Mitch Gore

Mitch Gore

Democratic Party

Indiana House of Representatives District 89

Tenure

2020 - Present

Term ends

2026

Years in position

4

Predecessor

Cindy Kirchhofer

Compensation

Base salary

$32,070.24/year

Per diem

$196/day

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

University of Indianapolis

Personal

Birthplace

Indianapolis, Ind.

Profession

Law enforcement officer

Contact

Official website

Official Twitter

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Instagram

Personal Facebook

Personal YouTube

Personal LinkedIn

Mitch Gore (Democratic Party) is a member of the Indiana House of Representatives, representing District 89. He assumed office on November 4, 2020. His current term ends on November 4, 2026.

Gore (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the Indiana House of Representatives to represent District 89. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Biography

Mitch Gore was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. Gore earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Indianapolis. His career experience includes working as a captain with the Marion County Sheriff's Office and a business operator.

Committee assignments

Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.

2023-2024

Gore was assigned to the following committees:

• Courts and Criminal Code Committee
• Roads and Transportation Committee
• Veterans Affairs and Public Safety Committee

2021-2022

Gore was assigned to the following committees:

• House Local Government Committee
• Roads and Transportation Committee
• Veterans Affairs and Public Safety Committee

Sponsored legislation

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.

Elections

2024

See also: Indiana House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Indiana House of Representatives District 89

Incumbent Mitch Gore defeated Yvonne Metcalfe in the general election for Indiana House of Representatives District 89 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mitch Gore (D)	55.8	12,948
		Yvonne Metcalfe (R)	44.2	10,240

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 23,188
= 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 House of Representatives District 89

Incumbent Mitch Gore advanced from the Democratic primary for Indiana House of Representatives District 89 on May 7, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mitch Gore	100.0	1,784

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,784
= 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 89

Yvonne Metcalfe advanced from the Republican primary for Indiana House of Representatives District 89 on May 7, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Yvonne Metcalfe	100.0	2,480

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,480
= 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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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Gore in this election.

Pledges

Gore signed the following pledges.

• U.S. Term Limits

2022

See also: Indiana House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Indiana House of Representatives District 89

Incumbent Mitch Gore defeated Michael-Paul Hart in the general election for Indiana House of Representatives District 89 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mitch Gore (D)	51.0	6,960
		Michael-Paul Hart (R)	49.0	6,695

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 13,655
= 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 89

Incumbent Mitch Gore advanced from the Democratic primary for Indiana House of Representatives District 89 on May 3, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mitch Gore	100.0	1,744

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,744
= 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 89

Michael-Paul Hart advanced from the Republican primary for Indiana House of Representatives District 89 on May 3, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Michael-Paul Hart	100.0	1,443

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,443
= 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

To view Gore's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.

2020

See also: Indiana House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Indiana House of Representatives District 89

Mitch Gore defeated incumbent Cindy Kirchhofer in the general election for Indiana House of Representatives District 89 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mitch Gore (D)	51.3	13,898
		Cindy Kirchhofer (R)	48.7	13,173

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 27,071
= 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 89

Mitch Gore advanced from the Democratic primary for Indiana House of Representatives District 89 on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mitch Gore	100.0	4,928

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,928
= 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

• Belinda Drake (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Indiana House of Representatives District 89

Incumbent Cindy Kirchhofer advanced from the Republican primary for Indiana House of Representatives District 89 on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cindy Kirchhofer	100.0	3,602

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,602
= 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

To view Gore's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Mitch Gore did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Video for Ballotpedia

Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released October 3, 2022

Mitch Gore completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Gore'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.

After spending my entire life on Indianapolis’ East and Southeast sides, I am a recognized community advocate, small business operator, and public safety professional. I worked hard to keep my family’s Washington Square restaurant afloat during the Great Recession. As a product of public schools and a working family, I know what it’s like to hustle for positive results.

I worked in community development for the City of Indianapolis, eliminating blight in our neighborhoods, demolishing unsafe buildings, and cracking down on slumlords. Now, as a Captain with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, I work to rethink how we treat mental health and addiction so we can free up space in our jails for the violent criminals. I believe in compassionate policing and know that the best way to keep everyone safe is for law enforcement to respect the people they serve thereby earning the people's trust.

Since being elected in 2020, I have authored and championed legislation to reform and enhance law enforcement, battle the scourge of gun violence, and keep out-of-state slumlords from scooping up whole sections of our neighborhoods. I have also voted to reduce healthcare costs, increase teacher pay and student achievement, and keep the government out of women’s personal healthcare decisions.

My incredible wife, Brittany, and I have one daughter, Melinda, and a goofy mutt named Daisy. We proudly live in Warren Township.

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?

