Overview
Two northern Indiana House districts carry contested Republican primaries on May 5, 2026, each featuring a business-oriented incumbent facing a populist challenger. House District 20 in LaPorte and Starke counties is the rarer specimen: it has contested primaries on both sides of the aisle, with two Republicans and two Democrats competing for their party's nomination. House District 22 in Kosciusko and Wabash counties has a contested Republican primary only -- no Democrat filed, and the primary winner will take the seat unopposed in November. Neither district is competitive in the general election; both are deep-red territory where the Republican primary is the election that matters. [1]
HD-20: Northwest Indiana's Rural Crossroads -- LaPorte and Starke Counties
The District
House District 20 stretches across portions of LaPorte and Starke counties in northwest Indiana, covering rural communities and small towns south and east of the cities of La Porte and Michigan City. [2] The district includes Rolling Prairie, New Prairie, and surrounding agricultural areas in LaPorte County, extending into Starke County's rural heartland. It sits within Indiana's 2nd Congressional District, currently represented by Rudy Yakym. [3]
This is solidly Republican territory, though it was not always so. LaPorte County voted for Trump by a 14-point margin in 2024, but it was competitive as recently as 2008. [4] At the district level, the Republican lean is even more pronounced. Jim Pressel has never lost a general election, and in both 2022 and 2024 no Democrat even filed to oppose him -- he ran unopposed in the general with 100% of the vote both years. [5] The last time a Democrat contested the seat was 2020, when Pressel defeated Tim Gust with 68.2% of the vote (20,028 to 9,322). In 2018, he won 61.3% against Karen Salzer, and in his first race in 2016 he took 57.1% in a three-way contest. [5]
The district's economy blends agriculture, small manufacturing, and the residential construction trades that are Pressel's professional world. The dominant kitchen-table issue in 2025-2026 is NIPSCO -- Northern Indiana Public Service Company -- which serves as the electric and gas utility for the district. NIPSCO received approval in June 2025 for a rate increase averaging $23 per month (16.75%) for residential electric customers, phased in through early 2026. [6] The rate hike has generated substantial public anger in LaPorte County, with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission holding public listening sessions in LaPorte in early 2026 to hear constituent complaints about rising delivery charges. [6] This utility anger is the political backdrop for both the Republican and Democratic primaries in HD-20.
Republican Primary
The Incumbent: Jim Pressel (R)
Jim Pressel has represented House District 20 since 2016, making this his sixth term bid. [5] Born and raised in rural LaPorte County, he has lived in Rolling Prairie for thirty years with his wife Rebecca. They have two children and three grandchildren. [2]
Pressel owns and operates Pressel Enterprises Inc., a residential home building and renovation company he started in 1981 "with a pickup truck and some hand tools," as his campaign website describes it. [7] Over twenty-four years he built it into what he calls a premier homebuilding company in northwest Indiana. He served as a member and president of the Indiana Builders Association and in 2003 helped establish the building trades program at New Prairie High School, where he continues to serve on the board -- a program that gives students hands-on construction experience for workforce preparation. [2]
In the Statehouse, Pressel chairs the Roads and Transportation Committee and serves on the Utilities, Energy and Telecommunications Committee and the Elections and Apportionment Committee. [2] His legislative record has centered on transportation and trucking safety. His highest-profile legislation in the 2026 session was HB 1200, which allows the Indiana BMV to revoke commercial driver's licenses held by undocumented immigrants, requires CDL applicants to demonstrate English proficiency, and imposes $50,000 fines on trucking companies and CDL academies that employ or train drivers whose legal status has expired. [8] Governor Mike Braun signed the bill, and CDLs held by undocumented immigrants in Indiana expired on April 1, 2026. Pressel, a former cross-country truck driver, positioned the bill as a highway safety measure, noting it made Indiana the first state to enact such restrictions. [8] His earlier legislative work includes bills on highway worksite safety speed enforcement, distracted driving and handheld device restrictions, sudden cardiac arrest prevention in schools, and farmland preservation. [2]
