Indiana's 8th Congressional District election, 2024 (May 7 Republican primary)
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| Indiana's 8th 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 |
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 |
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 |
Mark Messmer (R) won the Republican primary election for Indiana's 8th Congressional District on May 7, 2024. Messmer received 38.5% of the vote. John Hostettler (R) finished in second with 19.6% of the vote. Jim Case (R), Jeremy Heath (R), Dominick Kavanaugh (R), Luke Misner (R), Richard Moss (R), and Kristi Risk (R) also ran in the primary.
Four candidates led in media attention: Messmer, Hostettler, Kavanaugh, and Risk. This was the first open race in the district since 2016. Incumbent Larry Bucshon (R) is retiring from public office.
Hostettler represented the 8th Congressional District from 1995 to 2007. In the 2006 general election, then-Vanderburgh County Sheriff Brad Ellsworth (D) defeated Hostettler 61% to 39%.[1] Hostettler said he sees parallels between the status of the U.S. in 2024 and when he was first elected to Congress. "We have a Democrat president embroiling us in a military conflict in Eastern Europe that presents absolutely no national security interest of the United States," said Hostettler.[2]
Kavanaugh was, at the time of the election, a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve and worked in former President Donald Trump’s (R) White House in the Office of Press and Communications.[3] Kavanaugh said he ran for Congress "to bring a fresh perspective from the next generation of Hoosier leaders.”[4]
Messmer was, at the time of the election, a member of the Indiana Senate representing District 48 and a business owner.[5] He said his legislative experience would help him successfully fight for the district in Congress: “The process is the same. The process is still networking and relationship-building with the people that I’ll be working within the House and Senate.”[6]
At the time of the election, Risk chaired the Owen County Republican Party and owned a chocolate manufacturing business.[7] In 2012, Risk ran against Bucshon in the Republican primary for the 8th Congressional District. Bucshon defeated Risk 58% to 42%. Risk said one way she would fight for constituents in the 8th Congressional District would be to build a caucus with Republican members of the Indiana delegation.[8]
Indiana attorney and informal adviser to Bucshon's early campaigns Josh Claybourn told Courier & Press, at the time of the election, that he believed there would be a geographic divide among support for the candidates: "Risk will have some support near Terre Haute. Messmer will have a nice base of support in his existing Senate [district]. And then, starting out, Hostettler will be able to be competitive districtwide."[9]
As of May 6, 2024, The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter and Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rated the general election Solid Republican. Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball rated the general election Safe Republican.
Jim Case (R), Dominick Jack Kavanaugh (R), and Kristi Risk (R) completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. To read those survey responses, click here.
This page focuses on Indiana's 8th 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 8th Congressional District election, 2024 (May 7 Democratic primary)
- Indiana's 8th Congressional District election, 2024
Candidates and election results
Republican primary election
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
- Jon Schrock (R)
- Larry Bucshon (R)
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Indiana
Candidate comparison
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: No
Political Office: None
Submitted Biography: "Businessman, Servant Leader, Common Sense Conservative with American Values… Fresh Face, Fresh Ideas”. “No political or bureaucratic baggage...ready to go to work for Indiana”. “Successful Business Leader who will make our lives profitable and full of opportunities”. Christian, Dad, golfer, hunter. Not a Career Politician Like his friend, American Patriot President Donald J. TRUMP"
This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Indiana District 8 in 2024.
Party: Republican Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office:
- U.S. House Indiana District 8 (1995-2007)
Biography: Hostettler received a mechanical engineering degree from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. His professional experience included working as the Vice President of Federal Affairs for States Trust. Hostettler also founded the publishing company Publius House.
Show sources
Sources: John Hostettler campaign website, "Home," accessed March 26, 2024; John Hostettler campaign website, "Home," accessed March 26, 2024; John Hostettler campaign website, "Home," accessed March 26, 2024; Courier & Press, "A familiar name is entering the fray for Indiana's 8th District seat in Congress," February 9, 2024
This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Indiana District 8 in 2024.
