Lake County Democratic Party Chairman Jim Wieser has announced he won’t seek reelection as county chair, and Lake County Commissioner Michael Repay has expressed interest in succeeding him in the position.
The party will meet March 1, which is county party reorganization day in Indiana, to vote in new leadership positions, Wieser said. So far, Wieser said Repay has reached out to him to run for the position.
Repay, who was reelected to his fourth term as commissioner in November, said he talked with Wieser about running for the chairmanship during a swearing-in ceremony on Dec. 27, 2024 for the Democratic candidates who won election in November.
“I’ve always been, as best I could, in service of the Democratic Party. I see this as an extension of that,” Repay said.
The chairman of a party is responsible for leading the party to some extent, Repay said, but also is tasked with facilitating conversations to expand and move the party forward.
While Indiana is a Republican supermajority, Repay said county Democratic party leaders throughout the state share strategies and successes for increasing voter engagement and turnout. County party chairs also vote for district chairperson, which is an important position, he said.
If he were elected chairman, Repay said he’d focus on “broadening the tent” of people within the party and work with candidates building on the party’s success in Lake County.
“We did really well in Lake County in the last elections, and we’ve done well in the past, but we can always do better,” Repay said.
Repay said he’d also work toward facilitating conversations with labor union members, party officials and elected officials.
“We would work with those folks to chat through those ideas … and essentially create a playbook that we could follow for the coming years,” Repay said.
After attending the 2024 Democratic National Convention, Wieser said he left the convention feeling energized for the party’s future and reflected on his career.
Then, shortly after the convention, Wieser said he was going through some papers and saw an article he saved with a headline announcing he established a group for young Democrats in Highland. What stood out to him, Wieser said, was the date of the article, which was 1974.
“It was time. I did it for 8 years. I’ve enjoyed it. I think we did great things with the party,” Wieser said.
Wieser, who was elected county chairman twice, said the county party is in a good position and it’s time for younger people to get more involved in the party.
Repay, who ran against Wieser in the past, would make a great chairman, Wieser said. Repay has political experience as a commissioner and comes from a strong Democratic family, Wieser said.
“He’s a strong candidate. He’s well qualified,” Wieser said.
