Everything you need to know about ranked-choice voting in one spot. Click to learn more!

Indiana's 5th Congressional District election, 2026 (May 5 Democratic primary)

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge-smaller use.png
U.S. House • Secretary of State • State executive offices • State Senate • State House • Appellate courts • State ballot measures • School boards • Municipal • All local elections by county • How to run for office
Flag of Indiana.png


← 2024
Indiana's 5th Congressional District
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge.png
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.
Voting in Indiana

Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican
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
Indiana's 5th Congressional District
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

A Democratic Party primary takes place on May 5, 2026, in Indiana's 5th Congressional District to determine which Democratic candidate will run in the district's general election on November 3, 2026.

Candidate filing deadline Primary election General election
February 6, 2026
May 5, 2026
November 3, 2026



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.[1]

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

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 5

The following candidates are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 5 on May 5, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Steven Avit
Steven Avit  Candidate Connection
Image of J.D. Ford
J.D. Ford  Candidate Connection
Image of Jackson Franklin
Jackson Franklin  Candidate Connection
Image of Phil Goss
Phil Goss
Image of Dylan McKenna
Dylan McKenna  Candidate Connection
Image of Tara Nelson
Tara Nelson  Candidate Connection
Image of Deborah A. Pickett
Deborah A. Pickett

There are no incumbents in this race.

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.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

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.

Steven Avit

Image of Steven Avit

WebsiteFacebookXYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Submitted Biography:  "I’m Steve Avitabile "Avit", a healthcare professional, small business owner, husband, and father living in Hamilton County. I’m running for Congress because too many families in Indiana’s 5th District are working harder than ever and still falling behind. I didn’t grow up planning to run for office. I built a career helping patients, running a business, and raising a family here in Indiana. Every day I see how rising costs—groceries, housing, healthcare, childcare—are squeezing working families. Meanwhile, the political system continues to reward insiders and protect those at the very top. I believe public service should be about solving problems, not climbing ladders. I’m running to bring a practical, solutions-focused voice to Washington—someone who understands small businesses, healthcare costs, and the real pressures families face. My campaign is rooted in affordability, accountability, and restoring trust in government. I believe in common-sense reforms that make life more affordable, protect Social Security and Medicare, strengthen local communities, and ensure elected officials answer to the people—not special interests. I’m not a career politician. I’m a dad who got tired of watching the system work better for the powerful than for everyday Hoosiers."

Key Messages

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

Affordability Comes First The cost of living is breaking families across Indiana’s 5th District. Groceries, rent, healthcare, and childcare costs have surged while wages haven’t kept pace. Washington keeps talking, but families need relief. I will prioritize lowering everyday costs, protecting Social Security and Medicare, reducing prescription drug prices, and ending tax policies that favor billionaires over working families. Congress should focus on helping people get ahead—not protecting insiders.

Accountability and Anti-Corruption Voters deserve representatives who work for them—not for lobbyists, corporate PACs, or personal gain. I support stronger ethics rules, full financial transparency for elected officials, and banning corporate PAC money from influencing policy decisions. If you serve in Congress, your loyalty should be to the people in your district. Period. Restoring trust requires real transparency and real consequences for corruption.

Healthcare and Economic Security As a healthcare professional, I’ve seen firsthand how medical costs and insurance complexity strain families. We need a system that reduces costs, strengthens Medicare, and ensures people aren’t one illness away from financial disaster. Economic security also means protecting Social Security, supporting small businesses, investing in workforce development, and ensuring families can build stable lives here in Indiana. Public policy should strengthen the middle class—not hollow it out.

