Scott Wise

Scott Wise (Republican Party) ran for election to the Indiana State Senate to represent District 16. He lost in the Republican primary on May 7, 2024.

Wise also ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Indiana's 3rd Congressional District. He did not appear on the ballot for the Republican primary on May 7, 2024.

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

Biography

Scott Wise was born in Columbia City, Indiana. Wise earned a bachelor's degree from the Indiana University, South Bend in 1993. His career experience includes working in manufacturing.^[1]

Elections

2024

U.S. House

Indiana's 3rd Congressional District election, 2024 (May 7 Republican primary)

Indiana's 3rd Congressional District election, 2024 (May 7 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Indiana District 3

Marlin A. Stutzman defeated Kiley Adolph and Jarrad Lancaster in the general election for U.S. House Indiana District 3 on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Marlin A. Stutzman (R)	65.0	202,653
	Kiley Adolph (D)	31.4	97,871
	Jarrad Lancaster (L)	3.5	11,015

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 311,539
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 3

Kiley Adolph defeated Phil Goss in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 3 on May 7, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Kiley Adolph	62.8	10,286
	Phil Goss	37.2	6,095

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 16,381
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Jo Anderson (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 3

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 3 on May 7, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Marlin A. Stutzman	24.2	19,507
	Tim Smith	22.6	18,204
	Wendy W. Davis	19.5	15,660
	Andy Zay	16.4	13,157
	Grant Bucher	10.3	8,259
	Jon Kenworthy	3.8	3,064
	Michael Felker	1.8	1,417
	Eric Whalen	1.5	1,189

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 80,457
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Chandler Likes (R)
Scott Wise (R)

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House Indiana District 3

Jarrad Lancaster advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Indiana District 3 on March 2, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Jarrad Lancaster (L)

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Campaign finance

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Wise in this election.

State Senate District 16

General election

General election for Indiana State Senate District 16

Incumbent Justin Busch won election in the general election for Indiana State Senate District 16 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Justin Busch (R)	100.0	45,442

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 45,442
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Indiana State Senate District 16

Incumbent Justin Busch defeated Scott Wise in the Republican primary for Indiana State Senate District 16 on May 7, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Justin Busch	68.8	9,034
	Scott Wise	31.2	4,105

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 13,139
= 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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Campaign finance

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Wise in this election.

2014

See also: Indiana's 3rd Congressional District elections, 2014

Wise ran in the 2014 election for the U.S. House to represent Indiana's 3rd District. Wise sought election as a Libertarian candidate. The general election took place on November 4, 2014.

**U.S. House, Indiana District 2 General Election, 2014**
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Jackie Walorski Incumbent	58.9%	85,583
	Democratic	Joe Bock	38.3%	55,590
	Libertarian	Jeff Petermamm	2.8%	4,027
Total Votes				145,200
Source: Indiana Secretary of State Official Results

Campaign themes

2024

U.S. House

Ballotpedia survey responses

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

Scott is a former Whitley County Councilman, Columbia City area Chamber of Commerce Board Member, and currently serves as President of Weatherhead Federal Credit Union. Scott has spent the last 20 years in roles of increasing responsibility at Warner Electric in Columbia City. Warner Electric manufactures electromagnetic pto clutches for many applications most notably satisfying more than 80% of the entire global demand for this type of device on riding lawn mowers. Scott's believes time is running short to right our ship, and that states should play a larger role in holding our federal government accountable.

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?

enjoin other states to assert states' rights as a check on the federal government, and the use of federal power against American citizens. (DOJ, FBI, CIA, IRS, and other government institutions should never be used as political weapons.)
Scott will work to ensure Indiana government at all levels is aligned with our Indiana and federal constitutions. Scott will also work to ensure our state protects us from globalist corporations imposing their anti-American, and unconstitutional agendas.
Scott will be zealous in pursuit of the finest education our state can provide for our students. His primary focus will be to ensure an educational mandate regarding effective instruction on the constitution, the Bill of Rights, capitalism, and personal property. Scott also believes that our educational system is failing due to an Anti-American agenda pursued by socialists in the teacher's unions, and the Department of Education. Ensuring that Indiana schools are mandated to effectively instruct our students on reading, writing, and arithmetic, as well as our constitution, the Bill of Rights, and critical th

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

The individual liberty guaranteed by our founding documents, and the exceptional world it has allowed to thrive..

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

I believe in Jesus Christ, and make every attempt to live life, and treat others in a way that is aligned with God's word. As far as contemporaries, anyone focused on liberty, limited government, and the preservation of America as founded.

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

I think the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the Indiana constitution speak for themselves, and are self evident.

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

selflessness

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

I am thoughtful, objective, persistent, and will selflessly serve.

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

Protect and defend Indiana, it's institutions, and it's citizens from violations of our rights regardless of how accustomed to the violations we have become.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I hope to leave the legacy of an assertive group of states, a state government who allows local governments to do as much as possible, and a public school system more dedicated to our constitution, and Bill of Rights than they are the teachers' unions and/or the agenda imposed by the federal Department of Education.

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

The first event I am certain I remember is the Munich Olympics. I remember driving by Essex, seeing the "bubbles" on the roof, and telling mom that is where the bad guys were. She explained that those things were on top of a lot of buildings in a lot of different places, but Essex is not where the bad guys were.