Pressel has faced primary challengers before and dispatched them comfortably. In 2024, he defeated Richard Horner with 74.3% of the primary vote (4,485 to 1,551). In 2022, he defeated Heather Oake with 65.5% (3,495 to 1,840). [5] His campaign finance history shows $811,132 in total contributions across five cycles, with $93,542 raised in 2024. [5]
The Challenger: Juanita Haney (R)
Juanita Haney is making her second bid for elected office after running for LaPorte County Treasurer in the 2024 Republican primary and losing to Dan Barenie. [9] Born November 6, 1978, in Tucson, Arizona, Haney is a long-time LaPorte County resident who attended Pahokee High School. She is married (22 years) and has three daughters -- ages 26, 19, and 17 -- whom she homeschooled. [9]
Haney's professional background is in healthcare: she spent years working on the transplant team in an operating room, an experience she describes as grounding her in real-world challenges. [10] She is guided by deep Christian faith, defends personal liberties and the Second Amendment, and dedicates time to animal rescue in the community. [10]
Her campaign rests on four pillars: local control, total transparency, real accountability, and common-sense solutions. [10] But the animating issue is NIPSCO utility rates. Haney has been a vocal presence at IURC public listening sessions in LaPorte County, arguing that NIPSCO's responses to constituent complaints were "evasive" and that the utility was "trying to lull the public into a false sense that everything is OK." [11] She has called for real investigations into utility pricing and said state representatives and senators need to give the IURC the tools to hold the utility accountable. [11]
Haney's argument against Pressel is pointed: she contends that his voting record shows "his priorities lie with protecting the state's bank account and his political donors, not the residents of La Porte and Starke Counties," particularly on NIPSCO rates. [11] Her campaign slogan captures the populist pitch: she vows "to put the vote back where it belongs -- in the hands of the people -- and to serve as a genuine voice for our district." [10]
Republican Primary Dynamics
The HD-20 Republican primary follows a now-familiar pattern in Indiana: a pragmatic, business-oriented incumbent with legislative seniority and committee power facing a populist challenger energized by a local grievance. Pressel's advantage is structural -- incumbency, fundraising capacity, committee chairmanship, and a track record of dispatching primary challengers. Haney's advantage is atmospheric -- NIPSCO anger is real, widespread, and bipartisan, and Pressel's position on the Utilities, Energy and Telecommunications Committee makes him a visible target for voters who feel the legislature has not done enough to control utility costs.
Pressel's primary vote shares have been declining: 100% (unopposed) in 2020, 65.5% in 2022, and 74.3% in 2024. [5] The 2022 result -- winning with only two-thirds against a lesser-known challenger -- suggests some softness in his base even before the NIPSCO rate crisis. Whether Haney can convert utility anger into primary votes remains to be seen, but she enters with a specific, emotionally resonant issue that Pressel must answer.
Democratic Primary
The presence of two Democratic candidates in HD-20 is notable precisely because no Democrat has contested the seat since 2020, and no Democrat has come within 30 points of winning it since 2016. [5] Two candidates filed for the Democratic primary: Alicia Firanek and Laura Liskey.
Laura Liskey (D)
Laura Liskey is a lifelong resident of La Porte who entered the race "committed to bringing a strong Democratic voice to the State House and ensuring voters have meaningful choices at the ballot box." [12] Her platform focuses on two specific issues: the rapid expansion of data centers in Indiana and what she describes as "the devastating impact of state-level decisions on schools." [12] Both issues connect to real policy debates in the legislature -- the data center boom has drawn scrutiny over energy consumption, tax abatements, and land use, while school funding formulas remain contentious across rural Indiana.
Liskey has an Instagram presence documenting her filing and early campaign activity, but detailed biographical information about her professional background and education was not available in public sources at the time of research. [12]
Alicia Firanek (D)
Alicia Firanek filed for the Democratic primary and is listed on both Ballotpedia and the Indiana Secretary of State's filing records. [1] Beyond her filing, publicly available details about Firanek's background, platform, and campaign activity are extremely limited. No campaign website, detailed media profile, or local news coverage was found during research. She was not listed among the Indiana Rural Summit's 2026 candidates. [13] This information gap does not reflect on the candidate's qualifications -- it may indicate a more locally focused campaign -- but it means voters will need to seek out local forums and party events to evaluate her candidacy.
