Overview
Two Indiana House districts -- one a historically competitive swing seat in a postindustrial city, the other a deep-red suburban stronghold held by the Speaker of the House -- each feature contested Democratic primaries for the May 5, 2026 ballot. In HD-36, a veteran public housing administrator and a young photographer-activist compete for the right to challenge a second-term Republican in Anderson. In HD-37, a pharmacy technician and a clinical trials researcher vie to take on the most powerful Republican in the Indiana House in the suburbs north of Indianapolis. [1]
Neither Democratic primary winner faces an easy path in November. But the two districts present starkly different strategic calculations: HD-36 is a genuine swing seat where Democrats held the line for two decades before losing it by 323 votes in 2022. HD-37 is one of the most Republican-leaning districts in the Indianapolis suburbs, where the last Democrat to appear on the ballot lost by 12 points -- and no one has tried since. The primaries will determine whether Democrats field serious challengers or merely nominal ones.
HD-36: Madison County -- The Housing Director vs. the Photographer
House District 36 covers Anderson and portions of southern Madison County, an area defined by its General Motors heritage and the economic dislocation that followed the automaker's departure. [2] Anderson was once a company town; the GM plants that employed tens of thousands are gone, and the city has spent decades searching for a replacement economic identity. The district sits within Congressional District 5 and is one of the few state house seats in Indiana with genuine competitive history.
Democrat Terri Austin held this seat for twenty years, from 2002 through 2022, winning repeatedly in a district that was trending Republican around her. In 2020, she defeated Kyle Pierce by 6 points (53%-47%). [3] But the 2022 rematch was a different story: Pierce flipped the seat by just 323 votes -- 50.9% to 49.1% -- making it one of the tightest state house races in the state. [3] In 2024, with Austin gone and a less-established Democratic nominee (Thonja Nicholson) on the ticket, Pierce expanded his margin to 59%-41%. [3] The question for 2026 is whether Democrats can find a candidate who replicates Austin's crossover appeal or whether the 2024 result represents the district's new normal.
Kimberly Townsend (D) -- Housing Authority Executive
Kim Townsend is an Anderson native who has spent more than thirty years in community development and public administration in Madison County. She began her career at the City of Anderson Community Development Department, serving there for over twenty years before being appointed executive director of the Anderson Housing Authority in January 2018. [4] She also serves as managing director of Anderson Housing Inc., a nonprofit that manages rental properties. [5]
Her track record at the housing authority is the most substantive credential in this primary. When Townsend took over, the agency carried "troubled" status -- a federal designation indicating operational deficiencies. She implemented reforms that led to the agency's removal from that designation and oversaw the highest voucher utilization and occupancy rates in both Section 8 and Low-Income Housing Programs the agency had seen in decades. [6] Under her leadership, the AHA has completed or initiated three major affordable housing developments: the Fieldhouse Apartments (55 units, $12.2 million) in 2018, the Sweet Galilee complex (142 units, $48.4 million) in 2022, and a 64-unit project through BWI Development at $12.9 million currently underway. [7]
Townsend attended Tennessee State University and Indiana Business College and completed Rutgers University's executive management program in 2020. [4] She serves on the board of Ivy Tech Community College as a trustee, sits on the JDAI (Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative) Steering Committee, serves as VP of Professional Development for Indiana NAHRO, and holds a position on the National Committee for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for PHADA. She is also active with Crimestoppers of Anderson and Madison County. [4] In 2024, she received the Leadership Academy of Madison County's Servant Leader Award, described by presenters as one of the five most significant local community honors. She has also received the Rotary Bob Shoemaker Community Image Award. [6]
Townsend's candidacy survived a legal challenge before the Indiana Election Commission. Birjan Crispin of Anderson argued that Townsend's position at the Anderson Housing Authority violated the federal Little Hatch Act (5 U.S.C. 1502), which prohibits state or local employees whose salaries are entirely funded by federal dollars from running for elective office. [5] Townsend's defense demonstrated that her compensation includes funds from Anderson Housing Inc. (the nonprofit arm) and presented an opinion from the federal Hatch Act Office of Special Counsel confirming her candidacy was lawful. The Commission unanimously denied the challenge, with Democratic commissioner Suzannah Overholt noting that local housing authorities established under Indiana law are not federal agencies. [5] The Anderson Housing Authority board subsequently adopted a political neutrality resolution to formalize the separation between Townsend's administrative role and her campaign. [7]
Nouhad Melki II (D) -- Photographer and Activist
Nouhad Melki II is a photographer and writer born in Beirut, Lebanon, to an American mother and a Lebanese father. His family immigrated to the United States, and he has been based in Anderson, Indiana, where he serves as team photographer for Anderson University Women's Soccer -- a role he has held for approximately seven years. [8]
Melki's public profile is primarily creative rather than political. His professional website presents a photography portfolio covering sports, events, portraits, and commercial work. [8] He does not appear to maintain a separate campaign website with detailed policy positions. His campaign presence is primarily through an X (Twitter) account (@nouhadmelki) branded as "Melki for Indiana Rep | State House District 36." [8]
Where Melki has entered public discourse is on immigration. In February 2026, during Indiana House committee hearings on a bill requiring local governments, public schools, and colleges to comply with ICE, Melki -- as an Anderson University student -- spoke publicly about international students being afraid to leave their homes due to the proposed legislation. [9] His immigrant background and firsthand proximity to the issue give the testimony authenticity, though it remains unclear how this translates into a broader legislative platform.
