When the filing deadline for Indiana’s May primary came and went, no Republican had stepped forward to challenge incumbent Democrat Victoria Garcia Wilburn for the House District 32 seat in the November 3 general election. That may be about to change.

A Republican precinct committee person has shared a message from Hamilton County GOP Chair Mario Massillamany calling a caucus of precinct committeemen and committeewomen for Friday, June 26, to select a Republican candidate for Indiana House District 32. Under Indiana law, when no candidate files in a primary, the county party may fill the ballot vacancy by a caucus vote of its precinct officials — the same process the GOP has used to fill other unexpected openings.

District 32 takes in parts of Fishers, Carmel and a small slice of Indianapolis, spanning portions of both Hamilton and Marion counties.

According to the message, this will be a closed caucus. Only members of the caucus, the caucus board, vote tellers, candidates’ designated watchers, and Hamilton County Republican Party staff and their designees will be permitted inside the meeting.

To qualify, candidates must live within the State Representative District 32 boundaries, have a Republican primary voting history in the last two primaries in which they cast a ballot, and file a notarized Declaration of Candidacy.

Garcia Wilburn, a Democrat first elected in 2022, is seeking a third term. A physical therapist and university faculty member by profession, she serves as the ranking minority member of the House Judiciary Committee and sits on the Public Health and Employment, Labor and Pensions committees.

There is no word yet on who may seek the Republican nomination at the June 26 caucus.