HD-88: Fishers / Hamilton-Hancock-Madison-Marion (Safe R)
House District 88 covers a suburban crescent east and northeast of Indianapolis, stretching across portions of Hamilton, Hancock, Madison, and Marion counties. The district includes parts of Fishers, Lawrence, McCordsville, Fortville, and Ingalls -- Indianapolis-exurban communities defined by new subdivisions, good school systems, and rapid population growth. Chris Jeter has won every general election here by at least 15 points. This is not competitive. [1]
Chris Jeter (R, Incumbent)
Chris Jeter is a Navy veteran and attorney serving his fourth term in the Indiana House. He graduated from Hamilton Southeastern High School, earned a B.A. in communications from Oklahoma Baptist University, and a J.D. from the George Washington University Law School. He served seven years on active duty in the Navy Reserve, including as a legal advisor in the Judge Advocate General's Corps and as a Special Assistant United States Attorney. After his military service, he clerked in the Delaware Attorney General's Office, practiced as a litigation associate at Barnes & Thornburg, and in 2015 co-founded Massillamany Jeter & Carson LLP, a law firm in downtown Fishers where he remains a partner. [1] [2]
Jeter was first appointed to the seat in August 2020, succeeding Brian Bosma, and won his first full election that November. He chairs the House Judiciary Committee -- the committee responsible for legislation regarding the judicial branch -- and also sits on the Courts and Criminal Code Committee and the Utilities, Energy and Telecommunications Committee. He co-authored HB 1077, the constitutional carry bill allowing Hoosiers to carry firearms without obtaining a license. He lives in Fishers with his wife Karen and three children and is a member of Northview Church. [2] [3]
Notable donors to his campaign include Indiana Electric Cooperatives State PAC, Duke Energy Indiana, Charter Communications, Comcast, Cigna Employee PAC, Anheuser-Busch, and the Indiana Professional Firefighters PAC, which endorsed him. [4]
Recent results: Jeter won 57.8% in 2024, 59.9% in 2022, and 59.3% in 2020. The margins are consistent and comfortable. [1]
Stephanie Jo Yocum (D, Challenger)
Stephanie Jo Yocum is running against Jeter for the second consecutive cycle. Born in Marion, Indiana, she holds a B.A. in cultural anthropology from Hanover College (2003). After graduation she served two years as an AmeriCorps member providing mentorship for high school students, then built a career in nonprofit leadership spanning more than 20 years in the education and healthcare sectors. She is currently a national Vice President at Playworks, a nonprofit that promotes childhood health and wellbeing through play. In that role she oversees Midwest operations -- including growing Playworks' Indiana presence from 9 Indianapolis schools to more than 80 schools and youth-serving organizations statewide -- and manages the national government grants and AmeriCorps team. She also chairs Serve Indiana, the governor-appointed commission on service and volunteerism. [5] [6]
Yocum's platform focuses on restoring reproductive freedoms, reducing property taxes and living expenses, raising the minimum wage, holding corporations accountable on pricing, and supporting local public schools. She has been endorsed by Our Choice Coalition, the AFT, Planned Parenthood, Moms Demand Action, and United Steelworkers. [4] [6]
In 2024, Yocum lost to Jeter 42.2% to 57.8% -- a 15.6-point gap. That is the structural deficit a Democrat faces in HD-88. Yocum is a credible candidate with real professional accomplishments and institutional endorsements, but the district's partisan composition makes her path to victory extremely narrow absent a major national wave. [1]
HD-91: Indianapolis West Side / Plainfield (Safe R)
House District 91 spans the western edge of Marion County and a slice of Hendricks County, including parts of Indianapolis's west side and the town of Plainfield. The district encompasses portions of Decatur, Guilford, Perry, and Wayne townships. It is a mixed urban-suburban area anchored by working-class Indianapolis neighborhoods and the growing Plainfield corridor, which is home to a concentration of warehouse and logistics operations. Robert Behning has held this seat since 1992 and is one of the longest-serving members of the Indiana House. [7] [8]
Robert Behning (R, Incumbent)
Robert W. Behning, born January 18, 1954, in Indianapolis, is the architect of Indiana's school voucher program and the state's most influential education policy legislator of the past two decades. He graduated from Indiana University in 1976 with a B.S. in business. Before entering politics, he owned Berkshire Florist. He now works at Marian University as Assistant Vice President and Director of the Center for Vibrant Schools -- a position that keeps him embedded in the education reform ecosystem he helped build legislatively. He is married to Rosalie and has three children and grandchildren. [7] [8] [9]
Behning has chaired the House Education Committee for more than six years. In 2011, he authored the School Choice Scholarship program, which created Indiana's taxpayer-funded voucher system. That program has grown into the largest single school voucher initiative in the United States, now serving more than 70,000 students. He has also championed the expansion of charter schools, reduced regulations on K-12 schools, and pushed to expand pre-kindergarten access statewide. He sits on the Public Health Committee as well. [9] [10]
His donors over the years reflect his education portfolio: Hoosiers for Quality Education, Stand for Children, StudentsFirst, Education Networks of America, and K12 (one of the largest online school providers in the country) have all contributed. Corporate donors include Eli Lilly PAC, Comcast, and American Electric Power. [10] [11]
Recent results: Behning won 60.1% in 2024 against Andrew Locke (D), ran unopposed in 2022, and won 59.5% in 2020 in a three-way race (with a Libertarian taking 6.2%). After 34 years in office, he is an institution within an institution. [7]
Jarren Hurt (D, Challenger)
Jarren Hurt filed as a Democrat for the HD-91 primary on January 28, 2026. He is the sole Democratic candidate. Beyond his filing with the Indiana Secretary of State, Hurt has no visible public campaign presence -- no campaign website, no social media accounts identifiable as campaign pages, and no coverage in local media as of this writing. [12]
This is not unusual for Democratic challengers in safe Republican state house seats. Many candidates file to ensure the party has a name on the ballot without mounting a funded campaign. Whether Hurt intends to actively campaign remains to be seen, but the structural math in HD-91 makes this a long-odds proposition regardless.
