Michael Talarzyk

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Michael Talarzyk

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

May 7, 2024

Personal

Birthplace

Evansville, Ind.

Religion

Baptist Christian

Profession

School bus driver

Contact

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Michael Talarzyk (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Indiana's 8th Congressional District. He lost in the Democratic primary on May 7, 2024.

Talarzyk completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Michael Talarzyk was born in Evansville, Indiana. His career experience includes working as a school bus driver.

Elections

2024

See also: Indiana's 8th Congressional District election, 2024

Indiana's 8th Congressional District election, 2024 (May 7 Republican primary)

Indiana's 8th Congressional District election, 2024 (May 7 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Indiana District 8

Mark Messmer defeated Erik Hurt and K. Richard Fitzlaff in the general election for U.S. House Indiana District 8 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mark Messmer (R)	68.0	219,941
		Erik Hurt (D)	29.5	95,311
		K. Richard Fitzlaff (L)	2.6	8,381

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 323,633
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 8

Erik Hurt defeated Edward Upton Sein, Michael Talarzyk, and Peter Priest II in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 8 on May 7, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Erik Hurt	45.1	8,204
		Edward Upton Sein	22.5	4,087
		Michael Talarzyk	20.9	3,796
	Submit photo	Peter Priest II	11.5	2,098

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 18,185
= 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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Kellie Moore (D)

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

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	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)

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Talarzyk in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Michael Talarzyk completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Talarzyk'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.

The question here, who am I?…I am you! I’m an everyday citizen from Evansville, Indiana hoping to be your next representative to the U.S. congress to help make things just a little bit better for all. I’m married and a father of 3 boys ages 19, 16 & 2. I am a school bus driver where I get to see and hear about all sorts of things while I’m out and about. I’m a good listener and on the fly problem solver. That in itself has encouraged me to run for office.

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’m purple! The best Democrat candidate choice to put up in the General Election that could win in a primarily red district. Yes I’m running as a Democrat the party I was born and raised in but I’m more middle of the road and see both sides of issues.
• I believe in Bi-Partisanship. Not working for “The Party Affiliation” but instead working for you and the best outcome that may be achieved working alongside members of both parties.
• Let’s get back to the basics of just doing the right thing! Enough of the extreme positions! Time to use some common sense!

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Healthcare, Infrastructure, Accountability

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

“MADISON” the movie

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

Being able to take criticism, Listening to other people’s thoughts and opinions besides your own, Accountability for one’s actions and just doing the right thing.

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

I’m middle of the road when it comes to politics.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Working for your constituents and not your party affiliation.

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

The Challenger space shuttle exploding. I was 6 or 7 at the time.

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

Grocery Store started when I was 15 and worked there all through high school even some after I was first married to help out from time to time.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

There is no other country like the United States of America. Even in its at times political disfunction it’s still the best country in the world to live in.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

No, As long as you have some common sense and willingness to do the right thing for the interests of others I feel is more than enough.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Losing our sense of humanity and compassion to those around us. Technology is great but we also need to take time and smell the roses!

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

No, It seems like they are always playing politics to get re-elected. They play games for a year and then the next year is spent on re-election.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

We should have them!

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Nope, I’d rather make a name for myself proving to you I am different and worthy to represent you.

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

I over hear stories daily from students about sorts of things. The most impactful ones are the struggles they or their family is facing at home. There are good stories too though. What I’ve learned though is no story should be discounted good or bad. They all have meaning!

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

I firmly believe it’s necessary but unfortunately I don’t see it being desirable where it should be in order to get things done even if it’s just incrementally.

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

You raise revenue “work” to pay for your bills. Just like in any household in America. My role would be the same.

How should the U.S. House use its investigative powers?

For Accountability purposes. They need to take the political theater out of it.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

What committees interest you?

Not exactly sure yet.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

What is there to have a specific view on here? It’s a public office where transparency and accountability should be a given.

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.

See also

2024 Elections

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Candidate

U.S. House Indiana District 8

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Footnotes

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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)