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Lee Hamilton’s nephew wins Bloomington primary

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WISH) – Bloomington will have a new mayor following the Nov. election and the favorite in that race comes from a famous political family in Indiana.

John Hamilton won the Democratic primary in Bloomington with a surprising margin, 58 percent to 40 percent, over his closest challenger.

Hamilton is the nephew of longtime Congressman and Indiana political legend Lee Hamilton.

This was his second bid for mayor in Bloomington.

He has experience leading both the Family and Social Services Agency (FSSA) and the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) in state government.

“Most of my government experience is at the state level, but this is my hometown and I love it and I’m very excited about this place,” said Hamilton. “It’s a wonderful community to live in and great potential and I am so excited about the chance to work with the wonderful people of Bloomington to chart where we’re going to go next.”

Hamilton will face a Republican challenger in Nov. but that challenger, John Turnbull, received only 344 votes in an uncontested primary.

Bloomington is predominately Democratic and, while Hamilton said he will take the race seriously, he is a prohibitive favorite in this race.

He hopes to replace retiring Democrat Mark Kruzan.