Indiana's 4th Congressional District election, 2026 (May 5 Republican primary)
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| Indiana's 4th Congressional District |
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| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: February 6, 2026 |
| Primary: May 5, 2026 General: November 3, 2026 |
| How to vote |
| Poll times:
6 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| Race ratings |
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending Inside Elections: Solid Republican Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026 |
| See also |
1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th Indiana elections, 2026 U.S. Congress elections, 2026 U.S. Senate elections, 2026 U.S. House elections, 2026 |
Four candidates are running for the Republican nomination for Indiana's 4th Congressional District on May 5, 2026. Two candidates lead in media attention: Incumbent Jim Baird (R) and Craig Haggard (R).
Baird, who turns 81 in June, is the 4th-oldest Republican in the U.S. House. The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter's Erin Covey wrote that in 2024, Baird had "a lackluster primary performance, winning 65% against two no-name challengers."[1] Haggard first announced his intentions to run for the district in November 2023, initially saying he would run after Baird retired.[2]
Baird is the incumbent, first elected in 2018. He is running on his experience and says, "From my service [as an Army veteran] to my work in Congress, I have never wavered in my commitment to my community and my country. I will continue that fight on the House floor to ensure the people of the 4th District have a strong voice in Washington."[3] He is also campaigning on advancing President Donald Trump's (R) agenda, writing on Facebook, "I will continue working with President Trump... to deliver results for Hoosiers, growing our economy, standing up for American agriculture, strengthening our military, securing our border, and putting America First."[4] Trump endorsed Baird.[5]
Haggard was elected to the state House in 2022. In a press statement announcing his campaign, Haggard said he "plans on focusing his efforts in Congress on better securing our national security, tackling the growing debt crisis, and ensuring our military and veterans are properly represented and cared for."[6] He is also campaigning on being more in touch with local and grassroots organizations: "I plan to campaign in every county in the district and grow a strong, grassroots coalition of everyday Hoosiers who are ready for effective, commonsense representation."[7] Haggard's campaign website features endorsements from local officials and unions.[8]
The Indianapolis Star's Marissa Meador wrote that Baird was "likely to face a messy Republican primary against a Statehouse Republican."[9] Haggard has campaigned on bringing new leadership to the district, saying, "I respect the Congressman's service and what he has done, but [what] I think from talking to people is they want someone to show up. They want someone to govern, fight and champion things in D.C., and I think I will do that."[10] Baird has been critical of Haggard's attacks and says of his record, "I know how to stay focused under fire. I will not be distracted by political games. My mission remains serving the people of the 4th District and earning their support in 2026."[3]
As of the most recent financial reports filed with the Federal Election Commission, Baird raised $139 thousand and spent $172 thousand, and Haggard raised $99 thousand and spent $43 thousand.
Chad Elwartowski (R) and Anthony Hustedt-Mai (R) are also running.
This page focuses on Indiana's 4th Congressional District Republican primary. For more in-depth information on the district's Democratic primary and the general election, see the following pages:
- Indiana's 4th Congressional District election, 2026 (May 5 Democratic primary)
- Indiana's 4th Congressional District election, 2026
Candidates and election results
Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:
- Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
- Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies
Republican primary
Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 4
Incumbent Jim Baird (R), Chad Elwartowski (R), Craig Haggard (R), and Anthony Hustedt-Mai (R) are running in the Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 4 on May 5, 2026.
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Voting information
- See also: Voting in Indiana
Candidate profiles
This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.
Party: Republican Party
Incumbent: Yes
Political Office:
- United States House of Representatives (Assumed office: 2019)
- Indiana House of Representatives (2010-2018)
- Putnam County Commissioner (2006-2010)
Biography: Baird earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in animal science from Purdue University in 1967 and 1969, respectively, and his doctorate in monogastric nutrition from the University of Kentucky in 1975. He served in the United States Army from 1969 to 1972. Baird worked as a farmer and was a small business owner.
Show sources
Sources: The Paper of Montgomery County, "Jim Baird Running for Re-Election," August 15, 2025; Facebook, "Jim Baird on Facebook, January 23, 2026," January 23, 2026; United States Congress Biographical Directory, "BAIRD, James," accessed January 30, 2026; Congressman Jim Baird, "Biography," accessed January 30, 2026
Party: Republican Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office:
- Indiana House of Representatives (Assumed office: 2022)
Biography: Haggard earned his bachelor's degree from Hanover College in 1991. He served in the United States Marine Corps from 1991 to 2000 and the Indiana Air National Guard from 2001 to 2012. Haggard owned a business and worked as a commercial broker.
