Hoosiers chose nominees for 3 open U.S. House seats (2024)

Every incumbent who was challenged in Indiana's U.S. House seats secured their party's nomination on Tuesday night.

But with three open seats, many races attracted multiple candidates. Experience won the day as former officeholders took the Republican nomination in those districts.

Here are the results of Tuesday's congressional primaries:

1st Congressional District

The Democratic incumbent for Indiana’s 1st District, Frank Mrvan, faced no opposition in his party’s primary, meaning he secured his party's nomination when polls closed. He’s served the northwest Indiana district since 2021.

On the Republican side, carpenter Mark Leyva, Lake County councilman Randy Niemeyer and small business owner Ben Ruiz competed for their party’s nomination.Niemeyer won with 61% of the vote, while Levya received 25% of the vote and Ruiz received 14%.

2nd Congressional District

In the 2nd District, which stretches from St. Joseph County to Miami County, Republican U.S. Rep. Rudy Yakym ran unopposed, winning his party's nomination as polls closed Tuesday. Yakym was first elected in a 2022 special election following the death of Rep. Jackie Walorski.

Lori Camp, a software employee, won the Democratic nomination with no opposition.

3rd Congressional District

The GOP primary race for northeast Indiana's 3rd District was among the closest of the night as eight candidates sought to replace Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Banks, who's running for U.S. Senate.

Former 3rd District Rep. Marlin Stutzman was declared the winner with 24% of the vote. Coming up short were nonprofit executive Tim Smith with 23% of the vote, former Allen County Judge Wendy Davis with 19%, state Sen. Andy Zay with 16% and project manager Grant Bucher with 10%. Former Senate staffer Jon Kenworthy received 4%, and Mike Felker and Eric Whalen both received 2%.

In the Democratic primary, Kiley Adolph was declared the winner with 63% of the vote. Phil Goss received 37%.

4th Congressional District

Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Baird was challenged by Charles Bookwalter and John Piper for the party’s nomination in the 4th District, which stretches from Morgan County to Newton County. Baird has held his position since 2019.

Baird easily won his primary Tuesday night with 65% of the vote. Bookwalter had 27% and Piper had 8%.

In the Democratic primary Derrick Holder who, receiving 64% of the vote to Rimpi Girn's 37%.

5th Congressional District

Incumbent Victoria Spartz won the GOP primary in the 5th Congressional District Tuesday despite facing a crowd of opponents when she reversed her decision not to seek reelection. She was first elected in 2020 to represent the district, which runs from Hamilton County north to Grant County.

Spartz secured 39% of the vote. She was followed by Chuck Goodrich, a current state representative and CEO of Gaylor Electric, with 33%; Max Engling, who previously worked under former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, with 10%; Raju Chinthala, founder and president of the Indiana India Business Council and a speech pathologist, with 7%; Mark Hurt, a lawyer who previously worked on health care policy, with 6%. The other Republicans — former accountant Patrick Malayter, foster child advocacy nonprofit president Matthew Peiffer, businessman and veteran LD Powell, and property manager Larry Savage Jr. — were all at or below 2% each.

Spartz will face Democrat Deborah Pickett, who bested Ryan Pfenninger 60% to 40%.

More:Here's who is running against Spartz and Goodrich in Indiana's 5th Congressional District

6th Congressional District

Jefferson Shreve, a 2023 Indianapolis mayoral candidate with deep pockets, won the Republican primary to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Greg Pence.

Shreve received 28% of the vote, and state Rep. Mike Speedy and businessman Jamison Carrier were close behind at 22% and 20% respectively. Former state Sen. Bill Frazier had 10%, state Sen. Jeff Raatz had 9%, former state Rep. John Jacob had 8%, and veteran Darin Childress had 2%.

The district includes the southern portion of Marion County and stretches east to the Ohio border.

Cynthia Wirth ran unopposed for the 6th District Democratic nomination, meaning she'll face Shreve in November. She ran in 2022 and was defeated by Pence, who received nearly double her votes.

More:With Greg Pence out, 7 Republicans vie for Indy-based 6th Congressional District

7th Congressional District

7th district Democratic incumbent André Carson easily won his primary, receiving 91% of the vote.

He has served the Indianapolis district since 2007, when he won a special election victory to fill his grandmother’s seat.

Carson was opposed this year by Democrats Pierre Pullins and Curtis Godfrey, both veterans. They said they were running to give 7th District residents more choice. Godfrey received 6% of the vote and Pullins received 4%.

On the Republican side Jennifer Pace won the race with 31% of the vote. Pace died of a heart attack in early March after the deadline to remove names from the ballot. A Republican caucus will be held to choose Pace's replacement.

Retired Army Lt. Catherine Ping ended the race with 30%, retired postal worker Philip Davis with 26% and former Evansville mayor candidate Gabe Whitley with 13%.

More:Here's who's challenging Rep. André Carson in Indiana's 7th Congressional District

8th Congressional District

State Sen. Mark Messmer was declared the Republican nominee for the open 8th District seat in southwestern Indiana.

Eight Republicans and four Democrats were vying to replace Rep. Larry Bucshon in what some call a “free-for-all” after he announced he was not running for reelection.

Messmer ended the night with 39%, followed by former U.S. Rep. John Hostettler with 20%, surgeon Richard Moss with 14%, Army 2nd Lt. Dominick Jack Kavanaugh with 12%, and Owen County Republican Party Chair Kristi Risk with 9%. Coming in at or under 3% each were former Sullivan County Commissioner Luke Misner, banker and real estate broker Jim Case and former correctional officer Jeremy Heath.

