Here are 5 Republicans who might challenge Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett in 2019

As Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett nears an announcement on whether he will run for re-election in 2019, several Republicans are taking early steps to challenge him.

Prospective candidates include two state lawmakers, an adviser to former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels and a dump truck driver who is billing himself as an "average citizen." Republican leaders say they expect the field to take shape soon after the November midterms — about one year before Indianapolis holds elections for mayor and all 25 City-County Council seats.

Defeating Hogsett would be a daunting challenge. Hogsett in 2015 won 62 percent of the vote in his victory over Republican Chuck Brewer as Democrats took control of both the mayor's office and council for the first time in the Unigov era. Hogsett has remained popular, avoided scandals and amassed more than $2.2 million in campaign cash.

But state Sen. Jim Merritt, the Marion County Republican Party Chairman, who is considering a run for mayor, waved off the notion that Hogsett is safe, arguing that every elected official is vulnerable.

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"I think everyone in politics today has to be concerned about being rehired at election time," Merritt said. "You just see too many examples (of incumbents losing)."

Merritt is in the somewhat awkward position of being both a prospective opponent to Hogsett and the top Republican official in charge of recruiting candidates. As Merritt weighs his own bid for mayor, he's also meeting with others who are interested.

"If we find a candidate that feels as though they have quality funding and they have a vision for the city of Indianapolis and its future, then we're going to take a very good look at any candidate," Merritt said. "I owe that to the Republican Party."

So far, the only declared candidate is Christopher Moore, a dump truck driver, who issued a press release calling himself a political outsider and "average citizen of Indianapolis."

Better known Republicans who might enter the race include Jamal Smith, a former Daniels adviser who has worked as president of the Indiana Civil Rights Commission and athletics director for Indianapolis Public Schools; state Rep. Cindy Kirchhofer of Beech Grove; and Jose Evans, a former council member and author of a new book called "Fear of a Black Republican."

If all of them ran, the primary field would be unusually diverse. Smith and Evans are black. They, along with Kirchhofer, would be vying to make history in a city that has only had white men as mayors.

Among the Republicans who are exploring candidacies, none has a detailed policy agenda and each one is waiting until after the Nov. 6 midterm elections to make a decision. Hogsett also has said he will not make a re-election announcement until after the midterms.

Smith, who has generated some excitement because of his resume and ties to Daniels, a popular two-term governor, said he has a lot of work to do before he could run.

"I do know this: For me to (run), with some of the practice I've had working with Gov. Daniels, I have to be diligent in making sure I'm surrounded by as many smart and innovative people as I could possibly be surrounded by," Smith said. "You can be certain we will have a game plan and it will be well thought out."

Evans, a Democrat-turned-Republican, has the most relevant experience. He served two terms on the City-County Council before deciding not to seek re-election in 2015. His memoir sets a tone that his campaign likely would follow, he said.

"I talk about how Indianapolis is really two cities," Evans said. "The Hogsett administration is failing one of those cities and that's when it comes to the crime rate — four years of increasing homicide rates, and we all know a majority of those homicides are in African-American communities."

There were 155 criminal homicides in 2017, a third consecutive record-setting year.

Hogsett has tried to combat the rise in murders by funding hundreds of new officers for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department; switching from zone policing to beat policing; hiring a violence reduction director and peacekeepers; and giving money to nonprofit organizations that seek to prevent violent crime.

Both Merritt and Kirchhofer are running for re-election to the Statehouse. They told IndyStar they are focusing on those campaigns before deciding whether to enter the mayoral race.

But Merritt's job as county GOP chairman has kept him in the mix of city politics. Merritt has spent months hammering on Hogsett's perceived weaknesses, including a pothole crisis earlier this year that made Indianapolis streets treacherous and the streak of record-breaking annual criminal homicide totals that likely will extend to this year.

Some hopeful conservatives say 2019 could be like 2007, when Republican Greg Ballard upset Democratic incumbent Bart Peterson, who had a funding advantage of $1.5 million to Ballard's $51,000 entering the final month of the campaign.

But Jeff Coats, a City-County Council Republican, who is not running for re-election, said he doesn't think the comparison fits.

"In my opinion, Peterson got caught looking," Coats said. "He didn't see the tsunami coming his way. Joe Hogsett has his flaws. Stupid's not one of them. I would say anyone who thinks they can sneak one past the goalie, like Ballard was able to do, I just don't see that happening."

Even with a budding field of credible candidates, some Republicans are hoping to see a bigger name emerge. Some have whispered that Ballard, a two-term mayor who did not seek re-election in 2015, could jump back into politics and take on Hogsett.

Ballard did not reply to an email seeking comment. Party leaders, including Merritt, and Ballard allies said a bid for a third term seems unlikely.

"I talk to him almost every day and he’s given no indication he wants to return to office," said Robert Vane, a former deputy chief of staff to Ballard.

More Republicans are likely emerge in the coming weeks — especially after the Nov. 6 elections.

"Whether it's me or whomever else, I love the city and just want to see it continue to move in the right direction — but move with some innovation, some creativity, some energy," Smith said.

Call IndyStar reporter James Briggs at 317-444-6307. Follow him on Twitter: @JamesEBriggs.