John Ruckelshaus
John Ruckelshaus (Republican Party) is running for election to the Indiana State Senate to represent District 29. He declared candidacy for the Republican primary scheduled on May 5, 2026.[source]
Ruckelshaus (Republican Party) was a member of the Indiana State Senate, representing District 30. He assumed office on November 9, 2016. He left office on November 4, 2020.
Biography
John Ruckelshaus, as of December 2019, lives in Indianapolis, Indiana. He graduated from Pike High School. Ruckelshaus earned a degree from Indiana University. Ruckelshaus' career experience includes working as the director of business development with Van Ausdall and Farrar and a consultant with American Health and Wellness. He was also a deputy commissioner at the Department of Workforce Development for Governor Mitch Daniels.[1]
Committee assignments
2019-2020
Ruckelshaus was assigned to the following committees:
- Senate Environmental Affairs Committee
- Health and Provider Services Committee, Ranking member
- Insurance and Financial Institutions Committee
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Indiana committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Environmental Affairs |
| • Health and Provider Services |
| • Insurance and Financial Institutions |
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
2026
See also: Indiana State Senate elections, 2026
General election
The primary will occur on May 5, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for Indiana State Senate District 29
David Greene (D), Demetrice Hicks (D), Kristina Moorhead (D), and Kevin Short (D) are running in the Democratic primary for Indiana State Senate District 29 on May 5, 2026.
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Republican primary
Republican primary for Indiana State Senate District 29
Mike Delph (R), Veronica Ford (R), and John Ruckelshaus (R) are running in the Republican primary for Indiana State Senate District 29 on May 5, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Mike Delph | |
| Veronica Ford | ||
 | John Ruckelshaus | |
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Endorsements
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2020
See also: Indiana State Senate elections, 2020
General election
General election for Indiana State Senate District 30
Fady Qaddoura defeated incumbent John Ruckelshaus in the general election for Indiana State Senate District 30 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Fady Qaddoura (D) | 52.6 | 42,268 |
| John Ruckelshaus (R) | 47.4 | 38,145 | |
| Total votes: 80,413 | |||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Indiana State Senate District 30
Fady Qaddoura advanced from the Democratic primary for Indiana State Senate District 30 on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Fady Qaddoura | 100.0 | 18,354 |
| Total votes: 18,354 | |||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Indiana State Senate District 30
Incumbent John Ruckelshaus defeated Terry Michael in the Republican primary for Indiana State Senate District 30 on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John Ruckelshaus | 80.8 | 9,209 |
| Terry Michael | 19.2 | 2,187 | ||
| Total votes: 11,396 | |||
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2016
- See also: Indiana State Senate elections, 2016
Elections for the Indiana State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on May 3, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was February 5, 2016. Incumbent Scott Schneider (R) did not seek re-election.
John Ruckelshaus defeated Pamela Hickman and Zach Roberts in the Indiana State Senate District 30 general election.[2][3]
| Indiana State Senate, District 30 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  John Ruckelshaus |
50.73% | 36,848 | |
| Democratic | Pamela Hickman | 45.74% | 33,220 | |
| Libertarian | Zach Roberts | 3.53% | 2,564 | |
| Total Votes | 72,632 | |||
| Source: Indiana Election Divsion | ||||
Pamela Hickman ran unopposed in the Indiana State Senate District 30 Democratic primary.[4][5]
| Indiana State Senate, District 30 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Pamela Hickman (unopposed) | |
John Ruckelshaus ran unopposed in the Indiana State Senate District 30 Republican primary.[4][5]
| Indiana State Senate, District 30 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | John Ruckelshaus (unopposed) | |
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
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2020
John Ruckelshaus did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2016
Ruckelshaus' campaign website highlighted the following issues:
| “ |
A Family You Know John grew up just down the street, and he comes from a family who has always lived in our community. He’s deeply committed to improving the quality of life in our neighborhoods – a task he believes is best accomplished by working with all community members, no matter their backgrounds or political stripes. Because for John, it’s not about politics, it’s about people, and that’s why he supports all Hoosiers in the challenges they face. Improving Our Local Education John knows that good local schools reward our children with better paying jobs and brighter futures, contributing to the safety and prosperity of our neighborhoods. And John believes that this only happens when we provide our teachers with the best support and materials possible. That’s why he’ll fight to improve the quality of schools at all levels – from pre-K through higher education – to guarantee our students a world-class education. For John, nothing is more important than investing in our children’s learning to enable them to succeed in the classroom and in the future. Creating a Safe Community John cares deeply about our community and knows that that requires making it a safe place for us to live. To reduce crime, he’ll work to support our public safety officers, invest in early childhood education and mental health treatment, and seek healing solutions to those hurting from drug addiction. Above all, he believes that we make our communities safer by bringing people from all walks of life together to cherish the neighborhoods we live in. Encouraging Job Growth As a former small businessman, John created local jobs for almost 20 years. He understands that attracting employers and high-paying jobs requires maintaining a business-friendly job climate and focusing on bridging the skills gap so workers are prepared for the next phases of their careers. As Deputy Director of Workforce Development to Governor Mitch Daniels, John found bipartisan solutions for both employers and employees to start addressing this problem. As your Senator, he will continue to boost career education and technical learning so we can all work towards a prosperous future. Providing a Voice of Reason In today’s turbulent political environment, John is committed to working with stakeholders from across the political spectrum to advance common sense solutions to improve our community. He believes that we have much more in common than we do in conflict, and he looks forward to reaching across the aisle to craft the best policies possible. The last thing we need from our politicians is more partisanship and pettiness, so John hopes to provide a voice of reason in the Statehouse.[6] |
” |
| —John Ruckelshaus[7] | ||
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.
Scorecards
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.
2020
In 2020, the Indiana State Legislature was in session from January 6 to March 11.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on issues related to consumer interests.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to social issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on whether they supported or opposed IMA's position on a bill.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to public education.
2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the Indiana General Assembly was in session from January 3 through April 24.
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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, the Indiana General Assembly was in session from January 2 through March 16.
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2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the Indiana General Assembly was in session from January 3 through April 22.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the Indiana General Assembly was in session from January 5 through March 10.
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See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Indiana Senate Republicans, “John Ruckelshaus” accessed December 13, 2019
- ↑ Indiana Secretary of State, "November 8, 2016 General Election candidates," February 5, 2016
- ↑ Indiana Election Division, "General election 2016 results," accessed December 16, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Indiana Secretary of State, "May 3, 2016 Primary Election candidates," February 5, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Indiana Secretary of State, "May 3, 2016 Primary Election Results," accessed August 18, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ruckelshaus for Senate, "Issues," accessed September 29, 2016
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Scott Schneider (R) |
Indiana State Senate District 30 2016-2020 |
Succeeded by Fady Qaddoura (D) |
