Kelly Thompson (Indiana)

Kelly Thompson (Democratic Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Indiana's 3rd Congressional District. She declared candidacy for the 2026 election.^[source]

Biography

Kelly Thompson was born in Palo Alto, California. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Central Florida in 1989. Thompson's career experience includes working as a concrete contracting business owner, substitute teacher, and nonprofit founder.^[1]

Elections

2026

Note: At this time, Ballotpedia is combining all declared candidates for this election into one list under a general election heading. As primary election dates are published, this information will be updated to separate general election candidates from primary candidates as appropriate.

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

General election for U.S. House Indiana District 3

Incumbent Marlin A. Stutzman, Phil Goss, and Kelly Thompson are running in the general election for U.S. House Indiana District 3 on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Marlin A. Stutzman (R)
		Phil Goss (D)
		Kelly Thompson (D)

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= 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.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.

2020

General election

General election for Indiana House of Representatives District 22

Incumbent Curt Nisly defeated Kelly Thompson in the general election for Indiana House of Representatives District 22 on November 3, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Curt Nisly (R)	72.1	20,694
	Kelly Thompson (D)	27.9	8,003

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 28,697
= 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 Indiana House of Representatives District 22

Kelly Thompson advanced from the Democratic primary for Indiana House of Representatives District 22 on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kelly Thompson	100.0	1,598

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,598
= 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 Indiana House of Representatives District 22

Incumbent Curt Nisly defeated Bill Dixon in the Republican primary for Indiana House of Representatives District 22 on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Curt Nisly	59.2	4,716
	Submit photo	Bill Dixon	40.8	3,256

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,972
= 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.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

Kelly Thompson has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. Send a message to Kelly Thompson asking her to fill out the survey. If you are Kelly Thompson, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

Who fills out Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey?

Any candidate running for elected office, at any level, can complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Survey. Completing the survey will update the candidate's Ballotpedia profile, letting voters know who they are and what they stand for. More than 23,000 candidates have taken Ballotpedia's candidate survey since we launched it in 2015. Learn more about the survey here.

You can ask Kelly Thompson to fill out this survey by using the buttons below or emailing info@kellythompsonforcongress.com.

2020

Kelly Thompson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Thompson's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a wife, mother and grandmother. I am a small business owner, and community service non-profit founder. I am a 1083 graduate of Tippecanoe Valley High School and earned a Bachelors in Business Administration from the University of Central Florida.

My life as an employee taught me what it feels like to wait until Friday to be able to pay some of my bills. My life as an employer has taught me what it feels like to hope we have the money on Friday to cover our employees' paychecks. My life as a mother has taught me how to work hard, be brave, and keep going even when the task before me seems too big.

I have spent the last decade volunteering to help local teens navigate the sometimes treacherous transition into adulthood. That service has taken me from their living rooms and ball games, and even to a couple jail cells. Walking with kids and trying to make a positive difference has also brought me into relationship with their families. It was in this work I got to learn what all of my neighbors were really facing each day. These struggles were not something I could ignore.

So now I am taking all I have learned, and all my passion, energy, and determination to make legislative and budgetary changes in Indy on behalf of Hoosier families and businesses.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I have a business degree and understand how to make our money work in our best interest. Housing, schools, childcare - we must do better.
Creating a non-profit to help struggling families in our community has proven both my heart and my determination to put action where my mouth is.
I am not looking for a political career. I am answerable to God and the people of District 22. Full stop, I cannot be bought.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I believe that everything is connected and we get into trouble when we try to fix one or two things without thinking about how our fix affects everything else.

We need to be open to the industries that are asking to come to Indiana. From green energy to legalized cannabis.

We in Indiana need good paying jobs. We need good schools to attract business. We need good teachers to have good schools. We need to listen to our teachers and find the money to pay teachers well to maintain those good schools. We need affordable housing to help those businesses attract employees and to keep those employees' dollars in this district. We need accessible and affordable quality childcare to enable those parents to work those jobs. We need to help women have easy access to birth control to cut down our unintended pregnancy rate.

How can we afford this? The new industries that want to come will bring sales, income, property and excise tax dollars into this state and the return on investment in education, quality childcare, and public health spending is high. We cannot afford not to do these things.

Teachers. Childcare. Housing. Livable wage. Access to birth control.

Those are the policies I am passionate about.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I admire Martin Luther King, Jr. I am in awe of his ability to stay the course. He kept focus and true to what he believed God had shown him. I, like MLK, work hard to communicate in ways that reduce defensiveness so that I can be effectively heard. No one is ever 100% correct. We need each other. Civil discourse is missing in our political and personal interactions. MLK was able to attract supporters to his cause, to the cause of all Americans, by staying peaceful in the midst of danger and injustice. He was brave, forgiving, and determined all the while knowing that he would never see the fruition of his endeavor in his lifetime. Yet still...he saw his life as one of purpose, service, and necessary for the greater good for generations to come.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

First and foremost, elected officials need to commit to honesty, always and in all ways. The people need to be able to trust our leaders. A lie from a politician is proof that his allegiance has shifted from the people he was elected to serve to himself.

Second, elected officials must be courageous. It takes courage to try to do big things. It also takes courage to keep going. And again it takes courage to report back to the people about what has and has not worked, and why.

