Tara Nelson
Tara Nelson (Democratic Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Indiana's 5th Congressional District. She is on the ballot in the Democratic primary on May 5, 2026.[source]
Nelson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Tara Nelson earned a high school diploma from Harrison High School and a graduate degree from Purdue University. Nelson's career experience includes working in information technology.[1]
Elections
2026
See also: Indiana's 5th Congressional District election, 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.
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Democratic primary
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 5
The following candidates are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 5 on May 5, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Steven Avit  | |
 | J.D. Ford | |
 | Jackson Franklin | |
 | Phil Goss | |
 | Dylan McKenna | |
 | Tara Nelson | |
 | Deborah A. Pickett | |
| ||||
| = 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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Samuel Cooper (D)
- Todd Shelton (D)
Republican primary
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 5
Incumbent Victoria Spartz (R) and Scott King (R) are running in the Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 5 on May 5, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Victoria Spartz | |
 | Scott King | |
| ||||
| = 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.
2012
Nelson ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House to represent Indiana's 4th District. Nelson defeated Lester Terry Moore in the May 8 Democratic primary and was defeated by Republican incumbent Todd Rokita in the November 6 general election.[2]
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Todd Rokita Incumbent |
62% | 168,688 | |
| Democratic | Tara Nelson | 34.2% | 93,015 | |
| Libertarian | Benjamin J. Gehlhausen | 3.9% | 10,565 | |
| Total Votes | 272,268 | |||
| Source: Indiana Secretary of State "House of Representatives Election Results" | ||||
Primary Election
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Tara Nelson |
58.3% | 7,018 |
| Lester Terry Moore | 41.7% | 5,010 |
| Total Votes | 12,028 | |
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Tara Nelson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Nelson's responses.
| Collapse all
Tara holds an Executive MBA from Purdue University, with international study in Malaysia and Singapore, and brings a disciplined, results-oriented approach supported by PMP, Agile, Lean, and Six Sigma Green Belt credentials. She is known for steady, accountable leadership that strengthens operations, improves performance, and delivers practical solutions at scale. In recognition of her public leadership, she was honored at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards at Carnegie Hall following her 2012 U.S. Congressional run.
A lifelong Hoosier, Tara grew up in Lafayette, Indiana, where she attended St. Ann’s Catholic Church and Harrison High School. She has called Carmel home for the past six years. Tara is the proud mother of her daughter, Alexandria, a mechanic, and they share a passion for supercars, especially Lamborghinis. Tara’s father and grandfather were members of the United Auto Workers, and both of her grandfathers served in World War II - in the Army Air Force and the Navy.- Tara is committed to restoring constitutional checks and balances, enforcing the rule of law, and rebuilding public trust in government. She believes no president or administration is above constitutional accountability, regardless of party or politics.
- Beyond accountability, Tara supports practical, common-sense solutions to the challenges facing American families. She supports immigration reform that is humane, fiscally responsible, and focused on safety—without wasting taxpayer dollars or putting lives at risk. She believes public safety is strongest when states and local communities lead, not when federal power overreaches.
- Tara also supports serious healthcare reform so families are not forced into bankruptcy for basic medical care.
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.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
