By Niki Kelly | Editor-in-Chief
“It just feels like he’s the right candidate for the right moment. He’s got the energy, the motivation. I just feel like if you drew a candidate up for this specific year in this cycle, he’s the right guy.” — Hamilton County Democratic Chair Josh Lowry
Today, we focus on Democrat Beau Bayh as we roll out our four secretary of state candidate profiles. Is the pressure on for the first-time contender from a political family?
Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith’s role in a criminal case is unclear after a judge rebuked questionable communication.
Prediction markets bring election “betting” with them.
Plus, today’s commentary offers a blueprint for responsible data center growth.
Democratic secretary of state candidate Beau Bayh speaks with a supporter during a Democratic Party volunteer rally in Fishers, Indiana, on Oct. 1, 2026. (Photo by Tom Davies/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
Indiana Democrats hope Beau Bayh leads them from political wilderness
By Tom Davies
Beau Bayh professes no anxiety about expectations that he lift Indiana Democrats from the political woes they’ve suffered for more than a decade.
That expectation comes for the secretary of state candidate as the son and grandson of the state’s most prominent Democratic figures stretching back some 60 years.
Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith’s office, located inside the Statehouse, on June 27, 2025. (Photo by Niki Kelly/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
Beckwith office initiates ex parte communication with judge
By Niki Kelly
Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith’s office attempted to intervene in a criminal case involving a years-old hit-and-run but the reason is a mystery so far.
The judge informed attorneys in the case and refused to consider the correspondence.
COMMENTARY
Signs on the Newport courthouse square in west central Indiana signal opposition to data centers on Oct. 4, 2026. (Photo by Niki Kelly/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
Pause, plan and protect: responsible development in the face of AI data centers
By Sam Carpenter
Despite community pushback, the rapid buildout of artificial intelligence infrastructure in Indiana is mirroring the reckless advancement of AI capabilities that Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Sam Altman and Dario Amodei have raised alarm bells about.
According to CNBC, Indiana ranks 4th among states for data center build attractiveness and a recent report by Good Jobs First revealed that Amazon alone benefited from $561 million in Indiana sales tax exemptions in 2025.
NATIONAL NEWS
A growing number of state officials fear prediction markets are opening the door to a new era of gambling on elections — a practice many states have long prohibited. In this photo, a voter casts a ballot during the March 3, 2026 primary in Little Rock, Arkansas. (Photo by Katie Adkins/Arkansas Advocate)
Election betting is booming as the midterms near. Do states have the power to curb it?
By Jonathan Shorman
On Friday morning, the prediction market platform Kalshi gave the Democratic candidate in Minnesota’s U.S. Senate race an 87% chance of winning. The volume of trading on the outcome exceeded $1.8 million.
This is exactly the type of activity Minnesota and numerous other states want to shut down.
Prediction markets have emerged as a flashpoint in state and federal relations, as a host of states struggle with the Trump administration over who has authority to regulate the platforms and whether state laws restricting gambling apply to them.
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