J.D. Ford

Image of J.D. Ford

WebsiteFacebookXYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Submitted Biography:  "J.D. Ford is an experienced two-term IN State Senator and candidate for Congress in IN’s 5th Congressional District, bringing a working-class perspective to Washington. J.D. Ford entered the Indiana Statehouse in 2018 as a rare kind of public servant–one determined to do more than cast votes, but to show up, listen, and deliver for his constituents. As a legislator who isn’t independently wealthy, J.D. knows firsthand what Hoosiers face every day: rising healthcare costs, higher grocery bills, and policies too often written for the wealthy instead of working families. He flipped a long-held red district—Indiana Senate District 29—by outworking and doing his best to connect with voters. They chose a leader focused on service, not status—someone willing to fight to lower the cost of lifesaving medication, strengthen public education, and ensure every Hoosier gets a fair shot. J.D. learned the value of hard work from his parents – his father was a union truck driver and his mother an assisted living administrator. From his grandparents, who served their community as local officials, he learned early that public service is about people, not power. Those values guide him through his nonprofit career and his work in the Senate. J.D. is the first, and so far only, openly LGBTQ+ member of the IN General Assembly. He lives with his dog, Stella, and his cat, Sir Aaron Purr. Outside the legislature, he enjoys sports, reading, and spending time with family and friends."

Key Messages

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

AFFORDABILITY - Whether you're in Carmel or Kokomo, you feel the squeeze at the checkout line and in your monthly bills because a few giant corporations value record profits over your budget. We have a monopoly problem, and I’m going to tackle it by restoring competition to the market. I’ll work to block anti-competitive hospital and insurance mergers, block grocery mega-mergers that kill local choice, and ensure our utility bills don't skyrocket just to subsidize energy-hungry data centers for massive corporations. An economy that only works for those at the top is a rigged economy, and you deserve a representative who fights to put that power back into your hands.

CARE - Whether you’re looking for a good daycare or a quality senior living facility, the weight of providing care shouldn't break your spirit or your budget. Let's expand the child and dependent care tax credit, establish national minimum staffing standards for nursing homes to ensure safety, and lower healthcare premiums by stopping anti-competitive hospital mergers. We must treat these services as essential infrastructure by investing in the people who provide care and capping the costs for the families who need it. No one should have to choose between a paycheck and a loved one’s well-being. Hoosiers look out for one another, and we need a government that does too.

HOOSIER VOICES - D.C. feels like a closed room where decisions are made about us, but never with us. But, you are the expert on what our community needs, which is why I’m bringing Hoosier Voices directly to the halls of Congress. I’ll maintain the same open-door policy I had in the Statehouse, hosting regular town halls, being the most accessible representative you've ever met, and ensuring our federal policy is driven by your lived experiences rather than special interest demands. I’m not asking for your vote just to go to D.C.; I’m asking to bring you with me. You deserve a government that actually listens, and together, we’re going to make sure the 5th District is never left out of the conversation again. Reach out with your concerns.

Jackson Franklin

Image of Jackson Franklin

WebsiteFacebookXYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Submitted Biography:  "Hello everyone, I am Jackson Franklin. I am a Muncie resident and currently serving as a Staff Sergeant in the Indiana Army National Guard, along with my two triplet brothers. I’ve been serving as a combat medic since 2019 and deployed to Kosovo in 2023. I am grateful to the Army for sending me to paramedic school, where I became a nationally registered paramedic. I have worked on a congressional campaign for this district in 2022 as a policy advisor and volunteered in a handful of races in and around Muncie. I have been greatly inspired by the likes of Bernie Sanders and others in the progressive movement to champion policies that prioritize fairness, equality, and opportunity for all. I believe in fighting for healthcare as a human right, investing in education, fighting against corruption, standing up for the working class, and ensuring that every voice is heard. That is why I have pledged never to take any corporate money and will fight the political establishment to end corruption in this country. This campaign is committed to real change that benefits all of us, not just the wealthy. That's why our campaign slogan is "People Over Profits!" I am not running for Congress to climb some political ladder; I am running because working people in this district are getting left behind by a system and a representative that prioritizes the wants of the very wealthy over the needs of the rest of us. For too long, the working class has been ignored; this campaign will change that"

Key Messages

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

This campaign is dedicated to standing up for the working class of this district and will bring the people's voice to Congress, not more corporate donors. Corporate lobbyists and other special interest groups have a stranglehold on our democracy, as they influence our politicians to serve their interests instead of the voters they swore to serve in the first place. This campaign is proud to say that we are a grassroots campaign, meaning we will never accept any corporate lobby money and will focus on what the working-class people of the 5th district want because that is what our republic is supposed to be about in the first place. We will fight to overturn Citizens United, ban corporate lobbying, and move to public funding of elections.