And finally, those we elect to represent us must have hope. Without hope, they are just going through the motions, place holders, grifters. But with hope they see a way, find a way, make a way.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am a mother of six. I have learned a lot in this role about how to communicate effectively, how to listen to what is being said and what is not, and how to disagree with people while maintaining connection.

I have traveled the country for training in counseling and effective communication.

And I have spent a decade helping families deal with the day to day issues of life. I have felt their fears and seen their tears. Each issue I intend to address as their representative has a name and a face, often many names and many faces, so I cannot just ignore them. I cannot give up. I will continue to fight for them and their families - because that is the job they are hiring me to do.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The first historical event that I remember was the Bicentennial. I was eleven when the Bicentennial train came to town and we went for the tour. It was there that I began to realize what a rare and brave experiment the founding of this country was. I remember being moved by the idea that ordinary people came together to discuss, argue, debate, and ultimately cooperate and collaborate to form such an idealistic dream of a government of the people, by the people, for the people.

After that tour, I saw the flag differently. The institutions differently. Our political leaders differently.

Now, as an adult the other side of 50, I again see us differently

I see that the country that I was told that we were we have yet to fully become. I see our nation as one of united states, each struggling to grow and evolve and adapt to changing times. I see a need for brave men and women who still have hope, and love, and determination to honor our forefathers by not giving up - by continuing on - willing to sacrifice to continue leading our country into its best years yet!

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My very first job was working at Penguin Point Restaurant in Warsaw, Indiana. I worked there my junior and senior year in high school. I did all the normal things there from cashier, cook, and server. My mother also worked at "The Penguin" in high school. It was actually perfect training for my next job, Burger King opening manager, which I held while in college. And now that I think about it, as a mother of six, what I learned managing the restaurant and cooking for the masses came in handy for my family, as well. :)

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Jack Johnson's "With my Own Two Hands." I played this song on repeat while cleaning my house. It is encouraging and motivating. We can each make a real difference with our own two hands.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Not only do I not believe it is beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics, I believe that such experience can be detrimental to our state. We need real people who have struggled themselves. How can our legislators write laws in our best interest if they don't know what real people are dealing with. Experience in politics can change people if they are not determined to resist the influence. Our legislators quickly forget they are public servants, tasked with spending the money of the people in the best interest of the people. When legislators view their service as jobs, they begin to protect their careers. Most people are too busy trying to put food on the table to watch what sour senators and representatives are up to and how they are spending our money. Our people feel unheard, unseen, dismissed. Mothers, fathers, business owners, hourly workers, teachers, farmers, young and old feel forgotten. So we need them to be where decisions are being made. Real people, in touch with real life, ready to find and implement real solutions - that is what we need.

What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?

We are bleeding money and people across state lines. We need to ask ourselves the hard questions as to why, and be willing to be bold in our solutions.

We have to take care of our kids. That is our biggest challenge.

But in order to do that, many moving parts will need to be addressed. Access to healthcare. Quality childcare. Schools. Mental health access. Housing. The environment. Pubic health spending. Internet access.

If we raise, educate, protect, and value our children we will not only save money down the road, but we will return to the compassionate Hoosier heart for which we were once known.

People will want to live here. Work here. Raise families here. Build businesses here. Invest here. Create here. Visit here. Stay here.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes, of course. We must respect each other and listen to each other. Any meaningful legislation will require cooperation and collaboration. We must be able to communicate. Listen and lead. I believe their are good men and women on each side of the aisle. We need to find each other and be brave and consistent. We must educate each other, work together, and get real issues addressed. People are literally dying while we fight and posture. Ego be gone.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

We need a non-partisan, out of state redistricting commission who will employ the unbiased analysis of computer generated districts that are population based, involving no political input.

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.

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Kelly Thompson campaign contribution history
Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2026*	U.S. House Indiana District 3	Candidacy Declared general	$26,096	$11,424
2020	Indiana House of Representatives District 22	Lost general	$49,152	N/A**
Grand total			$75,248	$11,424
Sources: OpenSecrets, Federal Elections Commission *This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

U.S. House Indiana District 3

Personal

Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 7, 2020

[show]

Indiana's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Jim Banks (R)

Todd Young (R)

Representatives

District 1

Frank Mrvan (D)

District 2

Rudy Yakym (R)

District 3

Marlin Stutzman (R)

District 4

Jim Baird (R)

District 5

Victoria Spartz (R)

District 6

Jefferson Shreve (R)

District 7

André Carson (D)

District 8

Mark Messmer (R)

District 9

Erin Houchin (R)

Republican Party (9)

Democratic Party (2)

[bio-1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 7, 2020

[1]

	v • e State of Indiana Indianapolis (capital)
Elections	What's on my ballot? \| Elections in 2025 \| How to vote \| How to run for office \| Ballot measures
Government	Who represents me? \| U.S. President \| U.S. Congress \| Federal courts \| State executives \| State legislature \| State and local courts \| Counties \| Cities \| School districts \| Public policy

Kelly Thompson (Indiana)

Contents

Biography

Elections

2026

General election

General election for U.S. House Indiana District 3

Endorsements

2020

General election

General election for Indiana House of Representatives District 22

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Indiana House of Representatives District 22

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Indiana House of Representatives District 22

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

2020

Campaign finance summary

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2025 Elections

2026 Elections

Election analysis

Trending

Public Policy

Information for candidates

Get Engaged

Services

Additional analysis

SITE NAVIGATION