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Indiana's 5th Congressional District election, 2024 (May 7 Democratic primary)

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Indiana's 5th Congressional District
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: February 9, 2024
Primary: May 7, 2024
General: November 5, 2024
How to vote
Poll times: 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Voting in Indiana
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican
DDHQ and The Hill: Safe Republican
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, 2024
See also
Indiana's 5th Congressional District
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th
Indiana elections, 2024
U.S. Congress elections, 2024
U.S. Senate elections, 2024
U.S. House elections, 2024

A Democratic Party primary took place on May 7, 2024, in Indiana's 5th Congressional District to determine which Democratic candidate would run in the district's general election on November 5, 2024.

Deborah A. Pickett advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 5.

All 435 seats were up for election. At the time of the election, Republicans had a 220 to 212 majority with three vacancies.[1] As of June 2024, 45 members of the U.S. House had announced they were not running for re-election. To read more about the U.S. House elections taking place this year, click here.

In the 2022 election in this district, the Republican candidate won 61.1%-38.9%. Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Donald Trump (R) would have defeated Joe Biden (D) 57.0%-41.0%.[2]

Candidate filing deadline Primary election General election
February 9, 2024
May 7, 2024
November 5, 2024


A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Indiana law requires a closed primary, where a voter must be affiliated with a party to vote in that party's primary. This includes if they voted for a majority of that party’s candidates in the last general election or plan to in the upcoming election. However, it is possible for any voter to vote in any party's primary so long as they meet this criteria.[3]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

This page focuses on Indiana's 5th Congressional District Democratic primary. For more in-depth information on the district's Republican primary and the general election, see the following pages:

Candidates and election results

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 5

Deborah A. Pickett defeated Ryan Pfenninger in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 5 on May 7, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Deborah A. Pickett
Deborah A. Pickett Candidate Connection
 
59.5
 
11,858
Image of Ryan Pfenninger
Ryan Pfenninger Candidate Connection
 
40.5
 
8,082

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 19,940
Candidate Connection = 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

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.

Ryan Pfenninger

Image of Ryan Pfenninger

WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "Ryan Pfenninger is a technology entrepreneur who has spent his career creating transformative software companies. Born and raised in Indianapolis, Ryan graduated from North Central High School and Indiana University in Bloomington, where he started and sold his first tech company from his dorm room. Ryan spent the last two decades building tech companies, creating jobs and investing across life science, advanced manufacturing and software. He lives in Carmel with his wife Kristina, son Jack, daughter Kate, and pets Theodore, Franklin, Jo, and Lucy."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

As an entrepreneur and job creator, I understand what businesses need to thrive: a stable environment to feel secure enough to create more jobs and a workforce matching their needs. We can bring more high-paying jobs to Indiana and continue to rebuild our manufacturing base by promoting economic stability and investing in education and training.

Women and their doctors, not the government, should make decisions on things like family planning, IVF and abortion. Roe v. Wade was good case law that worked for almost 50 years in our country. The Supreme Court shattered women’s ability to oversee their own bodies and healthcare, and we should fight to reverse that. We’ve already seen women being turned away by physicians and hospitals until their lives are deemed at risk. Worse yet, the United States’ maternal mortality rate is the highest amongst developed nations. This is what happens when politicians get between patients and their doctors.

For more than 80 years, Social Security has been an enduring promise to America’s seniors. Today it remains a safety net for seniors and offers all Americans peace of mind. Our seniors have worked their whole lives and paid into a system they expect to be there for them. We must keep our promises and ensure social security is protected for the future.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Indiana District 5 in 2024.