Show sources
Sources: Craig Haggard 2026 campaign website, "Craig Haggard Announces Candidacy for Congress," August 11, 2025; The Sun Commercial, "Craig Haggard officially files to run for Indiana’s 4th Congressional District," January 8, 2026; The Indianapolis Star, "Congressman Jim Baird is officially running for re-election. He's likely to face a messy primary," January 14, 2026; LinkedIn, "Craig Haggard," accessed January 30, 2026; Indiana House of Representatives Republican Caucus, "Craig Haggard," accessed January 30, 2026
Party: Republican Party
Incumbent: No
Submitted Biography: "Anthony Hustedt-Mai is a veteran, scholar, educator, and dedicated public servant. He offers a rare fusion of real-world military leadership and deep academic expertise. Now actively campaigning to represent Indiana District 4, he’s ready to bring integrity, service, and results to Washington. Raised with strong Midwestern values of hard work, integrity, and service, Anthony brings a lifetime of experience and leadership to his run for Congress. With a background spanning military service, security, community service, small business, and agriculture, he is committed to putting people over politics and ensuring every citizen’s voice is heard."
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
No candidate in this race has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.
Campaign ads
This section includes a selection of up to three campaign advertisements per candidate released in this race, as well as links to candidates' YouTube, Vimeo, and/or Facebook video pages. If you are aware of other links that should be included, please email us.
Jim Baird
Ballotpedia did not come across any campaign ads for Jim Baird while conducting research on this election. If you are aware of any ads that should be included, please email us.
Craig Haggard
View more ads here:
Endorsements
This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.
| Republican primary endorsements |
|---|
| Endorser |
Campaign finance
Candidate spending
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Baird | Republican Party | $194,546 | $268,478 | $140,678 | As of December 31, 2025 |
| Chad Elwartowski | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Craig Haggard | Republican Party | $118,710 | $57,627 | $121,725 | As of December 31, 2025 |
| Anthony Hustedt-Mai | Republican Party | $5,324 | $4,788 | $536 | As of December 31, 2025 |
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Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
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Satellite spending
- See also: Satellite spending
Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[11][12][13]
If available, this section includes links to online resources tracking satellite spending in this election. To notify us of a resource to add, email us.
| By candidate | By election |
|---|---|
District analysis
Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.
- District map - A map of the district in place for the election.
- Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2026 U.S. House elections in the state.
- Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
- State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
Below is the district map in place for this election. Click the map below to enlarge it.
Partisan Voter Index
Heading into the 2026 elections, based on results from the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district is R+15. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 15 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Indiana's 4th the 73rd most Republican district nationally.[14]
2020 presidential election results
The table below shows what the vote in the 2024 presidential election was in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by The Downballot.
Kamala Harris  | Donald Trump |
|---|---|
| 34.0% | 64.0% |
Presidential voting history
- See also: Presidential election in Indiana, 2024
Indiana presidential election results (1900-2024)
- 5 Democratic wins
- 27 Republican wins
| Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning Party | R | R | R | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | R | R | R | R |
Congressional delegation
The table below displays the partisan composition of Indiana's congressional delegation as of October 2025.
| Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Indiana | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | U.S. Senate | U.S. House | Total |
| Democratic | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Republican | 2 | 7 | 9 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vacancies | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 9 | 11 |
State executive
The table below displays the officeholders in Indiana's top four state executive offices as of October 2025.
| Office | Officeholder |
|---|---|
| Governor | Mike Braun |
| Lieutenant Governor | Micah Beckwith |
| Secretary of State | Diego Morales |
| Attorney General | Todd Rokita |
State legislature
Indiana State Senate
| Party | As of January 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 10 | |
| Republican Party | 39 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 1 | |
| Total | 50 | |
Indiana House of Representatives
| Party | As of January 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 30 | |
| Republican Party | 70 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 100 | |
Trifecta control
Indiana Party Control: 1992-2025
No Democratic trifectas • Seventeen years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | D | D | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
District history
The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2020.