Party: Republican Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Submitted Biography: "Born and raised in Southwest Indiana, Dominick Kavanaugh learned the value of family and faith thanks to the example set by his parents, and his upbringing in the Vincennes community. His direct exposure to the construction industry instilled in Dominick an appreciation for a hard day’s work and a passion to serve his community as a whole. With this unique perspective, due in part to his family’s long involvement in the construction trade, Dominick graduated with a Civil Engineering degree from Louisiana State University in 2020. His appreciation of and desire for public service led Dominick to work in President Donald J. Trump’s White House in the Office of Press and Communications, where he assisted in the crafting and deployment of President Trump’s message to the American people across multiple mediums. Seeing first-hand the success of America First policies and understanding how critical it was to our nation’s future to ensure they continued, Dominick continued in the Communications Department of President Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign. Kavanaugh then shifted to working as a general contractor that entailed overseeing the completion of dozens of projects involving heavy-civil construction operations. Believing that there was still more for him to offer his country, Dominick took the oath-office as a direct commissioned officer into the United States Army Reserves on February 4, 2023. He currently serves as a Second Lieutenant with the 758th Engineer Company."
This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Indiana District 8 in 2024.
Party: Republican Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office:
- Indiana State Senate (Assumed office: 2014)
- Indiana House of Representatives (2008-2014)
Biography: Messmer received a bachelor's degree from Purdue University. His professional experience includes co-owning Messmer Mechanical, working as a project engineer with John Brown Engineering, and working as a mechanical engineer with Dow Chemical.
Show sources
Sources: Dubois County Free Press, "Messmer announces 8th Congressional District candidacy," January 26, 2024; TriState Homepage, "State Sen. Messmer launches bid for Congress," February 3, 2024; Dubois County Free Press, "Messier announces 8th Congressional District candidacy," January 26, 2024; LinkedIn, "Mark Messmer," accessed March 26, 2024
This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Indiana District 8 in 2024.
Party: Republican Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Submitted Biography: "Kristi Risk is the current Republican Chair of the Owen County Republican Party. Kristi also owns Pink House Sweets, a family chocolate manufacturing company in Spencer, IN. Risks career experience tie her deeply to her community where she was as a council member (Treasurer) for 4-H, established a 4-H club, worked as the former director for the pregnancy resource center and a faith-based counselor, served on her church board, helped establish a local chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation and raised conservation awareness among students through the JAKES program."
This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Indiana District 8 in 2024.
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.
| Collapse all
Jim Case (R)
get it right.. get things done..
We NEED conservatives in Washington who aren’t afraid to fight the radical agenda. That’s why I am running to represent our great state of Indiana, the people of IN CD8 in the United States Congress 🇺🇸 Win on May 7 so we can secure the border, fight inflation, and restore the American Dream for future generations.
Get rid of unnecessary Gov’t:
Be the Government reductions CZAR.
DOJ
IRS
Dept Of EDUCATION
Get rid Bloated GOVT
Common Sense Conservative with American Values…
Trusted Businessman
Farmers
Energy Independence (Coal and Ethanol)
Kristi Risk (R)
The penetrable southern border poses grave dangers to our national security. With inadequate resources to control entry into the country, we risk exposing citizens to disease, drug cartels, and terrorism on our own soil. Meanwhile, special interest groups in Washington prioritize partisan agendas over public safety. If left unchecked, these threats will soon spread from the border to backyards nationwide. I have a solution, send our Navy's Seabees to get the job done stat. It will be efficient, effective, and done correctly!
America First
The slogan "America First" has varying meanings for different people. For Kristi, it signifies prioritizing the well-being of Americans over global interests. She believes the U.S. government's foremost responsibility is caring for its citizens, from rural communities to major cities across the country. Kristi feels that all Americans deserve protection, security, and the ability to pursue life, liberty, and happiness in a nation governed by the rule of law.
Economic Reform (Inflation Costs)
The key indicators of a weak economy that people can readily see include:
• stagnant wages despite rising corporate profits
• increasing personal debt as people struggle to get by
• declining employment rates
• job creation lagging behind population growth
• a rise in poverty (exacerbated by increased immigration)
• rising healthcare costs plus reduced employer-provided insurance eroding already strained family incomes
Jim Case (R)
Kristi Risk (R)
Small business owners are entrepreneurs who employ workers and strive to support their families. Kristi advocates for fostering a robust climate for entrepreneurship, seeking more constructive approaches to raising wages and fighting poverty while minimizing distortions and manipulations in the labor market.
ENERGY
Kristi believes that as a leading producer of coal and oil, America should export more of its energy resources rather than relying so heavily on imports. She will work with other members of Congress to make the U.S. more energy independent and less reliant on foreign oil which can incapacitate the US.
Jim Case (R)
Jim Case (R)
Kristi Risk (R)
The 60’s and 70’s were a turbulent time in American history, characterized by social unrest, economic challenges, and military conflicts that tested the nation's resolve. As activists pushed for an end to racial discrimination and segregation, the Vietnam War sparked massive anti-war protests as young people questioned the purpose and morality of the conflict. The economy also faced difficulties with periods of high inflation and unemployment. Amid this backdrop of upheaval and division, Ronald Reagan's radio addresses and speeches provided a voice of leadership to the American people.