Democratic Primary Dynamics
Neither Democrat is likely to win the general election in a district where the Republican nominee has been running unopposed or winning by 30-plus points. But the contested primary itself is significant. After two consecutive cycles with no Democratic candidate at all, two Democrats filing signals a resurgence of party activity in LaPorte County -- potentially linked to the same NIPSCO frustration that is powering Haney's Republican challenge, or to broader Democratic organizing efforts in rural Indiana.
The winner of the Democratic primary will face the Republican nominee in November with long odds, but Liskey's focus on data centers and schools at least ensures those issues get a public airing in a district where Republican candidates have faced no pressure to address them from the left.
HD-22: The Orthopedic Capital's Republican Primary -- Kosciusko and Wabash Counties
The District
House District 22 covers portions of Kosciusko and Wabash counties in northern Indiana, including Warsaw -- the county seat of Kosciusko County and self-styled "Orthopedic Capital of the World," home to DePuy Synthes, Zimmer Biomet, and a cluster of medical device companies that anchor the local economy. [14] [15] The district also includes smaller communities in the surrounding area -- Claypool, Silver Lake, Pierceton, and Milford. It sits within Indiana's 2nd Congressional District.
This is one of the most Republican districts in Indiana. Craig Snow won the 2024 general election with 86.4% of the vote (21,137 to 3,332), facing only a Libertarian opponent. [16] In 2022, when a Democrat did run, Snow won 79.4%. No Democrat filed for 2026, and the Democratic primary was canceled. [16] The Republican primary winner on May 5 will represent the district in 2027 without facing a general election challenge.
The Backstory: How Snow Got Here
Craig Snow's path to HD-22 is itself a story about intra-party conflict and redistricting. Snow originally represented House District 18, winning a competitive 2020 Republican primary against Russell Reahard with 54.5% (4,224 to 3,525) and then cruising to a 78.1% general election win. [16] When the legislature redrew maps after the 2020 census, the new District 22 combined Snow's Warsaw base from District 18 with the old District 22 territory of Curt Nisly, a four-term firebrand conservative. [17]
The redistricting forced two sitting incumbents into the same primary -- a move widely interpreted as the Republican leadership engineering the ouster of Nisly, who had been a persistent thorn in the caucus's side. Nisly, a design engineer from Goshen who co-founded C-Tech Solutions, had represented the old HD-22 since 2014 and built a reputation as a proponent of limited government who was willing to stand up to House leadership. [18] He said as much during the 2022 campaign: "I have always sought to represent the people of my district, even if it includes standing up to the Republican leadership in the House. I think it's very obvious that the other representative doesn't take that approach." [17] Snow declined to be interviewed. [17]
The result was not close. Snow defeated Nisly with 73.1% of the vote (6,634 to 2,445) -- a stunning margin against a four-term incumbent. [16] The Indiana Republican establishment reportedly spent over $1 million against conservative legislators like Nisly and John Jacob in that cycle, demonstrating the party leadership's willingness to invest heavily in disciplining its own caucus. [18] Nisly subsequently filed for the 2nd Congressional District special election following Jackie Walorski's death but did not win the caucus nomination.
The Incumbent: Craig Snow (R)
Craig Snow is a business executive whose career trajectory mirrors the corporate profile of his district. After graduating from Warsaw Community High School and earning a B.S. in business administration from Grace College, he began his career at Zimmer -- one of the two orthopedic giants headquartered in Warsaw -- before moving to DePuy Synthes, the other one. [14] In 2006, he joined the Silveus Organization (now Silveus Insurance Group), where he currently serves as board chair. He is also CEO of Cedar Holdings Inc. [14]
Snow's family moved to Warsaw from Missouri when he was in middle school so his father could attend Grace Theological Seminary. [14] He is married to Sherri, and they have three adult children: Tyler, Kahler, and Chloe. His community involvement is extensive: Winona Lake Town Council member, co-chair of the Global Leadership Summit, Warsaw Chamber of Commerce board member, Kosciusko Economic Development Corporation member, chair of the Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church Board of Elders, and vice president of the Northeast Indiana Regional Development Authority. [14]
In the legislature, Snow serves as vice chair of the House Ways and Means Committee -- the chamber's most powerful committee, which controls the state budget -- and sits on the Insurance Committee. [14] His legislative portfolio reflects his business background and institutional positioning. He authored legislation expanding childcare options by removing restrictions for public and private schools providing childcare in their buildings -- a practical response to Kosciusko County being designated a "childcare desert." [19] The Indiana Philanthropy Alliance awarded him its 2022 Public Policy Champion of Philanthropy Award for that work. [19]
In the 2025-2026 session, Snow's portfolio as Ways and Means vice chair put him at the center of the state's major fiscal legislation: HEA 1001 (the two-year balanced budget), income tax reductions, and property tax relief that together delivered what House Republicans described as $1.3 billion in tax savings over two years. [20] He also authored legislation on casino referendums that cleared both chambers, telling the Indiana Capital Chronicle that "if a casino is going to go somewhere, we want broad support." [20]
Snow's campaign finance totals reflect both his competitive 2022 primary against Nisly ($518,039 raised that cycle, the most of any cycle) and his more comfortable 2024 reelection ($55,910 raised). [16] Total career contributions stand at $665,128.