Our healthcare system is fundamentally broken. More than 70,000 Americans die every year due to a lack of healthcare, more than 30 million Americans still don’t have health insurance, and even more are underinsured. That is why this campaign is calling for our country to catch up to the rest of the developed world and guarantee healthcare for all to everyone across the country, and is why we proudly advocates for Medicare for all. Even for those with insurance, costs are so high that medical bills are the number one cause of bankruptcy in the United States. As a paramedic, I have witnessed many people turn away from life-saving care because they did not want to undergo the high cost of our healthcare system. This is unacceptable.

Standing up for human rights and accountability. Currently, we are witnessing an administration that is fighting to roll back many of the basic human and constitutional rights that people across this country have fought and died for. Once in Congress, I will continue to fight to uphold the Constitution and hold our leaders who have broken the law accountable, and fight to protect and expand women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, and other human rights. We must fight to uphold the rule of law and hold those accountable who have broken it, no matter what their position is, especially the President of the United States. We need to unapologetically fight for education, housing, healthcare, living wages, and much more, all as the human rights they are.

Dylan McKenna

Image of Dylan McKenna

WebsiteFacebookYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Submitted Biography:  "My parents brought me home from the hospital to a tiny one-bedroom apartment around the corner from the house where my dad grew up in Madison, Indiana. They taught high school and my dad also coached varsity basketball. There was no money for childcare, so they brought me along wherever they went, serving their community while that same community helped them take care of me. After my sister was born, my dad went back to school at Notre Dame, my mom worked to pay the bills, and we somehow got by on a $20 per week grocery budget. This time, there was childcare available in the apartment of a woman in the next building over. Looking back, I realized something so important that brings me to this moment today. America works best when neighbors are helping neighbors. My dad, when coaching me in elementary school, insisted on the same fundamental rule for our family as he did for his teams: “Everybody gets in the game.” Our current representative in Washington had her chance, and our problems are only getting worse. We all feel it. It costs a whole lot more to feed your family, it costs a whole lot more to keep them healthy, and childcare is still out of reach for so many. I am Dylan McKenna, a boring dad trying to do the right thing. I am running for Congress because I believe in our community and I still believe what my dad taught me so many years ago: Everybody gets in the game."

Key Messages

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

The Trump economy is failing, and Congressional Republicans are doing nothing to fix it. Inflation-adjusted wages have risen only 10% over the past fifty years while productivity has increased by 250%. Workers have been shut out of those gains, and as a result wealth has been redistributed upward. Our national debt is exploding, and Victoria Spartz's solution is to slash taxes for the wealthiest Americans and rubberstamp Trump's Tariff Tax, adding another $3 Trillion dollars to it. The result is a decimated middle class in a country where the richest 700 Americans hold more wealth than the 150 million Americans at the bottom. American workers and Hoosier families deserve better.

Outside of a legitimate national emergency, only Congress can impose tariffs. This power is written into the Constitution and is reserved for the Legislative Branch. Despite this, our representative, Victoria Spartz, has refused to use that power. She has surrendered it to President Trump, and Hoosiers are paying the price as the cost of everyday goods has gone up. Victoria Spartz could end Trump's Tariff Tax, but she chooses not to and you are paying for it.

For too long, Americans have relied on politicians to act with honor when it comes to financial self-dealing. The honor system does not work. President Trump has used his office to secure billions of dollars of personal income for himself and his family while American families have dealt with rising inflation and health care costs. On my first day in office, I will introduce a bill that requires any person elected to the Presidency to place all their assets in a blind trust and prohibits them from earning any outside income while they are President. I will also introduce legislation that will also introduce legislation that will make it illegal for any member of the House or Senate to actively trade in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.

