As part of Indonesia’s decentralization process, direct elections of regional heads, gubernur and bupati, have been introduced. These elections are referred to by the abbreviation Pilkada. With enhanced regional autonomy and the increased budget, the position of bupati has become very attractive. Those aspiring to become bupati must now compete to win the votes of the electorate. This article investigates a campaign in East Sumba and the candidates’ strategies under these new conditions. It seeks to discover whether the entrenched political-administrative elites generally succeed in capturing this latest institution of democracy, too, or if a direct election opens up opportunities for new candidates. This essay thus contributes to the debate on the development of democracy in Indonesia by examining the case of pilkada in East Sumba.