The Challenger: Daniel Koors (R)
Daniel Koors is an owner-operator truck driver who previously sought the Republican nomination for Indiana's 2nd Congressional District in the August 2022 special caucus following Jackie Walorski's death. [21] He was one of twelve Republicans who filed for both the special and general elections. [21] Koors, from North Manchester, participated in the caucus at Grissom Middle School in Mishawaka but did not win the nomination -- Rudy Yakym was selected by party delegates. [21]
Koors's policy positions during the congressional campaign centered on trucking and transportation issues: he favored liberalizing hours-of-service regulations, supported the Leland Schmitt exemption, advocated for standardized enforcement of personal conveyance rules, and backed greater emphasis on English-language communication skills as a CDL prerequisite. [22] Beyond trucking policy, his public profile includes charitable work -- in December 2021, he organized tornado relief efforts at the Lexington Walmart, setting up a dry van trailer to collect donations for communities devastated by the tornadoes that destroyed Mayfield, Kentucky. [22]
For the HD-22 state house race, detailed information about Koors's 2026 campaign platform, endorsements, and local engagement was not publicly available at the time of research. No campaign website or local media profile specific to his state house candidacy was found. [1] His LinkedIn profile lists him in Plainfield, Indiana, though his earlier congressional run was filed from North Manchester. [22]
Republican Primary Dynamics
The HD-22 primary presents a sharp contrast in candidate profiles. Snow is a corporate executive turned committee vice chair with deep roots in Warsaw's business community and institutional Republican networks. Koors is a working-class owner-operator with a background in trucking and a previous unsuccessful bid for higher office.
Snow's advantages are formidable. He holds a committee position that gives him influence over every budget priority in the state. He dispatched a four-term incumbent by 46 points in 2022. He has raised over $665,000 across his career. And he faces no Democratic opponent in November, so Republican voters who support him face no strategic risk from a contested primary.
Koors's challenge is that his campaign has generated very little public visibility. Unlike Haney in HD-20, who has built her campaign around a specific local grievance (NIPSCO rates), Koors has not articulated a clear public rationale for why HD-22 voters should replace a Ways and Means vice chair. His trucking background and previous congressional bid demonstrate ambition and public engagement, but a state house primary in a deep-red district requires either an institutional base, a galvanizing issue, or both. Without a visible campaign infrastructure, he enters as a significant underdog.
The Structural Story
HD-20 and HD-22 together illustrate how Indiana's one-party dominance generates its own internal tensions. In HD-20, the contested primaries on both sides -- Republican anger over utility rates, Democratic candidates challenging a two-cycle absence -- suggest a district where voter frustration is real but has no general election outlet. Pressel's seat is safe from Democrats, so the only mechanism for accountability runs through the Republican primary, where an outsider candidate must overcome the structural advantages of incumbency, committee power, and donor networks.
In HD-22, the absence of any Democratic candidate means the Republican primary is not just the only competitive election -- it is the only election. Koors's challenge to Snow recalls the pattern of grassroots candidates who file for offices they are unlikely to win: it demonstrates dissatisfaction, even if the candidate lacks the resources to convert that dissatisfaction into votes. Snow's 2022 victory over Nisly showed that the Republican establishment can discipline its own caucus when it chooses to invest. Whether anyone can mount the reverse -- an outsider unseating an establishment favorite -- is the open question that both of these primaries pose, even if the likely answer in both cases favors the incumbent.