Reagan was able to shine a light on the complex issues facing the country, from racism and poverty to the dangers of communism abroad. He called for personal responsibility, smaller government, and a restoration of traditional values as a pathway forward for the nation. The era of Reagan reveal him to be a thoughtful leader who carefully crafted his messages. Reagan spoke not in platitudes but directly and individually to Americans from all walks of life. His ability to articulate a positive vision at a time of national soul-searching and uncertainty helped him build a broad coalition of supporters. He is exactly the type of leader whom I hope to emulate.
Jim Case (R)
Kristi Risk (R)
Jim Case (R)
Jim Case (R)
Kristi Risk (R)
Jim Case (R)
Kristi Risk (R)
Jim Case (R)
Jim Case (R)
Jim Case (R)
Jim Case (R)
Jim Case (R)
Kristi Risk (R)
Jim Case (R)
“No political or bureaucratic baggage...ready to go to work for Indiana”.
“A Successful Business Leader who will make our lives profitable and full of opportunities”.
Kristi Risk (R)
Jim Case (R)
Kristi Risk (R)
Jim Case (R)
Kristi Risk (R)
Jim Case (R)
Kristi Risk (R)
Jim Case (R)
Kristi Risk (R)
Jim Case (R)
Kristi Risk (R)
Jim Case (R)
Jim Case (R)
Kristi Risk (R)
Jim Case (R)
Kristi Risk (R)
Jim Case (R)
Kristi Risk (R)
Jim Case (R)
Jim Case (R)
Kristi Risk (R)
Armed Services, as a mother of 3 recent enlistees, and with a WWII father and multiple career military family members, the Armed Services is near and dear to my heart.
Ethics, as part of my campaign platform is sending a Principled Purpose-Driven leader to Washington. With the demise of morality and ethics accountability in our nation's capital, I believe I can bring a fresh perspective to this committee.
Jim Case (R)
Kristi Risk (R)
Campaign advertisements
Jim Case
Ballotpedia did not come across any campaign ads for Jim Case while conducting research on this election. If you are aware of any ads that should be included, please email us.
Jeremy Heath
Ballotpedia did not come across any campaign ads for Jeremy Heath while conducting research on this election. If you are aware of any ads that should be included, please email us.
John N. Hostettler
Ballotpedia did not come across any campaign ads for John. N Hostettler while conducting research on this election. If you are aware of any ads that should be included, please email us.
Dominick Jack Kavanaugh
| March 11, 2024 |
View more ads here:
Mark Messmer
| April 3, 2024 |
View more ads here:
Luke Misner
Ballotpedia did not come across any campaign ads for Luke Misner while conducting research on this election. If you are aware of any ads that should be included, please email us.
Richard Moss
| January 17, 2024 |
View more ads here:
Kristi Risk
View more ads here:
Satellite advertisements
This section includes a selection of campaign advertisements released by satellite groups. If you are aware of other satellite ads that should be included, please email us.
America's First Freedoms
America's First Freedoms released an ad in support of Messmer.
| February 14, 2024 |
Endorsements
Ballotpedia researchers did not identify any candidate websites that provide endorsement information. If you are aware of a website that should be included, please email us.
Election Competitiveness
Polls
- See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
We provide results for polls that are included in polling aggregation from FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics, when available. No polls were available for this election. To notify us of polls published in this election, please email us.
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.[10]
- 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.[11][12][13]
| Race ratings: Indiana's 8th Congressional District election, 2024 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| November 5, 2024 | October 29, 2024 | October 22, 2024 | October 15, 2024 | ||||||
| The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | |||||
| Decision Desk HQ and The Hill | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | |||||
| 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. | |||||||||
Election spending
Campaign finance
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Case | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Jeremy Heath | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| John N. Hostettler | Republican Party | $53,972 | $53,972 | $0 | As of December 12, 2024 |
| Dominick Jack Kavanaugh | Republican Party | $528,366 | $528,366 | $0 | As of June 30, 2024 |
| Mark Messmer | Republican Party | $1,545,284 | $1,337,178 | $208,106 | As of December 31, 2024 |
| Luke Misner | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Richard Moss | Republican Party | $757,656 | $757,656 | $0 | As of May 20, 2024 |
| Kristi Risk | Republican Party | $70,744 | $70,811 | $-67 | As of July 17, 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." |
|||||
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.[14][15][16]
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 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.