HD-93: Perry Township / Beech Grove / South-Central Indianapolis (Safe R)
House District 93 sits on the south-central side of Indianapolis, covering portions of Perry and Franklin townships in Marion County, including the city of Beech Grove. The district was redrawn after the 2020 census to incorporate Beech Grove and parts of Franklin Township. It is a Republican-leaning district in what is otherwise a heavily Democratic county -- one of the Marion County seats the GOP holds thanks to the concentration of conservative voters in the southern townships. Julie McGuire has represented the district since November 2022. [13] [14]
Julie McGuire (R, Incumbent)
Julie A. McGuire was born and raised in Indianapolis and earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Indiana University. Her career has blended community service, nonprofit advocacy, and Republican politics. She worked as a policy analyst for the Indiana Senate Republicans, served as secretary and then treasurer of the Perry Township GOP Club, and was president of the Northwest Perry Township Neighborhood Association. She has served on the Roncalli High School Board of Directors since 2022 and is a founding member of St. Roch Hearts for Haiti. She and her husband Mark have four children and are longtime members of St. Roch Catholic Church. [13] [14]
McGuire came to office by defeating incumbent John Jacob in the 2022 Republican primary -- a significant upset, given that unseating a sitting member in a primary is rare in Indiana state politics. She then won the general election with 57.7% against Democrat Andy Miller and independent Karl Knable (6.3%). She was re-elected in 2024 with 62.2% against Democrat Ryan Hughey. [13] [15]
McGuire has completed the Hunt Institute's Early Childhood Policy Academy and the Family Policy Foundation's Statesmen Academy, and is an alumna of the Richard G. Lugar Excellence in Public Service Series. In 2025, she was appointed to the All Payer Claims Database Advisory Board. She serves as Vice Chair of the House Public Health Committee and sits on the Education Committee and Insurance Committee. Her stated priorities are parental rights, the rights of the unborn, educational choice, Second Amendment protections, and support for law enforcement. [14]
Her donors include former Governor Mike Braun (as a private citizen contributor during her campaigns), Senator Jack Sandlin, Hoosiers for Quality Education PAC, LAW PAC of Indiana, Indiana Association of Beverage Retailers' Good Government Fund, Indiana Realtors PAC, and Indiana Multifamily Housing PAC. [16]
McGuire's most prominent public moment came in 2024, when gubernatorial nominee Mike Braun selected her as his preferred running mate for lieutenant governor. She received endorsements from Braun, former President Trump, and multiple statewide officials. At the June 15, 2024 Republican state convention, she lost to pastor Micah Beckwith by a vote of 891 to 828 among 1,719 delegates. The defeat was widely seen as a rebuke of the party establishment by grassroots activists aligned with Beckwith's more combative brand of social conservatism. McGuire returned to her House seat and won re-election five months later. [17]
Eva M. Rosberg (D, Challenger)
Eva M. Rosberg filed as a Democrat for the HD-93 primary on January 27, 2026. She is the sole Democratic candidate. Like Jarren Hurt in HD-91, Rosberg has no visible public campaign presence -- no campaign website, no social media accounts identifiable as campaign pages, and no local media coverage as of this writing. [12]
McGuire's 62.2% in 2024 suggests the district is solidly Republican. A challenger without resources or public profile is not going to change that.