Deborah A. Pickett

Image of Deborah A. Pickett

WebsiteFacebook

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "I am a former U.S. Army Reservist, prior staff member with the Hudson Institute who worked on international trade and economic studies, and a community activist who has served on numerous boards and committees over the decades. My military experience with the 55th Medical Detachment and then with the 21st Support Command has given me insight into the many challenges facing military personnel and their families, as well as the complexity and lethality of the battlefield. Several generations of my family, including my daughter, have served in the U.S. Armed Forces with reverence for the principles outlined in the U.S. Constitution and love for our magnificent country. My appreciation for how interconnected and dependent we are on our international partners for markets and collaboration arises from my research at Hudson Institute, as does my understanding for the need to support and finance military alliances with foreign allies to maintain stability and peace around the world. Americans benefit immensely from these relationships and commitments that extend beyond our borders. Over the years, I have served on many different community boards and committees and dealt with a range of issues including financial management and oversight, ethical dilemmas, nursing care, parental representation on school committees, wetland mitigation, zoning and development disputes, and neighbor tensions. I am married to Neil Pickett and we have three children and four grandchildren."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

Since all rights arise from the U.S. Constitution, my first priority is to protect and preserve our democratic republic and U.S. Constitution. Many of our elected officials continue to show loyalty to a president who repeatedly violated the U.S. Constitution, tried to overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 presidential election and has repeatedly attacked the judicial system. I plan to serve in the US Congress with integrity and fealty to the U.S. Constitution and with deep appreciation for the rule of law and the principles of freedom and liberty responsible for our country's innovation and prosperity.

My second priority is my commitment to protecting our personal rights which have been under attack at the federal and state levels. I will work to codify a woman's right to an abortion. If the world were a perfect place, all men were loyal, financial resources were always secure, no acts of sexual violence occurred, good judgment prevailed all the time, and pregnancies were free from complications, we would not be having this discussion. This is not the case. We are a country that believes in personal freedom and personal responsibility. Therefore these personal decisions should be made in private without government interference and between a woman and her doctor. Government does not belong in the private lives of its citizens.

My third priority is to work to make our federal government more efficient and effective for Hoosiers and Americans, and to fund it without gamesmanship for the longterm. This means that our federal agencies are well- staffed with the expertise to devise smart solutions on our behalf and reduce program redundancies. It also means that agencies have the equipment and software to deliver services promptly and without security risk to the public. An efficient government delivers on its financial promises to hardworking Hoosiers and ensures that programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are funded. An efficient government also makes sure that humanitarian and military commitments are funded and delivered in a timely manner.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Indiana District 5 in 2024.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Indiana

Election information in Indiana: May 7, 2024, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

  • In-person: April 8, 2024
  • By mail: Received by April 8, 2024
  • Online: April 8, 2024

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

No

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

  • In-person: April 25, 2024
  • By mail: Received by April 25, 2024
  • Online: April 25, 2024

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

  • In-person: May 7, 2024
  • By mail: Received by May 7, 2024

Was early voting available to all voters?

N/A

What were the early voting start and end dates?

April 9, 2024 to May 6, 2024

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

6:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. (CST)


Campaign finance

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Ryan Pfenninger Democratic Party $110,598 $110,598 $0 As of December 31, 2024
Deborah A. Pickett Democratic Party $44,922 $40,146 $1,603 As of December 31, 2024

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2024. 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."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal 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 2024 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 was the map in use at the time of the election. Click the map below to enlarge it.

2023_01_03_in_congressional_district_05.jpg
See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2024

This section contains data on U.S. House primary election competitiveness in Indiana.

Indiana U.S. House competitiveness, 2014-2024
Office Districts/
offices 		Seats Open seats Candidates Possible primaries Contested Democratic primaries Contested Republican primaries % of contested primaries Incumbents in contested primaries % of incumbents in contested primaries
2024 9 9 3 63 18 6 8 77.8% 4 66.7%
2022 9 9 1 49 18 8 4 66.7% 3 37.5%
2020 9 9 2 78 18 9 6 83.3% 4 57.1%
2018 9 9 2 71 18 8 7 83.3% 4 57.1%
2016 9 9 2 51 18 8 8 88.9% 7 100.0%
2014 9 9 0 49 18 7 6 72.2% 6 66.7%

Post-filing deadline analysis

The following analysis covers all U.S. House districts up for election in Indiana in 2024. Information below was calculated on March 19, 2024, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.

