Who are these candidates?

Who are these guys?
Jay County Democrats have to be scratching their heads as they go to the polls to select a nominee for Congress.
Once again, thanks to the Indiana General Assembly, the county has been bounced to a new congressional district. And once again, it looks as if Jay is something of a political afterthought.
To his credit, Republican Marlin Stutzman, who succeeded Mark Souder after his resignation, has been a visible presence locally.
Even though the county is technically part of Mike Pence’s district until the election, Stutzman wasted no time getting to know the locals after the maps were re-drawn.
But the other side of the ballot has pretty much missing in action.
Of the six 3rd district candidates who filed for the Democratic nomination in the May primary, only one — to the best of our knowledge — has traveled down from Fort Wayne to campaign in Jay County.
That’s Kevin R. Boyd.
The others seeking the Democratic nomination are Justin Kuhnle, David Sowards, Tommy Schrader, Stephen Hope, and John Roberson.
Never heard of them? Join the club.
Here’s a thumbnail sketch of each, thanks to the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette:
• Boyd, 57, is pastor at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Fort Wayne.
• Hope, 63, is a retired carpenter.
• Kuhnle, 31, is a social caseworker.
• Roberson, 62, is a retired truck driver.
• Schrader, 49, was a candidate for Fort Wayne City Council in 2011 but was later disqualified after it was learned he was living out of state.
• Sowards, 48, is a freelance writer.
Three of them — Boyd, Hope, and Schrader — have run for Congress before. None of the candidates has ever served in elected office.
Do any of them have a chance of defeating Stutzman in November? Barring some sort of miracle, the answer would have to be no. The 3rd District is strongly Republican and hasn’t been represented by a Democrat since 1992.
But you would think that the district Democratic organization could come up with someone more credible than the current offerings. Or has the party become so dysfunctional that it’s just going to forfeit this congressional seat permanently? — J.R.
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