Indiana State Senate District 5

Indiana State Senate District 5 is represented by Ed Charbonneau (R).

As of the 2020 Census, Indiana state senators represented an average of 135,806 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 130,032 residents.

About the chamber

Members of the Indiana State Senate serve four-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Indiana legislators assume office the day after their general election.^[1]

Qualifications

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

To be eligible to serve in the Indiana State Senate:^[2]

“

Sec. 13. A candidate for the office of senator in the general assembly must:

(1) be a United States citizen at the time of election;

(2) have resided in the state for at least two (2) years and in the senate district for at least one (1) year before the election; and

(3) be at least twenty-five (25) years old upon taking office; as provided in Article 4, Section 7 of the Constitution of the State of Indiana.^[3]

”

According to Indiana Code 3-8-1-1, all candidates must be registered voters.^[4]

Salaries

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries

State legislative salaries, 2024^[5]
Salary	Per diem
$32,070.24/year	$196/day.

Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

If there is a vacancy in the Indiana General Assembly, the state committee of the party that last held the seat must appoint a replacement. This is contingent upon the approval of the respective state chairperson of the party. Any vacant seat held by an independent must be filled by a special election.^[6]

See sources: Indiana Code §3-13-5-0.1

2016 pivot county

See also: Pivot Counties and Legislative districts intersecting with Pivot Counties

This district was one of 710 state legislative districts that, based on boundaries adopted after the 2010 census, intersected with one or more Pivot Counties. These 206 Pivot Counties voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012.

The 206 Pivot Counties were located in 34 states. Iowa, with 31, had the most such counties. At that time, the partisan makeup of state legislative districts intersecting with Pivot Counties was slightly more Republican than the overall partisan makeup of state legislatures throughout the country.^[7]

District map

Redistricting

2020 redistricting cycle

See also: Redistricting in Indiana after the 2020 census

The Indiana General Assembly approved new state legislative district maps on October 1, 2021, and Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) signed the new district boundaries into law on October 4, 2021. The Indiana Senate Republican caucus released its first draft of state Senate districts on September 20, 2021, and the Indiana House Republican caucus released its first proposed state House district maps on September 14, 2021. The Indiana state Senate approved final legislative district boundaries by a vote of 36-12, with all votes to approve by Republicans. Eleven Senate Democrats joined State Sen. Ron Grooms (R) in voting against the maps. The Indiana House of Representatives approved final district maps by a vote of 64-25. All votes in favor were by Republicans with 22 Democrats and three Republicans voting against.^[8]^[9]

After the General Assembly approved the maps, House Speaker Todd Huston said, "We're incredibly grateful for the work of Representative Greg Steuerwald and Senator Eric Koch who tirelessly and thoughtfully led the way on drawing these maps. Redistricting is a complex and important process that impacts all Hoosiers. We're thankful for the hundreds of constituents who shared their feedback along the way, and I'm confident we delivered fair maps that ensure every Hoosier vote counts."^[10]

The full legislative history of Indiana's redistricting proposals, including House and Senate committee reports and proposed amendments, can be found here at the Indiana General Assembly's website. These maps took effect for Indiana's 2022 legislative elections.^[11]

How does redistricting in Indiana work? In Indiana, the state legislature is responsible for drawing both congressional and state legislative district lines. The legislature must approve a redistricting plan by the close of the first legislative session occurring after completion of the United States Census. The governor may veto the lines drawn by the state legislature.^[12]^[13]

In the event that both chambers of the state legislature do not approve a congressional redistricting plan, a backup commission must draw the lines. The commission comprises the following members:^[13]

Speaker of the House
President Pro Tempore of the Senate
Chair of the Elections Committee, Indiana State Senate
Chair of the Elections and Apportionment Committee, Indiana House of Representatives
A gubernatorial appointment

The Indiana Constitution mandates that state legislative districts be contiguous. There are no such requirements for congressional district lines.^[12]

Indiana State Senate District 5
until November 8, 2022

Click a district to compare boundaries.

Indiana State Senate District 5
starting November 9, 2022

Click a district to compare boundaries.

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Indiana State Senate District 5

Incumbent Ed Charbonneau defeated Leslie Nuss Bamesberger in the general election for Indiana State Senate District 5 on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Ed Charbonneau (R)	66.0	43,489
	Leslie Nuss Bamesberger (D)	34.0	22,419

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 65,908
= 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 Indiana State Senate District 5

Leslie Nuss Bamesberger advanced from the Democratic primary for Indiana State Senate District 5 on May 7, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Leslie Nuss Bamesberger	100.0	4,295

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,295
= 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 Indiana State Senate District 5

Incumbent Ed Charbonneau advanced from the Republican primary for Indiana State Senate District 5 on May 7, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ed Charbonneau	100.0	11,885

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 11,885
= 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.