Marilyn Odendahl
The Indiana Citizen
March 31, 2026
An intraparty squabble in the Republican primary for state House District 40 has ended with party officials tossing a good-standing complaint against the challenger in the race.
Sid Mahant, who is trying to unseat incumbent state Rep. Greg Steuerwald, R-Avon, was called before Indiana Republican Party District 4 officials, after a complaint was filed alleging he was not a Republican in good standing. The officials held a hearing on Friday and Monday morning, they issued their ruling, which denied the complaint.
Randall Head, District 4 chair, said Monday the process “totally worked.” Mahant and Hendricks County GOP Chair, J. Philip Clay, who filed the complaint, were able to make opening and closing statements and present to the committee whatever exhibits or evidence they had.
“Everyone was professional and listened and kept it even keel,” Head said. “This was not a television courtroom drama by any stretch of the imagination. No one’s yelling, no one’s throwing anything. Everyone’s just explaining their side of the story.”
The denial means Mahant, a first-time candidate for the Indiana General Assembly, remains in good standing with the Republican party. His place on the ballot was never in question, but if he had been found to be in “bad standing,” his campaign could have been handicapped just before the start of early voting by possibly receiving a reprimand or by being blocked from using party resources.
“I respect the process and appreciate that the matter was handled fairly and based on the facts,” Mahant said in an emailed statement. “This outcome allows us to move forward and focus on what truly matters: serving our community.”
Clay filed the complaint on March 23 with the Indiana Republican State Committee. He asserted Mahant violated the party’s good-standing rule by contributing to state Rep. Renee Pack, a Democrat from Indianapolis, in 2024.
Mahant and his attorney, Michelle Harter, discovered a monetary donation was made in his name in 2021, not 2024. However, Mahant told the committee the contribution was made by either his wife or his business partner and drawn from the business account under his name.
Head concluded that based on the evidence, Pack’s campaign “made a mistake and listed (Mahant) as the contributor on their campaign finance report.”
Harter was critical of Clay getting the date of the contribution wrong. “That’s a big mistake to make when you’re accusing someone of something,” she said.
Initially, after he got the complaint, Mahant reviewed his financial records, Harter said, but could not find anything. Only when they looked further back did they see the donation.
“Sid could have been unprepared,” Harter said, who had seen a similar problem when a political party challenges candidates before the Indiana Election Commission. “That’s the bait and switch they do. They sloppily fill these things out and then you get to the hearing and they bring up other things because they keep digging.”
Although he could appeal the decision to the state committee, Clay indicated he was going to drop the matter. He said in an email, “I am grateful for the consideration of the 4th District Committee and respect their decision.”
So far this year, District 4 has handled six good-standing complaints, granting four and denying two, including the one against Mahant. Head defended the hearing process, saying everyone understood the rules and no one had any problems or complaints about the procedure.
“To me, that says everyone felt treated fairly,” Head said.
Head speculated that the complaints were being filed because the candidates had not built a relationship with the Republican Party. They had not reached out to party chairs of their counties and had not volunteered for or attended events hosted by the party. As a result, he said, the county chairs are being vigilant and closely examining the candidates to determine whether they are Republicans or they are just running under the Republican label so they can get into office.
“There are candidates who show up and say, ‘OK, you don’t know me and I don’t know you, but I’m a Republican and now I’m running (for office). Now, you have an army of people who are going to get behind me and help me, right?’” Head said. “And (county chairs) don’t say this out loud, but they always think to themselves, ‘OK, were you part of any army that helped anybody else?’”
Mahant and Steuerwald are the only candidates running in the Republican primary for state House District 40. Early voting starts April 7 and the primary election is May 5.
Dwight Adams, an editor and writer based in Indianapolis, edited this article. He is a former content editor, copy editor and digital producer at The Indianapolis Star and IndyStar.com, and worked as a planner for other newspapers, including the Louisville Courier Journal.
The Indiana Citizen is a nonpartisan, nonprofit platform dedicated to increasing the number of informed and engaged Hoosier citizens. We are operated by the Indiana Citizen Education Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) public charity. For questions about the story, contact Marilyn Odendahl at marilyn.odendahl@indianacitizen.org
