Porter County Clerk Jessica Bailey will seek the nomination for State Comptroller at the upcoming Indiana Democratic Party convention.
Bailey told the Post-Tribune said she decided to run for comptroller because a race for a state office is exciting and holding state office presents new challenges and adventures.
“In the State of Indiana, I just think that we need more transparency. I’ve had the ability as Porter County Clerk to innovate the office. Now, just watching what’s going on in Indianapolis, some of the ways that I can make those changes of efficiency on a broader scale,” Bailey said.
In a statement, Bailey said Hoosiers deserve someone to oversee tax dollars “from someone outside the Republican Party apparatus.”
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“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 becme more efficient,” Bailey said in the statement.
If ultimately elected comptroller, Bailey said she would bring the same level of service and efficiency to the office as she did to the Porter County Clerk’s Office. Bailey said when she became clerk in 2019 the office was “in haphazard shape” and she’s moved the office ahead by “leaps and bounds,” with it receiving recognition from the state.
As comptroller, Bailey said she would make efficiency improvements and make the office more user friendly. Bailey said she would also work to educate the public on what the comptroller office does — paying the bills of the state — because this election cycle will be the first time the office title has changed from auditor to comptroller.
“We’re still in the beginning stages of getting that name recognition understood and branding realized,” Bailey said. “We need some branding to make sure that taxpayers understand what the office does.”
While it can be challenging to run as a Democrat in a heavily Republican state, Bailey said she has experience winning elected office and the Democratic Party’s energy ahead of the 2026 election has been motivating.
“I work with both sides of the aisle now. Once you’re elected, you work with everyone and that’s something that I’m used to doing. I have good relationships with both sides of the aisle, and that’s something that I plan on maintaining,” Bailey said.
At the Indiana Democratic Party Convention, which takes place in Indianapolis June 6, delegates will also consider Coumba Kebe, a Hamilton County resident, for state treasurer, according to a news release.
Kebe, a first-generation American, is a healthcare executive with nearly a decade of experience managing multi-million dollar budgets and leading healthcare operations, among other things, according to the release.
If elected treasurer, Kebe said she would focus on “human-centered financial stewardship” rooted in transparency, accountability, and long-term economic stability, according to the release.
Kebe would work toward ensuring tax dollars work for the people by strengthening local communities, supporting economic opportunity and addressing the challenges Hoosiers face from healthcare access to childcare affordability, according to the release.
“Knowledge is power. Hoosiers deserve to understand where their taxpayer dollars are going, how public money is being invested, and how financial decisions impact their everyday lives. As Treasurer, I want to help make our state government more transparent and accessible, so people feel empowered to hold government accountable,” Kebe said.