Hamilton County Republicans have a candidate for Indiana House District 32 after all.
A caucus of GOP precinct committeemen and committeewomen, meeting Friday night, selected Fishers insurance man Paul G. Nix to carry the Republican banner against two-term Democratic incumbent Victoria Garcia Wilburn in the Nov. 3 general election, according to a member of the caucus.
The vote fills a ballot vacancy that had loomed over the district since spring. When the filing deadline for Indiana’s May primary passed, no Republican had stepped forward to run for the seat. Under Indiana law, when no candidate files in a primary, the county party may fill the opening by a caucus vote of its precinct officials — the same process the GOP has used to fill other unexpected openings. Hamilton County GOP Chair Mario Massillamany called the closed caucus for June 26 to settle the question.
District 32 takes in parts of Fishers, Carmel and a small slice of Indianapolis, spanning portions of both Hamilton and Marion counties.
A familiar name to District 32 voters
Nix is not new to this race. In 2022, when redistricting created the District 32 seat, he was the very first candidate to file, entering a three-way Republican primary. He finished third behind Fred Glynn and Suzie Jaworowski, taking 479 votes, or about 11.5 percent. Glynn edged Jaworowski by six votes in a result later confirmed by recount, then lost the general election to Garcia Wilburn.
Now, four years later, Nix gets the nomination not at the ballot box but by the choice of his fellow precinct officials.
A native of Fort Wayne, Nix and his wife, Ann, are longtime residents of the Fishers area; he has lived in Delaware Township for more than three decades. The couple have married for nearly five decades, raised seven children and, by his own count, have 22 grandchildren. He has spent more than 40 years in the insurance business, working largely with senior clients, and has served as a vice precinct committeeman.
Where he stands
Nix campaigned in 2022 as an unapologetic conservative, and his Ballotpedia “Candidate Connection” survey from that year offers the fullest public record of his views. He organized his platform around three words — “Faith, Family, Freedom.”
On faith, he emphasized “free exercise of our 1st Amendment Right to Religion.” On family, he pledged a strong parental role in schools, opposing the teaching of critical race theory, diversity-equity-and-inclusion programming and social-emotional learning, and opposing transgender girls competing in girls’ sports or using girls’ restrooms and locker rooms. On freedom, he praised Indiana’s move to constitutional carry, writing that “State Government should never interfere with our Rights Granted in the Constitution.”
He also stressed fiscal restraint, arguing that government “take[s] too much of our money,” objecting to public funding of abortion, and calling for the state to shift from pensions toward 401(k)-style retirement programs to reduce unfunded liabilities. He said he believes “we can do more to protect the unborn.” A self-described admirer of Ronald Reagan, Nix cited the line, “Government isn’t the answer to your problem, Government IS the problem,” and voiced support for term limits, writing that “Career Politicians are a problem.”
The incumbent
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 the Employment, Labor and Pensions committees.
When the seat was first drawn, observers rated it competitive, with only slightly more Republican than Democratic voters. Garcia Wilburn has since won it twice, making her bid for a third term a test of whether the district has settled into Democratic hands or remains within Republican reach.
The two will meet on the Nov. 3 ballot.