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
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+19. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 19 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Indiana's 8th the 48th most Republican district nationally.[17]
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 8th based on 2024 district lines | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Joe Biden 
|
Donald Trump
| |||
| 32.7% | 65.5% | |||
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.[18] The table below displays the Baseline data for this district.
| Inside Elections Baseline for 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic Baseline
|
Republican Baseline
|
Difference | ||
| 35.0 | 62.4 | D+27.4 | ||
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 |
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 | Eric Holcomb
|
| Lieutenant Governor | Suzanne Crouch
|
| Secretary of State | Diego Morales
|
| Attorney General | 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 |
Election context
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 |
District history
The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2018.
2022
General election
General election for U.S. House Indiana District 8
Incumbent Larry Bucshon defeated Ray McCormick and Andy Horning 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 election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 8
Ray McCormick defeated Adnan Dhahir and Peter Priest II 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 election
Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 8
Incumbent Larry Bucshon 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. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Gabriel Whitley (R)
Libertarian convention
Libertarian convention for U.S. House Indiana District 8
Andy Horning advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Indiana District 8 on March 5, 2022.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Andy Horning (L) |
| ||||
| = 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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2020
General election
General election for U.S. House Indiana District 8
Incumbent Larry Bucshon defeated Thomasina Marsili and James Rodenberger 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. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 8
Thomasina Marsili defeated Mike Webster and Ron Drake 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. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 8
Incumbent Larry Bucshon 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. | ||||
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Libertarian convention
Libertarian convention for U.S. House Indiana District 8
James Rodenberger advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Indiana District 8 on March 7, 2020.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | James Rodenberger (L) | |
| ||||
| = 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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2018
General election
General election for U.S. House Indiana District 8
Incumbent Larry Bucshon defeated William Tanoos in the general election for U.S. House Indiana District 8 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Larry Bucshon (R) | 64.4 | 157,396 |
 | William Tanoos (D) | 35.6 | 86,895 | |
| Total votes: 244,291 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 8
William Tanoos advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 8 on May 8, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | William Tanoos | 100.0 | 26,232 |
| Total votes: 26,232 | |||
| = 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
- Glen Miller (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 8
Incumbent Larry Bucshon defeated Richard Moss and Rachel Covington in the Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 8 on May 8, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Larry Bucshon | 63.0 | 34,516 |
| Richard Moss | 25.2 | 13,831 | |
 | Rachel Covington | 11.8 | 6,451 | |
| Total votes: 54,798 | |||
| = 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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2024 battleground elections
- See also: Battlegrounds
This was a battleground election. Other 2024 battleground elections included:
- Illinois' 4th Congressional District election, 2024 (March 19 Democratic primary)
- United States Senate election in Florida, 2024
- Washington's 5th Congressional District election, 2024 (August 6 top-two primary)
See also
- Indiana's 8th Congressional District election, 2024 (May 7 Democratic primary)
- Indiana's 8th Congressional District election, 2024
- United States House elections in Indiana, 2024 (May 7 Democratic primaries)
- United States House elections in Indiana, 2024 (May 7 Republican primaries)
- United States House Democratic Party primaries, 2024
- United States House Republican Party primaries, 2024
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2024
- U.S. House battlegrounds, 2024
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Courier & Press, "A familiar name is entering the fray for Indiana's 8th District seat in Congress," February 9, 2024
- ↑ John Hostettler campaign website, "Home," accessed March 26, 2024
- ↑ Dominick Kavanaugh campaign website, "About," accessed March 26, 2024
- ↑ Dominick Kavanaugh campaign website, "About," accessed March 26, 2024
- ↑ Mark Messmer LinkedIn, "Mark Messmer LinkedIn," accessed March 26, 2024
- ↑ TriState Homepage, "State Sen. Messmer launches bid for Congress," February 3, 2024
- ↑ Kristi Risk campaign website, "About," accessed March 26, 2024
- ↑ This Week in Evansville YouTube channel, "Congressional Candidate Kristi Risk," March 17, 2024
- ↑ Courier & Press, "With 13 candidates, Indiana's 8th District Congressional race is a free-for-all," February 14, 2024
- ↑ 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
- ↑ 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, "The 2022 Cook Partisan Voting Index (Cook PVI℠)," accessed January 10, 2024
- ↑ Inside Elections, "Methodology: Inside Elections’ Baseline by Congressional District," December 8, 2023
