James McClure Jr.

James McClure Jr. is the Republican candidate for the Indiana House of Representatives, District 71, in the November 3, 2026 general election, facing Democratic incumbent Wendy Dant Chesser; he won the May 5, 2026 Republican primary over D.M. Bagshaw.[1][2] A U.S. Air Force veteran and information technology professional, he describes himself in a Ballotpedia survey as a lifelong Clark County resident.[2][3]

James McClure Jr. served in the U.S. Air Force from 1990 to 1994, graduated from Clarksville High School, and earned an associate degree from the Community College of the Air Force in 1994.[2] His career experience includes working as an information technology professional.[2]

McClure ran for Indiana's 9th Congressional District seat in the U.S. House in the 2014 and 2016 Democratic primaries, finishing second to Bill Bailey with 25.1 percent in 2014 and third to Shelli Yoder with 10.4 percent in 2016.[2] In the 2024 Republican primary for Indiana House District 71, he received 21.8 percent of the vote and lost to Scott Hawkins.[2] In 2026 he won the Republican primary with 55.1 percent of the vote.[2]

In his Ballotpedia survey, McClure said he is a veteran who is running to represent Hoosiers rather than corporate donors, and that he has spent over thirty years fighting government overreach and corruption.[3] He said he wants to repeal what he called Indiana's complicated tax law, including SB 1, and replace it with a one-time 7 percent sales tax on real estate transfers, and that the Indiana Economic Development Corporation audit should be completed.[3] He also criticized the Meta data center project at River Ridge and called for nondisclosure agreements between Meta and local officials to be declared void.[3]

Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21. Not yet independently fact-checked.