A Republican attorney who used to work for Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears will challenge his former boss for the seat this year.
Speedway Clerk-Treasurer Philip Foust, a deputy prosecutor in Marion County from 2015 to 2021, will run against Mears, the Democratic incumbent, for a position that’s one of the most frequent targets of Republican criticism in Indianapolis.
Announcing his candidacy Feb. 5, Foust said that his experience working for Mears, who assumed the office in 2019, showed him that the current approach to criminal justice is too lenient.
“When prosecutors treat repeat offenders like victims, the result is predictable,” Foust said in a statement. “Criminals are emboldened. Actual victims are forgotten. Police officers are discouraged and undermined. Neighborhoods become less safe. That’s not compassion, it’s failure.”
With the campaign filing deadline of Feb. 6 fast approaching, both men will likely run unchallenged in the May primary. That means debate could really heat up closer to the November general election.
Why Mears faces Republican attacks
Mears, who filed for reelection Jan. 26, consistently defends his aggressive prosecution of the worst crimes like murder and sexual assault. His campaign says he has boosted homicide conviction rates, with 2025 being the third straight year in which Marion County secured guilty verdicts in at least 90% of murder trials.
But his office also has reduced prosecutions for low-level, nonviolent conduct, Mears said, announcing back in 2019 that Marion County would no longer prosecute simple marijuana possession. He says he invests in progressive approaches to addressing the root causes of crime with violence-prevention efforts and a program that diverts participants from prosecution toward housing.
In his campaign announcement, Foust made clear his intention to attack Mears for an approach that heavily factors in how systemic injustice can lead to violent crime.
“I will not be the county’s chief social worker or an extension of the public defender’s office,” Foust said. “My responsibility is to enforce the law and protect the law-abiding citizens of Marion County.”
Working under two Democrat prosecutors, Terry Curry and then Mears, Foust said he handled cases ranging from juvenile offenses to murder. A Harvard Law School graduate, he started his career with three years as an associate at a Chicago law firm.
He left the Marion County prosecutor’s office in 2021 and started working as a Realtor at Weichert, a role he maintains to this day, according to his LinkedIn. Foust was elected by special caucus to become Speedway’s clerk-treasurer — effectively the town’s chief financial officer — in January 2023. Voters elected him to a full term later that year, although he ran uncontested.
Email Indianapolis City Hall Reporter Jordan Smith at JTSmith@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X @jordantsmith09 and Bluesky @jordanaccidentally.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Speedway Republican challenges Marion County Prosecutor Mears, his former boss
Reporting by Jordan Smith, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