On the Democratic side, movie theater manager Erik Hurt took the nomination with 45% of the vote. Musician and sales manager Edward Upton Sein had 23%, bus driver Michael Talarzyk had 21% and veteran Peter Priest II had 12%.

The district has gone back and forth between parties.

9th Congressional District

Republican U.S. Rep. Erin Houchin, who has held the southeast Indiana 9th District seat for one term, beat challenger Hugh Doty with 80% of the vote.

On the Democratic side, health entrepreneur Timothy Peck defeated veteran and technician D. Liam Dorris, 66% to 34%.

Contact IndyStar politics intern Nadia Scharf at nscharf@indystar.com or follow her on Twitter@nadiaascharf.

Hoosiers chose nominees for 3 open U.S. House seats (2024)

FAQs

Who are the House members not running in 2024? ›

Six incumbent representatives, Barbara Lee of the 12th district, Adam Schiff of the 30th district, Katie Porter of the 47th district, Anna Eshoo of the 16th district, Tony Cárdenas of the 29th district, and Grace Napolitano of the 31st district have announced they will not seek re-election in 2024; Lee, Schiff, and ...

How many house seats do the Democrats have? ›

Per states
StateTotal seatsDemocratic
Seats
Arizona95
Arkansas40
California5342
48 more rows

What senators are retiring in 2024? ›

2 Republicans (Mike Braun of Indiana and Mitt Romney of Utah), 4 Democrats (Ben Cardin of Maryland, Tom Carper of Delaware, Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, and Joe Manchin of West Virginia), and one independent (Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona) are not seeking reelection.

Who controls the House of Representatives? ›

The speaker acts as leader of the House and combines several institutional and administrative roles. Majority and minority leaders represent their respective parties on the House floor.

Who is the youngest member of the House currently? ›

Maxwell Frost (D-FL) is the youngest member of the 118th Congress at age 27. He succeeded one-term representative Madison Cawthorn, who was the youngest person elected to the U.S. Congress since Jed Johnson Jr. in 1964.

What seats are currently vacant in the House of Representatives? ›

WI-08: Vacant following Congressman Gallagher's resignation on April 24, 2024. OH-06: Vacant following Congressman Johnson's resignation on January 21, 2024. CO-04: Vacant following Congressman Buck's resignation on March 22, 2024. NJ-10: Vacant following Congressman Payne's death on April 24, 2024.

How many Republicans are in the House in 2024? ›

U.S. House Elections by State

All 435 seats will be up for election. Five of the chamber's six non-voting members are up for election as well. Heading into the election, Republicans have a 217-213 majority. There are five vacancies.

Which party has the most seats in the US House? ›

United States House of Representatives
Minority WhipKatherine Clark (D) since January 3, 2023
Structure
Seats435 voting members 6 non-voting members 218 for a majority
Political groupsMajority (217) Republican (217) Minority (213) Democratic (213) Vacant (5) Vacant (5)
27 more rows

Is Maine a red or blue state? ›

Primarily Republican from the Civil War (going “blue” only in 1912, 1964, and 1968) through the 1980s, Maine has voted Democratic in the last eight elections, although the 2016 race was quite close by recent historical standards, Hillary Clinton prevailed by 3% over Donald Trump.

How many members of Congress are not seeking reelection in 2024? ›

As of May 10, 2024, 52 members of Congress—eight members of the U.S. Senate and 44 members of the U.S. House—announced they would not seek re-election in 2024.

How many times can a senator be re-elected? ›

No person who has been elected for a full term to the Senate two consecutive times shall be eligible for election or appointment to the Senate for a third consecutive term.

What is the minimum age to be in the Senate? ›

The delegates voted on June 12 to set a minimum age of 30 for the Senate and later added a minimum age of 25 for serving in the House.

Is the House or Senate more powerful? ›

The Senate has exceptionally high authority, sometimes higher than the President or the House of Representatives. The Senate can try cases of impeachment, which can dismiss a President for misconduct.

What is the nickname of the Democratic Party? ›

Under the Jacksonian era, the term "The Democracy" was in use by the party, but the name "Democratic Party" was eventually settled upon and became the official name in 1844. Members of the party are called "Democrats" or "Dems". The most common mascot symbol for the party has been the donkey, or jackass.

Can a senator be a Speaker of the House? ›

Franck, Schaub, Ellis, and Dubinsky argue that permitting a Senator or an executive or judicial officer of the federal government to serve as a non-member Speaker would cause a significant breach of the constitutional separation of powers.

How many members of Congress are leaving in 2024? ›

As of May 20, 2024, 52 members of Congress—eight members of the U.S. Senate and 44 members of the U.S. House—announced they would not seek re-election in 2024. Of the U.S. Senate members not running for re-election, seven—U.S. Sens.

Why are there vacant seats in the House of Representatives? ›

Chaftez notes that Congress passed a law that allows states to set the time for filling House vacancies 'whether such vacancy is caused by a failure to elect at the time prescribed by law, or by the death, resignation, or incapacity of a person elected.

Do all House members run every two years? ›

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives serve two-year terms. All 435 House seats are up for election every midterm and presidential election year. A representative must be at least 25, a U.S. citizen for at least seven years, and live in the state he or she represents.

How often do members of the House run? ›

All House members are elected for two years. All members stand for reelection in the general election during even years and begin serving the first day of the legislative session following the general election (the second Monday of January).

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