Indiana Dems announce treasurer, comptroller candidates

The Indiana Democratic Party is set to nominate a two-term Portage County clerk and a public health executive as the party’s nominees for comptroller and treasurer — two of the state’s top financial oversight roles.

Portage County Clerk Jessica Bailey and Coumba Kebe, a first-generation American and founder of Scope Consulting in Noblesville, are the sole candidates to meet the Indiana Democratic Party’s filing deadline last week for the positions.

Bailey is running for comptroller — responsible for financial reporting and disbursement of state funds — while Kebe is running for treasurer.

The duo will be officially nominated by delegates at the Indiana Democratic Party Convention, which convenes June 6 in Indianapolis.

Republicans will nominate incumbent Treasurer Daniel Elliott and Comptroller Elise Nieshalla at the party’s June 20 convention in Fort Wayne.

Kebe put her name in for treasurer after losing her bid for the Democratic nomination in state House District 29 earlier this month.

The Noblesville resident said she entered politics after watching years of “crazy political decisions” out of the Statehouse negatively affect Hoosier healthcare — and feeling ignored by her own representatives.

Indiana treasurer puts BlackRock on ESG watchlist

“I felt that it was important to stand up and take a stand and fight for our health care system and fight for our senior care,” she said.

Talking to Hoosiers affirmed Kebe’s conviction of the “disconnect” between constituents and their elected representatives.

If elected, Kebe said she will bring a “people-centered” mindset to the treasurer’s office — responsible for managing Indiana’s  investments — through transparency and accessibility, so Hoosiers know how their tax dollars are being spent and invested.

“I don’t think we do a good job of trying to think of how the public receives information that’s just posted in these portals,” she said. “We’ve got to make it easy for folks to understand.”

Kebe also wants to elevate conversations about fiscal policy and taxpayer investments — areas where her authority to direct is limited.

“We have to be able to answer, ‘Is Indiana prepared for the next 20 years?’ We have to think strategically about workforce shortages, our aging population, healthcare access and future economic stability, because those things don’t happen in isolation. This will eventually have an economic impact, and the treasurer’s role is to elevate that conversation, in my opinion.”

In a statement Wednesday, Bailey said she strives to revive a “servant leadership” approach to the Statehouse if elected comptroller.

“I will bring the same level of service and efficiency to the office as I do daily as Porter County Clerk,” she said in a news release announcing her candidacy. “Hoosiers expect a government that is transparent, accountable, and focused on people.

“After years of one-party control at the Statehouse, Hoosiers deserve oversight of state tax dollars from someone outside of the Republican Party apparatus,” she said. “I am accountable to no one but Hoosiers. As Comptroller, I will focus on making Hoosiers confident in how their taxes are spent, and use my experience as Porter County Clerk to help local governments become more efficient.”

Bailey is finishing her second full term as Portage County clerk.

Her team won a National Clearinghouse Award from the Election Assistance Commission. Bailey was named Clerk of the Year by the Association of Indiana Counties in 2023 and Election Board Member of the Year two years earlier, according to the release.

Two Democrats are seeking the Secretary of State nod — Beau Bayh and Blythe Potter.