Evansville mayor: general election 2023

ReCenter Indiana endorses Stephanie Terry for mayor of Evansville

OUR ENDORSEMENT

The political action committee of ReCenter Indiana is pleased to announce our endorsement of Stephanie Terry in this fall’s general election for mayor of Evansville.

Terry’s 12-year tenure on the Vanderburgh County Council has resulted in a nuanced understanding of government and public funding. Her leadership experience in the nonprofit sector provides additional qualifications for running Indiana’s third-largest city. 

Terry brings to the race a commitment to serving all of Evansville inclusively. Her extensive experience working both across the aisle and within the community should particularly equip her to serve this increasingly diverse city. 

Last spring, the ReCenter Indiana PAC made no endorsement in the Democratic mayoral primary, in which Terry ran unopposed. In the Republican primary, which was contested, we endorsed Natalie Rascher, who subsequently won the Republican nomination. She also participated in our selection process for the general election endorsement.

A third candidate on the November ballot, Libertarian Michael Daugherty, did not respond to our invitations to take part in our evaluation process.

The ReCenter Indiana PAC welcomes this competitive race that is all but certain to seat a woman as Evansville’s mayor for the very first time in the 176-year history of the office.

Candidate interviews

We invited all three candidates for Evansville mayor for virtual interviews, allowing candidates to respond to the same questions spanning various office-related topics.

Both Stephanie Terry and Natalie Rascher were interviewed on July 18.

Michael Daugherty, the Libertarian candidate, did not respond to our requests for an interview.

Click the “+” to expand to the full list of topics asked of each candidate.

Evaluation Process

CANDIDATE SELECTION

Select races

Evaluate

Interview

Endorse

We research the races and our selection committee decides on which ones to weigh in on.

Candidates for public office are asking you to hire them. We ask them questions to help you decide whether to give them the job.

We weigh their answers, along with their public record, to find the best fit for us and the majority of Hoosiers.

We recommend a candidate based on our evaluation. Who gets elected, of course, is up to the people who vote.

Candidate background

Why they're running

Significance of first woman mayor

Their qualifications

Their top priorities

What else voters should know

Quality of life

Public safety agenda

Education

Resources for parks

Economic development

Continuity from Mayor Winnecke

Challenging topics

Police staffing issues

Views on AI in elections