General election
General election for U.S. House Indiana District 4
Incumbent Jim Baird (R) defeated Derrick Holder (D) and Ashley Groff (L) in the general election for U.S. House Indiana District 4 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Jim Baird (R) | 64.8 | 209,794 |
 | Derrick Holder (D) | 30.9 | 100,091 | |
| Ashley Groff (L) | 4.2 | 13,710 | ||
| Total votes: 323,595 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary
Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 4
Derrick Holder (D) defeated Rimpi Girn (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 4 on May 7, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Derrick Holder | 63.5 | 7,709 |
 | Rimpi Girn | 36.5 | 4,436 | |
| Total votes: 12,145 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Republican primary
Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 4
Incumbent Jim Baird (R) defeated Charles Bookwalter (R) and John Piper (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 4 on May 7, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jim Baird | 64.7 | 48,723 |
 | Charles Bookwalter | 27.2 | 20,505 | |
 | John Piper | 8.0 | 6,052 | |
| Total votes: 75,280 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Craig Haggard (R)
- Jerry Jones (R)
- Trent A. Lester (R)
- Christopher John Lucas (R)
General election
General election for U.S. House Indiana District 4
Incumbent Jim Baird (R) defeated Roger Day (D) in the general election for U.S. House Indiana District 4 on November 8, 2022.
| Total votes: 197,698 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary
Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 4
Roger Day (D) defeated Howard Pollchik (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 4 on May 3, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Roger Day | 68.2 | 5,680 | |
| Howard Pollchik | 31.8 | 2,648 | ||
| Total votes: 8,328 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Republican primary
Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 4
Incumbent Jim Baird (R) advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 4 on May 3, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jim Baird | 100.0 | 50,342 |
| Total votes: 50,342 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
General election
General election for U.S. House Indiana District 4
Incumbent Jim Baird (R) defeated Joe Mackey (D) in the general election for U.S. House Indiana District 4 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jim Baird (R) | 66.6 | 225,531 |
 | Joe Mackey (D) | 33.4 | 112,984 | |
| Total votes: 338,515 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary
Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 4
Joe Mackey (D) defeated Veronikka Ziol (D), Benjamin Frederick (D), and Howard Pollchik (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 4 on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Joe Mackey | 53.9 | 18,086 |
| Veronikka Ziol | 28.7 | 9,630 | ||
| Benjamin Frederick | 13.4 | 4,484 | ||
| Howard Pollchik | 4.0 | 1,328 | ||
| Total votes: 33,528 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Republican primary
Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 4
Incumbent Jim Baird (R) advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 4 on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jim Baird | 100.0 | 65,806 |
| Total votes: 65,806 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Jeffrey Alberts (R)
Ballot access
The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Indiana in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Indiana, click here.
| Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2026 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Office | Party | Signatures required | Filing fee | Filing deadline | Source |
| Indiana | U.S. House | Ballot-qualified party | N/A (only declaration of candidacy required) | N/A | 2/6/2026 | Source |
| Indiana | U.S. House | Unaffiliated | 2% of total votes cast for the secretary of state in the district in the last election | N/A | 7/15/2026 | Source |
2026 battleground elections
- See also: Battlegrounds
This is a battleground election. Other 2026 battleground elections include:
- Michigan's 7th Congressional District election, 2026
- Tennessee's 9th Congressional District election, 2026 (August 6 Republican primary)
- United States Senate election in North Carolina, 2026
See also
- Indiana's 4th Congressional District election, 2026 (May 5 Democratic primary)
- Indiana's 4th Congressional District election, 2026
- United States House elections in Indiana, 2026 (May 5 Democratic primaries)
- United States House elections in Indiana, 2026 (May 5 Republican primaries)
- United States House Democratic Party primaries, 2026
- United States House Republican Party primaries, 2026
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2026
- U.S. House battlegrounds, 2026
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2026 Indiana House Analysis: Messy Primaries Loom for Both Parties," April 22, 2025
- ↑ Indiana Capital Chronicle, "State Rep. Haggard announces congressional bid — if incumbent doesn’t run," November 8, 2023
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Paper of Montgomery County, "Jim Baird Running for Re-Election," August 15, 2025
- ↑ Facebook, "Jim Baird on Facebook, January 23, 2026," January 23, 2026
- ↑ Indianapolis Star, "Trump endorses Spartz, other Indiana members of Congress for re-election. Here's who else," January 23, 2026
- ↑ Craig Haggard 2026 campaign website, "Craig Haggard Announces Candidacy for Congress," August 11, 2025
- ↑ The Sun Commercial, "Craig Haggard officially files to run for Indiana’s 4th Congressional District," January 8, 2026
- ↑ Craig Haggard 2026 campaign website, "Homepage-Endorsements," accessed January 28, 2025
- ↑ The Indianapolis Star, "Congressman Jim Baird is officially running for re-election. He's likely to face a messy primary," January 14, 2026
- ↑ Parke County Post, "Haggard talks session, redistricting and running for District 4 seat," September 2, 2025
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," December 12, 2021
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)," accessed July 1, 2025