Tara Nelson

Image of Tara Nelson

WebsiteFacebook

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Submitted Biography:  "Tara Nelson is a seasoned business transformation and IT leader with over twenty years of experience leading complex, large-scale initiatives in the finance, pharmaceutical, healthcare, and public sectors. She specializes in global system implementations and AI-driven solutions for mission-critical programs that drive measurable outcomes. Her leadership includes spearheading Indiana’s Tax Amnesty 2015 program, a high-stakes statewide initiative that generated $200 million in revenue. Tara holds an Executive MBA from Purdue University, with international study in Malaysia and Singapore, and brings a disciplined, results-oriented approach supported by PMP, Agile, Lean, and Six Sigma Green Belt credentials. She is known for steady, accountable leadership that strengthens operations, improves performance, and delivers practical solutions at scale. In recognition of her public leadership, she was honored at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards at Carnegie Hall following her 2012 U.S. Congressional run. A lifelong Hoosier, Tara grew up in Lafayette, Indiana, where she attended St. Ann’s Catholic Church and Harrison High School. She has called Carmel home for the past six years. Tara is the proud mother of her daughter, Alexandria, a mechanic, and they share a passion for supercars, especially Lamborghinis. Tara’s father and grandfather were members of the United Auto Workers, and both of her grandfathers served in World War II - in the Army Air Force and the Navy."

Key Messages

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

Tara is committed to restoring constitutional checks and balances, enforcing the rule of law, and rebuilding public trust in government. She believes no president or administration is above constitutional accountability, regardless of party or politics.

Beyond accountability, Tara supports practical, common-sense solutions to the challenges facing American families. She supports immigration reform that is humane, fiscally responsible, and focused on safety—without wasting taxpayer dollars or putting lives at risk. She believes public safety is strongest when states and local communities lead, not when federal power overreaches.

Tara also supports serious healthcare reform so families are not forced into bankruptcy for basic medical care.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Indiana

Election information in Indiana: May 5, 2026, election.

What is the voter registration deadline?

  • In-person: April 6, 2026
  • By mail: Postmarked by April 6, 2026
  • Online: April 6, 2026

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

No

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

  • In-person: April 23, 2026
  • By mail: Received by April 23, 2026
  • Online: April 23, 2026

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

  • In-person: May 5, 2026
  • By mail: Received by May 5, 2026

Is early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What are the early voting start and end dates?

April 7, 2026 to May 4, 2026

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

N/A

When are polls open on Election Day?

6:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. (ET/CT)

Campaign finance

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Steven Avit Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
J.D. Ford Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Jackson Franklin Democratic Party $32,738 $22,340 $10,398 As of December 31, 2025
Phil Goss Democratic Party $76,566 $77,212 $2,685 As of December 31, 2025
Dylan McKenna Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Tara Nelson Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Deborah A. Pickett Democratic Party $8,925 $11,677 $1,517 As of December 31, 2025

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," . 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.
*** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

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.

2023_01_03_in_congressional_district_05.jpg
See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2026
Information about competitiveness will be added here as it becomes available.

Partisan Voter Index

See also: The Cook Political Report's 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+8. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 8 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Indiana's 5th the 148th most Republican district nationally.[2]

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.

2024 presidential results in Indiana's 5th Congressional District
Kamala Harris Democratic PartyDonald Trump Republican Party
41.0%57.0%

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
See also: Party control of Indiana state government

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.

State executive officials in Indiana, October 2025
OfficeOfficeholder
GovernorRepublican Party Mike Braun
Lieutenant GovernorRepublican Party Micah Beckwith
Secretary of StateRepublican Party Diego Morales
Attorney GeneralRepublican Party Todd Rokita

State legislature

Indiana State Senate

Party As of February 2026
     Democratic Party 10
     Republican Party 40
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 50

Indiana House of Representatives

Party As of February 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

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

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Indiana General Assembly, "Ind. Code § 3–10–1–6," accessed March 11, 2026
  2. ↑ Cook Political Report, "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)," accessed July 1, 2025


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)


Retrieved from "https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Indiana%27s_5th_Congressional_District_election,_2026_(May_5_Democratic_primary)&oldid=11056589"