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Indiana's 8th Congressional District election, 2026
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← 2024
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| Indiana's 8th 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 |
All U.S. House districts, including the 8th Congressional District of Indiana, are holding elections in 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. The primary is May 5, 2026. The filing deadline is February 6, 2026. For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:
- Indiana's 8th Congressional District election, 2026 (May 5 Democratic primary)
- Indiana's 8th Congressional District election, 2026 (May 5 Republican primary)
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
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
General election for U.S. House Indiana District 8
Incumbent Mark Messmer, Mary Allen, Christopher Rector, Daniel George, and James Burke are running in the general election for U.S. House Indiana District 8 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Mark Messmer (R) | ||
| Mary Allen (D) | ||
Christopher Rector (D) ![]() | ||
| Daniel George (R) | ||
James Burke (Independent) ![]() | ||
= 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
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: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Submitted Biography: "I'm from Tennessee. After graduating High School. I joined the Army and served for three years in West Germany; I received an Honorable Discharge. I then went to the State of Tennessee Law Enforcement Academy and earned my P.O.S.T certification. As a Deputy Sheriff, I went undercover in a large white supremacist group that was abusing and trafficking young females and also targeted violence on the LGBTQIA community. We were able to get over a hundred felony convictions from this investigation. I again joined the Army after this for another twenty-one years. I served as a Fire Resources Coordinator for the Tennessee Division of Forestry after retiring from the Army. I'm a published Author and have written three books. I'm a disabled veteran and volunteer through a couple of groups helping other disabled veterans."
Do you have a photo that could go here? Click here to submit it for this profile!
Party: Independent
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Submitted Biography: "Pro-choice, pro-union, pro-lgbqt+, trans women are women and trans men are men and what theyre doing isnt affecting your life in any way so leave them be, marriage and right equality, free Palestine.. firm believer that if a company makes billions in net profit they can either pay their employees a living wage or we tax the hell out of them.. there's no reason a company making 100 billion net profit should have any employee needing assistance.. I believe if the billionaires pay their far share we can have universal health care. Doge needs disbanded and we should set up forensic accountants , not kid programmers, with an office and their sole job is to audit looking for unnecessary spending like the military spending and musk spending.. I believe big money has no place in our elections and both houses of congress need to get back to working with the people.. I won't be doing fund raising, only campaigning I'm planning on is social media"
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Indiana
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. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
Survey responses from candidates in this race
Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
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James Burke (Independent)
Everyone has the right to the pursuit of their own happiness and dreams
Free Palestine
I am tired of seeing politicians using small groups of people as a punching bag – be it race, or gender identity, or sexual orientation.
Sadly, we have even Democrats trying to pander to what they think Trump voters want by peddling soft bigotry. (Doesn’t work, never has.)
I will support passing, at last, federal LGBTQ
anti-discrimination legislation.
Defend Medicare and Medicaid
These programs, while not enough, are lifelines for millions of Americans, allowing them to live with a degree of dignity. And yet there are many in Washington, too
many, who dream of dismantling them for private gain for a very few.
I will oppose ANY cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, and work to pass
improved Medicare for ALL.
Stop the Mass Deportation Machine; Pass Real
Immigration Reform
Our government is kidnapping people off the streets and imprisoning them in hellish conditions. This is unconscionable.
It is long past time for serious immigration reform.
Unfortunately, many multi-national corporations have no
interest in this. They want illegal workers with no rights
who they can pay slave wages and abuse at will. I will
support a path to citizenship and an end to the mass
deportation machine.
We need strong border security and a path to
citizenship. We cannot do one without the other.James Burke (Independent)
they come home? Why are we funding endless wars and bombing children? We fought three different wars since the last time we raised the minimum wage.
I don't pretend that I know all the answers, but I believe we can build a system that represents all the people regardless of our race, age, color, and gender. We are supposed to fight for the things we love, and this is our home. I will fight tirelessly for
it and you. It's Hoosiers first and Indiana always.James Burke (Independent)
James Burke (Independent)
James Burke (Independent)
James Burke (Independent)
James Burke (Independent)
James Burke (Independent)
James Burke (Independent)
James Burke (Independent)
James Burke (Independent)
Campaign finance
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Messmer | Republican Party | $563,885 | $224,015 | $546,976 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Mary Allen | Democratic Party | $75,531 | $19,163 | $56,368 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Christopher Rector | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Daniel George | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| James Burke | Independent | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
|
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." |
|||||
General election race ratings
- See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:
- Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
- Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
- Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[1]
- Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.
Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[2][3][4]
| Race ratings: Indiana's 8th Congressional District election, 2026 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| 12/23/2025 | 12/16/2025 | 12/9/2025 | 12/2/2025 | ||||||
| The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | |||||
| Decision Desk HQ and The Hill | Pending | Pending | Pending | Pending | |||||
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | |||||
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | |||||
| Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week. | |||||||||
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 |
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 8
Mark Messmer (R) defeated Erik Hurt (D) and K. Richard Fitzlaff (L) in the general election for U.S. House Indiana District 8 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mark Messmer (R) | 68.0 | 219,941 |
| | Erik Hurt (D) ![]() | 29.5 | 95,311 | |
| | K. Richard Fitzlaff (L) ![]() | 2.6 | 8,381 | |
| Total votes: 323,633 | ||||
= 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 8
Erik Hurt (D) defeated Edward Upton Sein (D), Michael Talarzyk (D), and Peter Priest II (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 8 on May 7, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Erik Hurt ![]() | 45.1 | 8,204 |
| | Edward Upton Sein ![]() | 22.5 | 4,087 | |
| | Michael Talarzyk ![]() | 20.9 | 3,796 | |
| Peter Priest II | 11.5 | 2,098 | ||
| Total votes: 18,185 | ||||
= 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Kellie Moore (D)
Republican primary
Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 8
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 8 on May 7, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mark Messmer | 38.5 | 30,668 |
| | John N. Hostettler | 19.7 | 15,649 | |
| | Richard Moss | 14.1 | 11,227 | |
| | Dominick Jack Kavanaugh ![]() | 11.8 | 9,397 | |
| | Kristi Risk ![]() | 9.2 | 7,350 | |
| | Luke Misner | 2.9 | 2,287 | |
| | Jim Case ![]() | 2.6 | 2,107 | |
| | Jeremy Heath | 1.2 | 944 | |
| Total votes: 79,629 | ||||
= 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Larry Bucshon (R)
- Jon Schrock (R)
General election
General election for U.S. House Indiana District 8
Incumbent Larry Bucshon (R) defeated Ray McCormick (D) and Andy Horning (L) in the general election for U.S. House Indiana District 8 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Larry Bucshon (R) | 65.7 | 141,995 |
| | Ray McCormick (D) | 31.5 | 68,109 | |
| | Andy Horning (L) ![]() | 2.7 | 5,936 | |
| Total votes: 216,040 | ||||
= 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 8
Ray McCormick (D) defeated Adnan Dhahir (D) and Peter Priest II (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 8 on May 3, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ray McCormick | 69.7 | 16,465 |
| | Adnan Dhahir ![]() | 18.7 | 4,429 | |
| Peter Priest II | 11.6 | 2,731 | ||
| Total votes: 23,625 | ||||
= 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary
Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 8
Incumbent Larry Bucshon (R) advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 8 on May 3, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Larry Bucshon | 100.0 | 47,557 |
| Total votes: 47,557 | ||||
= 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Gabriel Whitley (R)
Libertarian Party convention
Libertarian convention for U.S. House Indiana District 8
Andy Horning (L) advanced from the Libertarian Party convention for U.S. House Indiana District 8 on March 5, 2022.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Andy Horning ![]() |
= 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
General election
General election for U.S. House Indiana District 8
Incumbent Larry Bucshon (R) defeated Thomasina Marsili (D) and James Rodenberger (L) in the general election for U.S. House Indiana District 8 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Larry Bucshon (R) | 66.9 | 214,643 |
| | Thomasina Marsili (D) ![]() | 29.8 | 95,691 | |
| James Rodenberger (L) | 3.2 | 10,283 | ||
| Total votes: 320,617 | ||||
= 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 8
Thomasina Marsili (D) defeated Mike Webster (D) and Ron Drake (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 8 on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Thomasina Marsili ![]() | 36.3 | 15,097 |
| | Mike Webster ![]() | 32.6 | 13,550 | |
| | Ron Drake | 31.2 | 12,973 | |
| Total votes: 41,620 | ||||
= 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary
Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 8
Incumbent Larry Bucshon (R) advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 8 on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Larry Bucshon | 100.0 | 51,343 |
| Total votes: 51,343 | ||||
= 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Libertarian Party convention
Libertarian convention for U.S. House Indiana District 8
James Rodenberger (L) advanced from the Libertarian Party convention for U.S. House Indiana District 8 on March 7, 2020.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | James Rodenberger | |
= 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
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+18. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 18 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Indiana's 8th the 48th most Republican district nationally.[5]
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 |
|---|---|
| 31.0% | 67.0% |
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 | |
| Lieutenant Governor | |
| Secretary of State | |
| Attorney General |
State legislature
Indiana State Senate
| Party | As of October 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 10 | |
| Republican Party | 40 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 50 | |
Indiana House of Representatives
| Party | As of October 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 29 | |
| Republican Party | 70 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 1 | |
| 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 |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)," accessed July 1, 2025
