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Request a DemoHere’s who will be on the May primary ballot for U.S. Senate, president in Indiana
![Man voting in 2020 election](https://stateaffairs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/voter-at-election-polling-place-in-2020-scaled.jpg)
Man at a election polling place in Des Moines, Iowa in 2020. (Credit: Phil Roeder/Flickr)
The filing deadline for Indiana’s May 7 primary election has passed, which means we now have a better idea of who will be on the ballot across the state.
There are open seats in Indiana for the U.S. Senate, governor’s office and three U.S. House seats, which means it’s going to be a critical and competitive election cycle. There are also a dozen candidates running in Indiana’s 5th Congressional District, despite U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz’s last minute decision to seek reelection after initially saying she would not be running in 2024.
Plus there are competitive May primaries in more than a third of the State House districts and 10 state Senate districts.
It’s still possible candidates could be removed from the ballot. Hoosiers have until noon on Feb. 16 to challenge someone’s candidacy with the Indiana Election Commission, the committee with the authority to remove someone from the ballot. And some candidates are clearly at risk.
Here’s who will likely be on the ballot across the whole state:
Governor
Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb is term-limited, which means the seat is up for grabs. It’s rare for this many credible Republican candidates to run for a gubernatorial primary election. Here’s who is hoping to replace Holcomb:
Republicans on the ballot:
- U.S. Sen. Mike Braun
- Former Indiana Secretary of Commerce Brad Chambers
- Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch
- Fort Wayne businessman Eric Doden
- Former Attorney General Curtis Hill
- Jamie Reitenour, a mother of five who most recently worked for Tory R. Walker Engineering, Inc.
Democrats on the ballot:
- Anderson city employee Tamie Dixon-Tatum
- Former Superintendent of Public Instruction Jennifer McCormick
Dixon-Tatum’s candidacy will likely be challenged. Unofficial tallies submitted by county offices to the state Election Division show that in eight of nine congressional districts, Dixon-Tatum was well short of the required number of petition signatures required under state law to qualify for the ballot. In a statement, state Democratic Party officials said the party was “united behind” McCormick.
U.S. President
President Joe Biden is running for reelection. Here’s who all will be on the ballot in Indiana. Keep in mind, Indiana’s primary is later than most states, so it’s possible a presidential candidate will have already dropped out by May.
Republicans on the ballot:
- Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley
- Former President Donald Trump
Democrats on the ballot:
- President Joe Biden
Haley’s candidacy could still be challenged. She just barely cleared the required number of signatures in the 7th Congressional District, located entirely in Marion County. Before the filing deadline, Trump questioned whether Haley would obtain enough signatures to qualify.
U.S. Senate
Braun is not seeking reelection because he is running for governor, leaving this U.S. Senate seat open.
Republicans on the ballot:
- U.S. Rep. Jim Banks
- Egg farmer John Rust
Democrats on the ballot:
- Former state Rep. Marc Carmichael
- Psychologist Valerie McCray
Whether or not Rust will stay on the ballot could hinge on an Indiana Supreme Court case.
State law says that in order to run in a primary election, a candidate must have chosen that party’s ballot in the previous two elections in which they voted, unless they can get approval from the county party chair. Rust voted as a Republican in the 2016 primaries, but pulled Democratic ballots prior to that.
The Indiana Supreme Court is now considering Rust’s challenge to the state’s ballot access laws, but it’s unclear whether the court will rule prior to the Feb. 16 deadline to challenge someone’s candidacy.
You can see a full list of candidates on the Indiana Secretary of State website.
Contact Kaitlin Lange on X @kaitlin_lange or email her at [email protected].
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