Results from the May 7th Primaries in Indiana

Updated May 8, 2024 at 2pm to reflect the passing of Republican House Nominee Jennifer Pace.

Primary elections were held on Tuesday in Indiana. Full context about women in the 2024 elections, including candidate lists, summaries, and historical comparisons, are available via the Center for American Women and Politics’ (CAWP) Election Watch.

Among the most notable results for women:

  • Women are Democratic nominees for the top statewide offices – U.S. Senate and governor – up for election in Indiana in 2024, but both open-seat contests strongly favor their Republican opponents. To date, no woman has served as governor of Indiana or represented the state in the U.S. Senate. 
  • If successful in this Republican-favored contest, Democratic Senate nominee Valerie McCray would be just the fourth Black woman to serve in the U.S. Senate.
  • Both women U.S. House incumbents are general election nominees and are strongly favored to win re-election. 
  • All five (4D, 1R)* non-incumbent women nominees for the U.S. House from Indiana are running in contests strongly favoring their opponents, indicating that no pickups for women are likely in this cycle. 

 

U.S. Senate

Women Nominees in 2024: Based on primary election results, Democrat Valerie McCray is one of two (50%) major-party nominees for the open-seat U.S. Senate contest in Indiana. She will face Republican nominee and current U.S. Representative Jim Banks in an open-seat general election contest.

Woman Nominee

Party

Seat Status

Race/Ethnicity

Current Cook Political Report Rating 

Valerie McCray

D

Open Seat

Black

Solid Republican

Current/Historic Women’s Representation: No women currently represent Indiana in the U.S. Senate. No women have ever served in the U.S. Senate from Indiana.

Women Candidates in 2024: One (1D) woman filed as a candidate for U.S. Senate in Indiana in 2024. She was 1 of 3 (33.3%) total major-party candidates for U.S. Senate in 2024. 

Milestones to Watch in 2024: 

  • No woman has served as U.S. Senator from Indiana.
  • No other woman has been a major-party candidate for the U.S. Senate in Indiana since 1986 (Democratic nominee Jill Long Thompson).
  • No Black woman has served as U.S. Senator from states other than California and Illinois. 

 

U.S. House

Women Nominees in 2024: Based on primary election results, women are 7* of 18 (38.9%) major-party nominees for U.S. House in Indiana, including 4 of 9 (44.4%) Democrats and 3* of 9 (33.3%) Republicans. 

Of the 7 (4D, 3R) women nominees for U.S. House in Indiana: 2 (2R) are incumbents, 3 (2D, 1R) are challengers, and 2 (2D) are running for open seats. Four (1D, 3R) women House candidates were unsuccessful. 

*Nominee Jennifer Pace died in March and will be replaced by the Indiana Republican Party on the general election ballot.

District

Woman Nominee

Party

Seat Status

Race/Ethnicity

Current Cook Political Report Rating 

2

Lori Camp

D

Challenger

White

Solid Republican

3

Kiley Adolph

D

Open Seat

White

Solid Republican

5

Deborah Pickett

D

Challenger

White

Solid Republican

5

Victoria Spartz

R

Incumbent

White

Solid Republican

6

Cinde Wirth

D

Open Seat

White

Solid Republican
7 Jenn Pace R Challenger White Solid Democrat

9

Erin Houchin

R

Incumbent

White

Solid Republican

Current/Historic Women’s Representation: Women currently hold 2 (2R) of 9 (22.2%) seats in the Indiana delegation to the U.S. House. Nine (4D, 5R) women have served in the U.S. House from Indiana. 

Women Candidates in 2024: 11 (5D, 6R) women filed as candidates for U.S. House seats in Indiana in 2024. This is not a record high. They were 11 of 63 (17.5%) total major-party candidates for U.S. House in 2024.

Milestones to Watch in 2024: 

  • No Democratic woman has served in Congress from Indiana since 2007.

 

Statewide Elective Executive Office

Three statewide executive offices are up for election in Indiana in 2024: governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general. Indiana selects statewide executive office nominees in multiple ways. 

  • Candidates for governor competed in the May 7 primary election. Their results are below. 
  • Gubernatorial nominees choose their running mates (lieutenant governor) after the primary election and both nominees run on a single ticket in the general election.
  • Major-party nominees for attorney general will be selected at party conventions. The Democratic convention will be held on July 15, 2024 and the Republican convention will be held on June 15, 2024. 

Women Nominees in 2024: Based on primary election results, former Superintendent of Public Instruction Jennifer McCormick is one of two (50%) major-party nominees for governor in Indiana. McCormick switched parties after her tenure in statewide executive office and is now the Democratic nominee for governor. She will face Republican nominee and current U.S. Senator Mike Braun in an open-seat general election contest.

Office

Woman Nominee

Party

Seat Status

Race/Ethnicity

Office

Governor

Jennifer McCormick

D

Open Seat

White

Solid Republican

Current/Historic Women’s Representation: Women currently hold 2 (2R) of 7 (28.6%) statewide elective executive offices in Indiana: auditor and lieutenant governor. Twenty-three (5D, 18R) women have served in statewide elective executive offices in Indiana. No women have ever served as Indiana’s governor.

Women Candidates in 2024: 3 (1D, 2R) women filed as candidates for governor in Indiana in 2024. They were 3 of 7 (42.9%) total major-party candidates for governor in 2024.

Milestones to Watch in 2024: 

  • No woman has served as governor in Indiana. 
  • The last time a woman was chosen as a major-party nominee for governor of Indiana was in 2008 (Democratic nominee Jill Long Thompson).

For primary results summaries from other states and full results, including candidate lists, summaries, and historical comparisons, see CAWP’s Election Watch. 

*Republican nominee Jennifer Pace died in March and will be replaced by the Indiana Republican Party on the general election ballot.