Sixty-three candidates ran for Indiana’s nine U.S. House districts, including 18 Democrats and 45 Republicans. That’s seven candidates per district, higher than the 5.6 candidates that ran in 2022, but lower than the 8.7 candidates who ran in 2020.

Three districts—the 3rd, the 6th, and the 8th—were open, meaning no incumbents ran. That’s the most open districts in an election cycle this decade.

Rep. Jim Banks (R-3rd) did not run for re-election in order to run for the U.S. Senate, while Reps. Greg Pence (R-6th) and Larry Bucshon (R-8th) retired from public office.

Twelve candidates—four Democrats and eight Republicans—ran for the open 8th Congressional District, the most candidates to run for a seat in 2024.

Fourteen primaries—six Democratic and eight Republican—were contested in 2024. Twelve primaries were contested in 2022, 15 primaries were contested in 2020, and 15 were in 2018.

Four incumbents—one Democrat and three Republicans—faced primary challengers in 2024. That's higher than in 2022, when three incumbents faced challengers, but the same as in 2020 and 2018.

Candidates filed to run in the Republican and Democratic primaries in all eight districts, meaning no seats were guaranteed to either party.

Partisan Voter Index

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Heading into the 2024 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+11. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 11 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Indiana's 5th the 129th most Republican district nationally.[4]

2020 presidential election results

The table below shows what the vote in the 2020 presidential election would have been in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by Daily Kos.

2020 presidential results in Indiana's 5th based on 2024 district lines
Joe Biden Democratic Party Donald Trump Republican Party
41.0% 57.0%

Inside Elections Baselines

See also: Inside Elections

Inside Elections' Baseline is a figure that analyzes all federal and statewide election results from the district over the past four election cycles. The results are combined in an index estimating the strength of a typical Democratic or Republican candidate in the congressional district.[5] The table below displays the Baseline data for this district.

Inside Elections Baseline for 2024
Democratic Baseline Democratic Party Republican Baseline Republican Party Difference
38.0 58.9 R+20.9

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in Indiana, 2020

Indiana presidential election results (1900-2020)

  • 5 Democratic wins
  • 26 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
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
See also: Party control of Indiana state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Indiana's congressional delegation as of May 2024.

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 May 2024.

State executive officials in Indiana, May 2024
Office Officeholder
Governor Republican Party Eric Holcomb
Lieutenant Governor Republican Party Suzanne Crouch
Secretary of State Republican Party Diego Morales
Attorney General Republican Party Todd Rokita

State legislature

Indiana State Senate

Party As of February 2024
     Democratic Party 10
     Republican Party 40
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 50

Indiana House of Representatives

Party As of February 2024
     Democratic Party 30
     Republican Party 70
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 100

Trifecta control

The table below shows the state's trifecta status from 1992 until the 2024 election.

Indiana Party Control: 1992-2024
No Democratic trifectas  •  Sixteen 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
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
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
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

Ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Indiana in the 2024 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Indiana, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2024
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 2/6/2024 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 7/1/2024 Source

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ A majority in the U.S. House when there are no vacancies is 218 seats.
  2. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2020 presidential results by congressional district, for new and old districts," accessed September 15, 2022
  3. ↑ Indiana General Assembly, "Ind. Code § 3–10–1–6," accessed October 20, 2025
  4. ↑ Cook Political Report, "The 2022 Cook Partisan Voting Index (Cook PVI℠)," accessed January 10, 2024
  5. ↑ Inside Elections, "Methodology: Inside Elections’ Baseline by Congressional District," December 8, 2023


Indiana's current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
Jim Banks (R)
Todd Young (R)
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
Jim Baird (R)
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
Republican Party (9)
Democratic Party (2)


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