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

Besides baling hay, my first job was directing traffic at the Shipshewana flea market.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Harlot's Ghost - The story woven with fact and fiction grabbed hold of me and didn't let go.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Dix Butler

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I very much struggle to understand how we remain so divided, when the corruption, and the unconstitutional agenda seem so clear.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

A partnership aligned with our state constitution and asserting federalism.

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

Defending Hoosiers from our federal government, and globalist corporations, along with preparing our next generations for the world they will inherit and hopefully preserve.

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

Yes, but it may be more important to selflessly use critical thinking skills to problem solve our troubling issues and the persuasion skills to appropriately frame the issues in the spirit of our countries founding.

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

It is critical to build relationships, and consensus.

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

Certainly, there are others. In Indiana, recently, I like Chris Judy, and I believe that Todd Rokita fights the good fight as well.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

Yes. I have been in manufacturing for more than 20 years. Looking forward, I will run and hopefully serve in any office where I can help our state and our country regain our sketchy footing.

Both sitting legislators 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?

The state preventing a close relationship between grandparents/other family and children when the parents are having a difficult time with life.

Tell us your favorite joke.

knock knock

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

The governor should have immediate authority to act in an emergency, however if/when used, the legislature should automatically come back into session to affirm/deny via legislation.

What is the first bill you would introduce if elected?

I would like to do more homework before I am in a position to adequately answer, however it would be focused on ensuring that by the time Hoosiers have the right to vote, they adequately understand our system of government, capitalism, personal property, and exceptionalism they have propagated.

What committees interest you?

Too many to sit on all of them. Clearly, I am interested in education. I also worry greatly about the control our insurance and banking industries are attempting to assert surrounding DEI and ESG. These concepts in their implementation are contrary to individual liberty, capitalism, and personal property. I also strongly believe the best government is closest to the people, so I have great interest to committees dealing with local government.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

financial transparency and government accountability are essential to a democratic republic like ours. Clearly this role has an obligation to ensure these aspects at the state level, however I strongly believe our various states must be a much stronger "check" on these aspects at the federal level, as our federal government ignores our dollar destroying debt, and seems to feel no need to be accountable to the people.

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.

State Senate District 16

Ballotpedia survey responses

Scott Wise did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

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.

Scott Wise campaign contribution history
Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Indiana State Senate District 16	Lost primary	$3,320	$3,137
2024*	U.S. House Indiana District 3	Withdrew primary	$0	N/A**
Grand total			$3,320	$3,137
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

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Candidate

U.S. House Indiana District 3

Website

Twitter

Personal

Facebook

Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on March 20, 2024

[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)

[show]

Current members of the Indiana State Senate

Leadership

Majority Leader:Chris Garten

Senators

District 1

Dan Dernulc (R)

District 2

Lonnie Randolph (D)

District 3

Mark Spencer (D)

District 4

Rodney Pol (D)

District 5

Ed Charbonneau (R)

District 6

Rick Niemeyer (R)

District 7

Brian Buchanan (R)

District 8

Mike Bohacek (R)

District 9

Ryan Mishler (R)

District 10

David Niezgodski (D)

District 11

Linda Rogers (R)

District 12

Blake Doriot (R)

District 13

Susan Glick (R)

District 14

Tyler Johnson (R)

District 15

Liz Brown (R)

District 16

Justin Busch (R)

District 17

Andy Zay (R)

District 18

Stacey Donato (R)

District 19

Travis Holdman (R)

District 20

Scott Baldwin (R)

District 21

James Buck (R)

District 22

Ronnie Alting (R)

District 23

Spencer Deery (R)

District 24

Brett Clark (R)

District 25

Mike Gaskill (R)

District 26

Scott Alexander (R)

District 27

Jeff Raatz (R)

District 28

Michael Crider (R)

District 29

J.D. Ford (D)

District 30

Fady Qaddoura (D)

District 31

Kyle Walker (R)

District 32

Aaron Freeman (R)

District 33

Greg Taylor (D)

District 34

La Keisha Jackson (D)

District 35

Michael Young (R)

District 36

Cyndi Carrasco (R)

District 37

Rodric Bray (R)

District 38

Greg Goode (R)

District 39

Eric Bassler (R)

District 40

Shelli Yoder (D)

District 41

Greg Walker (R)

District 42

Jean Leising (R)

District 43

Randy Maxwell (R)

District 44

Eric Koch (R)

District 45

Chris Garten (R)

District 46

Andrea Hunley (D)

District 47

Gary Byrne (R)

District 48

Daryl Schmitt (R)

District 49

Jim Tomes (R)

District 50

Vaneta Becker (R)

Republican Party (40)

Democratic Party (10)

[1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on March 20, 2024

[1]

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Scott Wise

Biography

Elections

2024

U.S. House

General election

General election for U.S. House Indiana District 3

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 3

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 3

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House Indiana District 3

Campaign finance

Endorsements

State Senate District 16

General election

General election for Indiana State Senate District 16

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Indiana State Senate District 16

Campaign finance

Endorsements

2014

Campaign themes

2024

U.S. House

Ballotpedia survey responses

State Senate District 16

Ballotpedia survey responses

Campaign finance summary

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2025 Elections

2026 Elections

2024 Election analysis

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