HD-97: Near West / Near South Indianapolis / Garfield Park (Safe D)
House District 97 is the one Democratic-held seat in this batch. The district stretches through Indianapolis's near west and near south sides, encompassing neighborhoods from Monument Circle westward roughly halfway to the airport and south through Garfield Park. It is an urban district within Marion County -- diverse, walkable, and reliably Democratic. Justin Moed has represented it since 2013 and has never been seriously threatened in a general election. [18] [19]
The unusual feature of the 2026 cycle is the absence of a Republican candidate. No Republican filed for the seat; the Republican primary was canceled. The only general election opponent will be Libertarian Mark Renholzberger, who has run in this district three consecutive cycles without cracking 5%. [18]
Justin Moed (D, Incumbent)
Justin Moed, born 1983 or 1984, graduated from Butler University in Indianapolis in 2006 with a degree in political science. He got his start in state government working for the Indiana House of Representatives, rising from doorkeeper to assistant policy director to senior policy analyst before deciding to run for office himself. He was first elected in 2012 at age 28 or 29. [19] [20]
Moed is now the Democratic Whip of the Indiana House of Representatives -- the third-ranking Democrat in the chamber, behind Caucus Leader Phil GiaQuinta and Caucus Chair Carey Hamilton. He serves as ranking minority member of the Public Policy Committee and sits on the Agriculture and Rural Development and Local Government committees. He works professionally as a client advisor at Clark Dietz, Inc. In his personal life, he is a homeowner in Garfield Park where he owns and manages an urban farm. He serves on the Indiana State Tourism Council, the White River Park Commission, and as an advisor to Indiana University-Indianapolis. [19] [20]
In the 2024 cycle, Moed raised $29,625 from 35 donors. His notable donors include the Indiana Beverage Retailers Association, Indiana PAC for Education, Comcast, Indiana BANKPAC, Beer Industry PAC, and United Steelworkers Local 104 PAC. [21]
Recent results: Moed won 58.2% in 2024 (vs. Republican Stephen Whitmer at 38.9% and Libertarian Mark Renholzberger at 2.8%), 58.8% in 2022, and 55.5% in 2020. With no Republican on the ballot in 2026, his only general election opponent will be the Libertarian candidate. [18]
Moed does face a contested Democratic primary. Sarah Shydale has filed to challenge him again after losing the 2024 primary roughly 80-20. [22]
Sarah Shydale (D, Primary Challenger)
Sarah Shydale, born in Greenwood and raised in Bargersville, Indiana, is running for the HD-97 Democratic nomination for the second consecutive cycle. She was 23 years old during the 2024 campaign and would be Indiana's first openly transgender legislator if elected. She works as an accountant at the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, where she assists elderly and disabled people seeking housing and medical services. She has worked in state government since 2021 and has risen through the ranks with proficiency in office management. [22] [23]
Shydale's platform focuses on housing affordability, access to mental health treatment, and services to address homelessness. She has pledged to support congressional term limits and has said she is running because "transgender voices deserve to be heard in the room where decisions are made." [22] [23]
In the 2024 Democratic primary, Moed defeated Shydale with approximately 80% of the vote -- a lopsided result that reflects the advantages of incumbency, name recognition, and institutional support in a low-turnout primary. [22]
Mark Renholzberger (L, General Election Only)
Mark Renholzberger is a 64-year-old chemical engineer and supply chain professional who holds a B.S. in chemical engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and an MBA in operations management from Indiana University. He currently works as a master scheduler at Aero Industries, Inc., having previously held management roles at Catalent Pharma Solutions and Lindal North America. [24]
Renholzberger was nominated at the Libertarian Party of Indiana convention on March 22, 2026, at the Grand Wayne Convention Center in Fort Wayne. This is his fourth consecutive run for HD-97. His results have been consistent: 4.7% in 2020, 2.7% in 2022, and 2.8% in 2024. He has never cracked 5% and in 2022 reported $0 in contributions and $0 in expenditures. [18] [24]
The absence of a Republican candidate in 2026 may inflate Renholzberger's vote share modestly if disaffected conservative voters use the Libertarian line as a protest option. But even the most optimistic scenario for a Libertarian in a deep-blue urban Indianapolis district does not approach competitiveness.
Why It Matters
Four districts, four incumbents, four foregone conclusions. That is the honest summary.
Chris Jeter will win HD-88 because suburban east Hamilton County has voted Republican at the ~60% level in every election since the district was drawn. Robert Behning will win HD-91 because he has done so seventeen consecutive times over 34 years. Julie McGuire will win HD-93 because south-side Marion County's Republican enclaves reliably deliver 60%+ margins. Justin Moed will win HD-97 because the near west and near south sides of Indianapolis are deep blue and the GOP did not even bother to field a candidate.
The more interesting stories within these races have nothing to do with the outcomes. Behning's three-decade career as the architect of Indiana's school voucher program -- now the largest in the nation -- is a case study in how patient committee chairmen shape policy more profoundly than headline-grabbing floor fights. McGuire's loss of the lieutenant governor convention to Micah Beckwith, despite endorsements from both Braun and Trump, revealed the gap between the party establishment and its grassroots base. Moed's rise to Democratic Whip marks him as one of the minority party's key legislative tacticians. And Shydale's persistent challenges as an openly transgender candidate in a deeply conservative state legislature underscore the generational and identity shifts working their way through even Indiana politics.
The races are settled. The questions they raise are not.