• MENTAL HEALTH & ADDICTION: I sit on the board of the City’s new state-of-the-art mental health and addiction center and I'm a leader in programs to keep people suffering from addiction out of the criminal justice system. I even sponsored bipartisan legislation to expand funding and access for mental health treatment in Indiana.
• PUBLIC SAFETY: As a Captain with the Sheriff’s Office, I have fought on the frontlines to keep our community safe. I see gun violence firsthand and I am dedicated to getting illegal guns off our streets and out of our schools through common-sense ideas like comprehensive background checks.
• REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS: I believe women should make their own healthcare decisions in consultation with their doctor, their family, and their faith – not the government. I fought hard against Indiana’s abortion ban and will work to protect access to birth control and other healthcare services.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

In addition to the key messages of our campaign of mental health and addiction treatment, public safety, and reproductive freedom, I'm also passionate about Hoosiers' health where my voting record shows I am committed to expanding affordable healthcare, including reigning in the outrageous costs of prescription medicines, especially for my neighbors on fixed incomes. And as a lifelong resident of this district and coming from a small business family, I understand better than most the need to drive investment in our economy, get businesses into empty storefronts, and bring good paying jobs back to our side of town

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

I've always admired former Marion County Sheriff Frank Anderson (may he Rest in Peace). The way he overcame challenges to become a twice-serving US Marshal and the first Black sheriff of our county is really inspiring. He also knew how to walk the line between having the utmost respect for the law-abiding citizens he served while aggressively pursuing evildoers and violent criminals.

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

The historical event that sticks out most is 9/11. As a fourth-grader, it really shaped my life and how much of my generation grew up.

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

My first job was cleaning bathrooms in the family restaurant before we opened each day in the summer.

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.

2020

Mitch Gore completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Gore'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.

After spending his entire life on Indianapolis' East and Southeast sides, Mitch Gore is a recognized community advocate, small businessman, and compassionate public safety professional. Mitch worked hard to keep his family's restaurant afloat during the Great Recession while also attending UIndy and marrying his wonderful wife, Brittany. As a product of public schools and a working family, Mitch knows what it's like to hustle for positive results. Now, at the Marion County Sheriff's Office, Mitch works to reduce violent crime and rethink how we treat addiction. He believes that the best way to keep our community safe is for law enforcement to respect the people they serve.

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?

• Support Public Schools, Students, and Teachers
• Improve Public Safety & Reform Criminal Justice
• Increase access to healthcare and lower the cost of prescription drugs

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Education, Public Safety, and Healthcare

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

Sheriff Frank J. Anderson. As our county's first and only Black Sheriff, he perfectly embodies public safety respecting that most valued Constitutional precept; Equal Justice Under Law.

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

My first job was as a short-order cook at my family's restaurant at Washington Square. Eventually, I managed the restaurant during the 2008 recession while taking classes at the University of Indianapolis.

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

I believe that experience in government can be very beneficial. While working for the City of Indianapolis, I focused on community development and bringing slumlords to justice. Now, at the Marion County Sheriff's Office, I work to reduce violent crime and rethink how we treat addiction.

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

Affordable access to healthcare. Many Hoosiers still cannot afford insulin or other common prescription drugs. As your State Representative, I will vote to cap the price of insulin and allow Hoosiers to import low-cost prescription drugs from Canada.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

I support a fully independent, non-partisan, redistricting commission to draw fair districts in Indiana.

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

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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.

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Mitch Gore campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Indiana House of Representatives District 89	Won general	$30,885	$21,914
2022	Indiana House of Representatives District 89	Won general	$213,807	$219,785
2020	Indiana House of Representatives District 89	Won general	$181,081	N/A**
Grand total			$425,773	$241,699
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.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Indiana

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states.  To contribute to the list of Indiana scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

2024

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show].

In 2024, the Indiana State Legislature was in session from January 8 to March 8. ACLU Indiana Legislators are rated based on their votes related to civil liberties. Indiana Family Institute Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to social issues. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.

2023

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show].

In 2023, the Indiana State Legislature was in session from January 9 to April 28. ACLU Indiana Legislators are rated based on their votes related to civil liberties. Indiana AFL-CIO Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor issues. Indiana Chamber of Commerce Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. Indiana Family Institute Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to social issues. Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2022

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show].

In 2022, the Indiana State Legislature was in session from January 4 to March 8. ACLU Indiana Legislators are rated based on their votes related to civil liberties. Indiana AFL-CIO Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor issues. Indiana Chamber of Commerce Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. Indiana Family Institute Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to social issues. Indiana Friends Committee on Legislation Legislators are scored on their votes on issues related to the Quaker community. Indiana Manufacturers Association: Senate and House Legislators are scored on their votes on whether they supported or opposed IMA's position on a bill. Indiana Scorecard: Senate and House Legislators are scored on votes by bills supported by the organization. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues. The Indiana Coalition for Public Education Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to public education.

2021

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show].

