Republicans Jose Evans, Jefferson Shreve eschew 2019 city elections

Two Indianapolis Republicans have decided not to compete in this year's elections. 

Jose Evans, a City-County Councilman from 2008 to 2016, has dropped out of the Indianapolis mayoral race, throwing his support behind fellow Republican, State Sen. Jim Merritt, who announced his run earlier this month. 

And council member Jefferson Shreve, who replaced Jeff Miller in September after Miller pleaded guilty to felony assault and resigned from the council, has decided not to run for another term.

Evans, who was elected to the City-County Council as a Democrat and switched party affiliation in 2013, filed paperwork to run for mayor in December.

Evans posted on Facebook that stepping back was “the right move for Indianapolis and for me to put my own aspirations aside, to truly look ahead and consider what is best for our city and community.”

“I know that together, Senator Merritt and I can win Indy,” he wrote. “We can win when it comes to crime. We can win when it comes to uniting diverse groups. And by saying 'win', I mean, make Indy the successful and safe city it's always meant to be.”

Shreve, who previously served on the City-County Council from 2012 to 2015, was chosen by Republican precinct committee members in District 16 to replace Miller. The district covers parts of downtown and the south side, including influential properties like the Indianapolis Convention Center, Lucas Oil Stadium and Eli Lilly and Co.’s massive corporate campus.

He had previously said that he was weighing whether or not to run. In his weekly email to constituents, Shreve announced his decision. 

“I let my party know of this decision on Jan. 1,” Shreve wrote. “Four others have filed to run to represent [District 16] next year and beyond. I wish them all good luck. Over the year ahead, I am here to do my very best to represent our district on the council.”

Others running in the district are Democrat Kristin Jones, director of community engagement for The Julian Center; Democrat Patrick Wagner; Republican Jeff Carl, a Salesforce consultant; and independent Laura Giffel, who is Bates-Hendricks neighborhood president. Giffel said she plans to switch her affiliation to Republican.