The Race
IN-04 covers west-central Indiana -- Lafayette, Crawfordsville, Brownsburg, Greencastle. Cook PVI is R+17. Jim Baird (R) won ~65% in 2024. The Republican primary between Baird and Craig Haggard is the competitive race; the general election is not. [1]
For the two major candidates, see:
Republican Primary
John Piper
Businessman, restaurant/veterinary hospital owner, serial candidate
John Patrick Piper is a businessman who owns and operates restaurants and veterinary hospitals. He holds a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Texas at San Antonio. He ran for U.S. Senate in 2018 as an independent, then finished third in the 2024 IN-04 Republican primary with 9% (behind Baird at 66% and Bookwalter at 25%). [2]
Fundraising: No FEC filing for 2026. [3]
Democratic Primary
Eight Democrats filed for a district that hasn't been competitive in over a decade. Fundraising across the entire field is nearly nonexistent -- the most any candidate has raised is $150.
Drew Cox
Purdue music instructor, Marine veteran
Drew Cox is a Visiting Instructor at Purdue University's Rueff School of Design, Art, and Performance and a percussionist with the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps and was honorably discharged in 2012, then used the GI Bill to earn a B.A. from Indiana University and a doctorate in Music from the University of Illinois. He is a member of the local Marine Corps League and American Legion Post 11. [4]
His platform is the most developed in the Democratic field: abolish ICE, Medicare for All, cannabis legalization, $15 minimum wage indexed to inflation, codify Roe v. Wade, pass the Equality Act, and campaign finance reform. He accepts no corporate money. [5]
Fundraising: FEC committee filed July 2025; no financial totals yet processed. [3]
Joe Mackey
Retired Caterpillar machinist, cancer advocacy, Lafayette — third congressional run
Joe Mackey worked 27 years at the Lafayette Caterpillar plant before retiring. He founded the Claire E. & Patrick G. Mackey Children's Cancer Foundation after losing two children to leukemia within a 30-month span -- facing $7.5 million in medical bills, of which insurance covered $3.6 million. [6]
He won the 2020 Democratic primary and lost the general to Baird (~35% to ~65%). He also ran in the 2018 primary (16.12%, 3rd of 6). His platform centers on single-payer healthcare and working-family affordability. [7]
Fundraising (through Dec 31, 2025): $150 raised (all self-contributed). Debts: $12,704 carried from prior cycles. [3]
Paul McPherson
Purdue engineering professor, Warren County Democrats chair
Paul Bryant McPherson is an Associate Professor of Practice in Purdue's School of Engineering Technology and Faculty Director of the Bechtel Innovation Design Center. He holds a B.S. from Berea College (Kentucky) and an M.S. in Technology from Purdue. He grew up on a 210-acre cattle/crop farm in Ohio and maintains a hobby farm in Warren County. He serves as Chair of the Warren County Democrats and previously served on the Medina Township Board. [8]
He calls himself "a healthy mix between a Moderate and Progressive Democrat" with platforms on education, healthcare, domestic manufacturing, rural broadband, immigration reform, and responsible gun ownership. [9]
Fundraising: FEC committee filed February 2026; no financial totals yet. [3]
John Whetstone
Game store owner, Montgomery County Democrats secretary, Crawfordsville
John Whetstone grew up in a working-class family in a trailer park outside Crawfordsville, where his father balanced factory shifts and maintenance work and his mother worked multiple jobs. He is a former professional Magic: The Gathering competitor who now owns a gaming store in Crawfordsville. He serves as Secretary and precinct chair of the Montgomery County Democrats. [10]
His platform centers on raising the federal minimum wage to $17.25/hr, affordable housing, workers' rights, and public education -- drawn directly from his experience working minimum wage at Little Caesars in high school. [10]
Fundraising: FEC committee filed August 2025; no financial data reported. [3]
Roger Day
Small businessman, Avon — third congressional run
Roger Day has run for IN-04 three times: 2014 (lost D primary), 2018 (12.41%, last of 6 in D primary), and 2022 (won D primary, lost general to Baird 32% to 68%). He operates multiple businesses in Avon including Days Auto Sales and a sports bar. He holds a degree from the University of Evansville. [11]
Fundraising: No 2026 FEC filing found. [3]
Darin Patrick Griesey
Winery owner, farmer, nonprofit consultant, Monticello
Darin Griesey, 59, is a fourth-generation farmer whose family has worked the western shore of the Tippecanoe River in White County for 130+ years. He owns Big Monon Winery and has 25 years of community development experience across urban and rural Indiana. He holds a BASc from Purdue and certificates in public management (IUPUI) and photovoltaic/wind installation. He ran in the 2018 IN-04 Democratic primary (6.71%, last place) and for White County Commissioner in 2024. [12]
Fundraising: No 2026 FEC filing. [3]
Thomas D. Hall Jr.
Welder, Teamsters member, Martinsville
Thomas D. Hall Jr. is a welder and Teamsters member (joined 2023) from Martinsville. He describes himself as "an everyday working-class Hoosier" and focuses on universal healthcare, affordable education, less taxes on the middle class, and repealing anti-union laws. This is his first campaign. [13]
Fundraising: FEC committee filed June 2025; no funds raised. [3]
Jayden McCash
Teamsters truck driver
Jayden McCash is a Teamsters truck driver who filed on February 4, 2026 -- two days before the deadline. He is the least publicly documented candidate in the field. No campaign website, platform details, or media coverage has been identified beyond his FEC filing and listing in race roundups. [14]
Fundraising: No funds raised. [3]