Although half of Indiana’s state Senate seats are up for reelection in 2024, the races are so far dominated by an overwhelming number of incumbents – most of whom are running unopposed in the May primary.
In fact, there are only nine contested races out of 25 on May 7.
Just one Senate incumbent did not file for reelection in 2024, marking the lowest number of retiring lawmakers in the chamber since at least 2010, according to the Indiana secretary of state.
The outgoing Sen. John Crane, R-Avon, took office in November 2016. In District 24 – which includes Greencastle – Brett Clark and Anne Engelhardt are running to replace Crane.
Members of the Senate serve four-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Legislators assume office the day after their general election.
Republicans in the upper chamber have a 40-10 supermajority. The Republican Party controls the office of governor and both chambers of the legislature.
Senate Democrats have remained a minority for more than a decade, meaning that Republicans don’t need the cooperation of any of their colleagues from across the aisle present to conduct legislative business.
Republicans also control the fundraising fight in the Senate. Campaign finance reports filed Friday shows the Senate Majority Campaign Committee raised $190,000 this year and has $1.7 million cash on hand. The Indiana Senate Democratic Caucus, meanwhile, has raised only $32,000 and has $193,000 cash on hand.
Incumbents largely unopposed
Republican incumbents running unopposed in their respective Senate district primaries:
• Ed Charbonneau, Valparaiso, District 5
• Ryan Mishler, Mishawaka, District 9
• Blake Doriot, Goshen, District 12
• Sue Glick, LaGrange, District 13
• Stacey Donato, Logansport, District 18
• Scott Baldwin, Noblesville, District 20
• Mike Crider, Greenfield, District 28
• Aaron Freeman, Indianapolis, District 32
• Cyndi Carrasco, Indianapolis, District 36
• Jean Leising, Oldenburg, District 42
• Eric Koch, Bedford, District 44
• Vaneta Becker, Evansville, District 50.
Meanwhile, four incumbent Democratic senators are running unopposed:
• Lonnie Randolph, East Chicago, District 2
• Fady Qaddoura, Indianapolis, District 30
• Minority Leader Greg Taylor, Indianapolis, District 33
• Shelli Yoder, Bloomington, District 40.
The only Democratic senators to be opposed are Sen. David Vinzant of Gary in District 3, which encompasses portions of Lake County and communities like Gary and Merrillville, as well as Sen. David Niezgodski of South Bend in District 10.
Vinzant is being challenged by Mark Spencer, a Gary City Council member and arts director for Gary Community Schools.
The 3rd District Indiana Senate seat has been controlled by Democrats for decades. In January, party leaders in the district chose Vinzant over Spencer to fill the seat after Eddie Melton resigned to become mayor of Gary. Melton has since expressed his support for Spencer in the Senate primary.
Republicans running in the District 3 primary are Maya Angelou Brown and Will Miller.
Niezgodski is running for a third term and faces a challenge from St. Joseph County Treasurer Tim Swager. There are no Republicans running in the District 10 primary.
Democratic Sen. Jean Breaux of Indianapolis died last month after a prolonged illness that caused her to miss the entire 2024 legislative session.
Indianapolis City-County Councilor La Keisha Jackson won a caucus last week to fill Breaux’s remaining term. But because the seat was up for reelection, and Breaux was the only one appearing on the primary ballot, a second caucus will occur after May 7 and before July 3 to fill the November ballot vacancy for the four-year term.
Where Republicans face challengers
GOP senators in five districts do face competitors, though.
In District 7, northwest of Indianapolis, incumbent Brian Buchanan, R-Lebanon, is being challenged by Joseph Bookwalter.
In northeast Indiana’s District 16, Warner Electric commercial manager Scott Wise is challenging Justin Busch, R-Fort Wayne, who has held his position since 2018. Wise ran as a Libertarian for Indiana’s 3rd Congressional District seat in 2014 but was unsuccessful.
Mike Bohacek, R-Michiana Shores, who entered the Senate in 2016, has two challengers – the most in any state Senate primary races. Also running in northern Indiana’s District 8 are Spencer England and Joe Layne.
England, a military veteran, said his priorities include more accessible care for veterans, protecting gun rights, combating illegal immigration and protecting parental rights. Layne’s platform largely focuses on protecting state’s rights, defending “traditional conservative values,” and promoting “a society where individuals and families can thrive, guided by faith, freedom and the principles that have made Indiana strong.”
In District 35, comprising the eastern edge of Hendricks and southwestern Marion counties, first-time Republican candidate Phillip Clay is challenging embattled Sen. Michael Young, R-Indianapolis. Young is among the longest-serving lawmakers in the Statehouse, having been in the Senate for 24 years and in the House for 14 years.
The incumbent left the Senate Republican caucus in 2022 during a special session targeting abortion restrictions. He expressed concern in a letter about exceptions in the ban and also listed other reasons for his departure.
Since then, Young has lost his chairmanship of the Senate Corrections and Criminal Law Committee and was later removed from the Senate Judiciary Committee because he did not attend meetings, according to the party leadership.
Additionally, Young’s longtime chamber seat surrounded by fellow Republicans was moved to the corner by the Democrats.
Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville, also has a challenger in the May primary. The incumbent has been in office since 2012, taking a seat that was held by his father for a number of years before.
Jay Hart, a self-described “full-time advocate for conservative policy,” said he’s seeking the District 37 seat to oust Bray because the district has not been well-represented since Bray took on the leadership role. Hart maintains it’s time for someone new to enter office.
Some seeking federal office
Three state senators, all Republicans, are seeking congressional seats. None of their state seats are up for reelection in 2024, giving them a fall back if unsuccessful in the primary or general elections.
In January, Andy Zay of Huntington announced his run for Indiana’s 3rd Congressional District seat. It’s a crowded primary race with eight Republican candidates seeking to replace U.S. Rep. Jim Banks, who is leaving the position as he runs for Indiana’s open U.S. Senate seat.
During his eight-year tenure in the state Senate, Zay has emphasized border security and a Catholicism-driven anti-abortion stance. He first took office in December 2016. His current term ends in November 2026.
Also in a deep pool of GOP candidates is Jeff Raatz, R-Richmond, who is running against six other Republicans in the race for Indiana’s 6th Congressional District seat.
The other candidates are Jamison Carrier of Greenwood, Darin Childress of Richmond, Bill Frazier of Muncie, former state Rep. John Jacob of Indianapolis, Jefferson Shreve of Indianapolis, and current state Rep. Mike Speedy of Indianapolis. The winner of the race will face Columbus Democrat Cinde Wirth in the fall.
Running for Indiana’s open 8th Congressional District seat is Mark Messmer, R-Jasper. The District 48 senator’s candidacy comes after U.S. Rep. Larry Bucshon announced he would not seek reelection.
Messmer has been in the Indiana General Assembly since 2008 – as a member of the House of Representatives from 2008 to 2014 before being elected to the Senate in 2014. He previously was in leadership in the Senate but lost his posts after challenging current Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray in 2022.
Indiana Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Indiana Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Niki Kelly for questions: info@indianacapitalchronicle.com. Follow Indiana Capital Chronicle on Facebook and Twitter.