In 2021, the Indiana State Legislature was in session from January 4 to November 15. Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana Legislators are scored on their votes on issues related to consumer interests. ACLU Indiana Legislators are rated based on their votes related to civil liberties. Indiana AFL-CIO: Senate and House Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor issues. Indiana Chamber of Commerce Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. Indiana Family Institute Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to social issues. Indiana Friends Committee on Legislation Legislators are scored on their votes on issues related to the Quaker community. Indiana Manufacturers Association: Senate and House Legislators are scored on their votes on whether they supported or opposed IMA's position on a bill. Indiana Scorecard: Senate and House Legislators are scored on votes by bills supported by the organization. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues. The Indiana Coalition for Public Education Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to public education.

See also

2024 Elections

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Candidate

Indiana House of Representatives District 89

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Cindy Kirchhofer (R)	Indiana House of Representatives District 89 2020-Present	Succeeded by -

[show]

Current members of the Indiana House of Representatives

Leadership

Speaker of the House:Todd Huston

Majority Leader:Matthew Lehman

Representatives

District 1

Carolyn Jackson (D)

District 2

Earl Harris (D)

District 3

Ragen Hatcher (D)

District 4

Edmond Soliday (R)

District 5

Dale DeVon (R)

District 6

Maureen Bauer (D)

District 7

Jake Teshka (R)

District 8

Ryan Dvorak (D)

District 9

Patricia Boy (D)

District 10

Charles Moseley (D)

District 11

Michael Aylesworth (R)

District 12

Mike Andrade (D)

District 13

Matt Commons (R)

District 14

Vernon Smith (D)

District 15

Harold Slager (R)

District 16

Kendell Culp (R)

District 17

Jack Jordan (R)

District 18

David Abbott (R)

District 19

Julie Olthoff (R)

District 20

Jim Pressel (R)

District 21

Timothy Wesco (R)

District 22

Craig Snow (R)

District 23

Ethan Manning (R)

District 24

Hunter Smith (R)

District 25

Becky Cash (R)

District 26

Chris Campbell (D)

District 27

Sheila Klinker (D)

District 28

Jeffrey Thompson (R)

District 29

Alaina Shonkwiler (R)

District 30

Michael Karickhoff (R)

District 31

Lori Goss-Reaves (R)

District 32

Victoria Garcia Wilburn (D)

District 33

John Prescott (R)

District 34

Sue Errington (D)

District 35

Elizabeth Rowray (R)

District 36

Kyle Pierce (R)

District 37

Todd Huston (R)

District 38

Heath VanNatter (R)

District 39

Daniel Lopez (R)

District 40

Gregory Steuerwald (R)

District 41

Mark Genda (R)

District 42

Tim Yocum (R)

District 43

Tonya Pfaff (D)

District 44

Beau Baird (R)

District 45

Bruce Borders (R)

District 46

Bob Heaton (R)

District 47

Robb Greene (R)

District 48

Doug Miller (R)

District 49

Joanna King (R)

District 50

Lorissa Sweet (R)

District 51

Tony Isa (R)

District 52

Ben Smaltz (R)

District 53

Ethan Lawson (R)

District 54

Cory Criswell (R)

District 55

Lindsay Patterson (R)

District 56

Bradford Barrett (R)

District 57

Craig Haggard (R)

District 58

Michelle Davis (R)

District 59

Ryan Lauer (R)

District 60

Peggy Mayfield (R)

District 61

Matt Pierce (D)

District 62

Dave Hall (R)

District 63

Shane Lindauer (R)

District 64

Matt Hostettler (R)

District 65

Christopher May (R)

District 66

Zach Payne (R)

District 67

Alex Zimmerman (R)

District 68

Garrett Bascom (R)

District 69

Jim Lucas (R)

District 70

Karen Engleman (R)

District 71

Wendy Dant Chesser (D)

District 72

Edward Clere (R)

District 73

Jennifer Meltzer (R)

District 74

Steve Bartels (R)

District 75

Cindy Ledbetter (R)

District 76

Wendy McNamara (R)

District 77

Alex Burton (D)

District 78

Tim O'Brien (R)

District 79

Matthew Lehman (R)

District 80

Phil GiaQuinta (D)

District 81

Martin Carbaugh (R)

District 82

Kyle Miller (D)

District 83

Christopher Judy (R)

District 84

Bob Morris (R)

District 85

David Heine (R)

District 86

Edward DeLaney (D)

District 87

Carey Hamilton (D)

District 88

Chris Jeter (R)

District 89

Mitch Gore (D)

District 90

Andrew Ireland (R)

District 91

Robert Behning (R)

District 92

Renee Pack (D)

District 93

Julie McGuire (R)

District 94

Cherrish Pryor (D)

District 95

John Bartlett (D)

District 96

Gregory Porter (D)

District 97

Justin Moed (D)

District 98

Robin Shackleford (D)

District 99

Vanessa Summers (D)

District 100

Robert Johnson (D)

Republican Party (70)

Democratic Party (30)