By SAMANTHA HORTON for WFYI
Marion County voters this November will choose between two candidates for prosecutor. The office is responsible for making decisions on criminal charges and represents the state in the Marion County Superior Courts.
It is also responsible for maintaining public safety. The prosecutor’s term is four years.
The county includes Indianapolis and is the most populated county in the state with more than 992,000 people.
Incumbent Democrat Ryan Mears seeks his third term. He is challenged by Republican Philip Foust.
Mears first became prosecutor in 2019, when Democratic precinct committee members selected him to replace Terry Curry, who resigned because of an ongoing battle with prostate cancer. He won his first full term in 2022.
Foust is the current Town of Speedway Clerk-Treasurer. Local precinct committee members elected him in 2023. Foust previously worked as a deputy prosecutor in Marion County under both Mears and Curry.
The Marion County prosecutor race comes at a time when Republican lawmakers and state officials, including Gov. Mike Braun, have criticized public safety in Indianapolis and singled out the prosecutor’s office. Those detractors say Mears is soft on crime.
According to Mayor Joe Hogsett’s administration, there has been a 62% reduction in criminal homicides and a 48% reduction in non-fatal shooting incidents since 2021. This year, the city expanded its 2022 Gun Violence Reduction Strategy to more directly address youth gun violence.
Foust is pushing a tougher stance on juvenile crime — to hold youth accountable and aggressively prosecute repeat offenders.
WFYI contacted each campaign to conduct candidate interviews. We used voter feedback to guide our questions. For candidates who did not respond, information was gathered from websites and social media for a “Top priorities” note. Candidates are listed in alphabetical order.
Philip Foust
Personal information provided by the candidate.
Party: Republican
Website: philipfoust.com
Age: 42
Occupation: Clerk Treasurer, Town of Speedway
Residence: Speedway
Notable donors: Will update when information is released
Foust accepted WFYI’s invitation to an interview. Below is the full, unedited video interview and transcript. WFYI fact checked statements about publicly available data.
Ryan Mears
Personal information provided by the candidate.
Incumbent
Party: Democrat
Website: ryanmears.com
Age: 45
Occupation: Prosecutor, Marion County
Notable donors: Will update when information is released
Mears accepted WFYI’s invitation to an interview. Below is the full, unedited video interview and transcript. WFYI fact checked statements about publicly available data.
View the full article at WFYI.
