West Lafayette city councilman David Sanders filed Tuesday to run for the open state Senate seat in District 23.
Sanders is the first Democrat to file for the seat, which is currently occupied by Sen. Phil Boots (R-Crawfordsville). Boots announced in September he wouldn’t be running for reelection in the redrawn district.
First elected to the West Lafayette City Council in 2015, Sanders has recently spearheaded efforts to pass bans on facial recognition and conversion therapy - both of which faced pushback.
Sanders said he believes he can appeal both to the residents of West Lafayette and more rural parts of the district that include Fountain and Warren counties.
“One of my major messages will be about prevention of state mandates into the affairs of local communities. I believe many people in these counties will find that an attractive message,” he said.
Sanders has run for Indiana’s fourth congressional district three times, losing to Republican Steve Buyer twice and Republican Todd Rokita once.
Sanders also ran for the state senate in 2002 against Sen. Ron Alting (R-Lafayette).
Four Republicans have also announced plans to run for the seat, including Mitch Daniels’s aide Spencer Deery and Fountain County Clerk Paula Copenhaver.