The Clinton County Sheriff has filed paperwork to explore a potential run for County Commissioner. Rich Kelly could potentially run against an incumbent commissioner president Jordan Brewer in District 3. According to the latest Indiana Election Administration Manual, a CFA-1 is an exploratory committee and is defined as:
“Sometimes a candidate who has not decided to become a candidate for a specific office may “explore” a run for office and decide to raise money toward the effort. When completing the CFA-1 the candidate would mark “exploratory” and provide an explanation in the appropriate field on the form. Once the candidate files a declaration of candidacy, the CFA-1 must be amended from “exploratory” to “principal” committee. “
Exploratory committees allow potential candidates to raise funds (above $100 threshold), conduct polling, test campaign messaging, and assess viability—before making a commitment to run. They’re often used for more complex or higher‑level races, but some local candidates use them as a way to ease into fundraising and organization. Exploratory committees are more typical in higher‑profile races such as state legislative or federal contests. Local Filing the CFA-1 does not put the candidates name on the ballot.