reside within Indiana's fifty-ninth state house district. Indiana state representatives represent an average of 64,838 residents. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 60,805 residents.

About the chamber

Members of the Indiana House of Representatives serve two-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Indiana legislators assume office on the second Tuesday after the general election.

Qualifications

To be eligible to serve in the Indiana House of Representatives a candidate must be:

A United States citizen at the time of the election
Have resided in the state for at least two years and in the house district for at least one year before the election
Be at least twenty-one years old upon taking office
Registered to vote in the election district the person seeks to represent not later than the deadline for filing the declaration or petition of candidacy or certificate of nomination.

Salaries

State legislators
Salary	Per diem
$25,945/year	$173/day

Pensions

Indiana legislators created a 401(k) plan for themselves in 1989, becoming the first in the nation to do so. Lawmakers who took office after April 1989 were ineligible for the traditional pension plan, receiving the individual retirement account instead.

Legislators pay 5% of their annual salary into the 401(k). In 2007, they voted to include per diem allowances, expense payments and leadership stipends into the calculation, thus raising their retirement accounts.

Vacancies

Whenever there is a vacancy in the house, the state committee of the party that last held the seat must appoint a replacement. This is contingent upon the approval of the respective state chairperson of the party. Any vacant seat held by an independent must be filled by a special election.

Elections

2020

Elections for the office of Indiana House of Representatives will take place in 2020. The general election will be held on November 3, 2020. A primary is scheduled for May 5, 2020. The filing deadline is February 7, 2020.

2018

General election

General election for Indiana House of Representatives District 59

Ryan Lauer (R) defeated Dale Nowlin (D) and Clyde Myers (L) in the general election for Indiana House of Representatives District 59 on November 6, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Ryan Lauer (R)	56.8	12,519
	Dale Nowlin (D)	40.6	8,930
	Clyde Myers (L)	2.6	573

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.

Total votes: 22,022

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Indiana House of Representatives District 59

Dale Nowlin defeated Mary Kohen in the Democratic primary for Indiana House of Representatives District 59 on May 8, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Dale Nowlin (D)	61.8	1,541
	Mary Kohen (D)	38.2	953

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.

Total votes: 2,494

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Indiana House of Representatives District 59

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Indiana House of Representatives District 59 on May 8, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Ryan Lauer (R)	36.3	2,683
	JoAnne Flohr (R)	24.9	1,836
	Allen Smith II (R)	16.1	1,190
	Lew Wilson (R)	14.7	1,085
	John Counceller (R)	6.3	463
	Benjamin Chastain (R)	1.7	126

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.

Total votes: 7,383

2016

Elections for the Indiana House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on May 3, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was February 5, 2016.

Incumbent Milo Smith defeated Bob Pitman in the Indiana House of Representatives District 59 general election.

Indiana House of Representatives, District 59 General Election, 2016

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Milo Smith Incumbent	61.23%	16,118
	Democratic	Bob Pitman	38.77%	10,205
Total Votes			26,323
Source: Indiana Election Divsion

Bob Pitman defeated Dale Nowlin in the Indiana House of Representatives District 59 Democratic primary.

Indiana House of Representatives, District 59 Democratic Primary, 2016

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Bob Pitman	53.86%	2,472
	Democratic	Dale Nowlin	46.14%	2,118
Total Votes			4,590
Source: Indiana Election Division

Incumbent Milo Smith defeated Ryan Lauer and Lew Wilson in the Indiana House of Representatives District 59 Republican primary.

Indiana House of Representatives, District 59 Republican Primary, 2016

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Milo Smith Incumbent	47.24%	5,883
	Republican	Ryan Lauer	38.74%	4,825
	Republican	Lew Wilson	14.02%	1,746
Total Votes			12,454
Source: Indiana Election Division

2014

Elections for the Indiana House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 6, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 7, 2014. Incumbent Milo Smith defeated Ryan Lauer in the Republican primary and defeated Zack Ellison (D), who filed to run on June 17, 2014, in the general election.

Indiana House of Representatives 59, General Election, 2014

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Milo Smith Incumbent	59.6%	8,034
	Democratic	Zack Ellison	40.4%	5,450
Total Votes			13,484

Indiana House of Representatives, District 59 Republican Primary, 2014

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Milo Smith Incumbent	59.4%	4,239
Ryan Lauer	40.6%	2,895
Total Votes		7,134

2012

Elections for the office of Indiana House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on May 8, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature-filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 10, 2012. Incumbent Milo Smith (R) was unopposed in both the general election and Republican primary.

Indiana House of Representatives, District 59, General Election, 2012

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Milo Smith Incumbent	100%	18,376
Total Votes			18,376

Campaign contributions

From 2002 to 2016, candidates for Indiana House of Representatives District 59 raised a total of $378,673. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $18,032 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.

Campaign contributions, Indiana House of Representatives District 59

Year	Amount	Candidates	Average
2016	$89,857	5	$17,971
2014	$111,684	3	$37,228
2012	$15,350	1	$15,350
2010	$22,842	3	$7,614
2008	$29,995	2	$14,998
2006	$10,182	2	$5,091
2004	$22,500	1	$22,500
2002	$55,413	3	$18,471
2000	$20,850	1	$20,850
Total	$378,673	21	$18,032