No endorsements, fundraising figures, or detailed policy platform have surfaced for Melki as of late March 2026.
The Primary
This is a lopsided primary. Townsend brings three decades of community service, executive-level management experience, recognized civic leadership, and institutional relationships throughout Madison County. She has already survived a legal challenge to her candidacy, which paradoxically gave her early media exposure and demonstrated organizational readiness. Her background in affordable housing -- a pocketbook issue in a postindustrial city where housing costs and quality are persistent concerns -- provides a natural campaign narrative.
Melki brings personal authenticity and an immigrant's perspective, but lacks the institutional base, policy platform, or campaign infrastructure that typically characterizes viable state legislative candidates. His professional identity as a photographer, while admirable, does not translate into obvious policy credibility or name recognition in a district where voters have historically elected experienced public servants.
The winner faces Republican Kyle Pierce in November. Pierce is a second-term incumbent with a Ball State political science degree and Indiana University law degree who serves as vice chair of the Financial Institutions Committee. [2] He flipped the seat from Democrats in 2022 and expanded his margin significantly in 2024. But the district's competitive history -- Democrats held it for twenty consecutive years until 2022 -- suggests the underlying electorate is persuadable. The general election will hinge on whether the Democratic nominee can mobilize Anderson's working-class base while appealing to the moderate suburban voters who gave Terri Austin her winning coalitions.
HD-37: Hamilton County -- The Pharmacy Tech vs. the Clinical Researcher
House District 37 covers portions of Hamilton County north of Indianapolis, including communities in and around Fishers, Noblesville, and Cicero. [10] This is one of Indiana's wealthiest and fastest-growing areas -- Hamilton County is the highest-income county in the state and one of the highest in the country. [10] The district is represented by Todd Huston, the Speaker of the Indiana House, who has held the seat since 2012. [11]
Huston is not just an incumbent; he is the single most powerful Republican in the Indiana House. As Speaker, he controls committee assignments, floor schedules, and the legislative agenda for the 100-member chamber, including the 70-member Republican supermajority. [11] He holds an Indiana University political science degree and spent a decade as senior vice president at The College Board -- the nonprofit behind the SAT and AP exams -- before leaving that position in February 2022 amid criticism. [11] Before his House service, he served on the Hamilton Southeastern School Board (2002-2005), the Indiana State Board of Education (2005-2009), and as chair of the Indiana Charter School Board (2011-2012). [11]
Huston's electoral history tells the story of a district that has been trending safely Republican. In 2018, Democrat Aimee Rivera Cole challenged him and drew 46% of the vote. In the 2020 rematch, she got 43.8% -- Huston won by 12.4 points. [12] Since then, no Democrat has appeared on the general election ballot: Huston ran unopposed in both 2022 and 2024, collecting 100% of the vote by default. [12] The district is a long way from competitive, but the 2018 result suggests that under the right conditions, a Democrat can at least force a conversation.
Joel Levi (D) -- Pharmacy Technician
Joel Levi is a Cicero resident, the son of a Kenyan immigrant, and a pharmacy technician at Riverview Health Hospital in Noblesville, where he works in the Coumadin Clinic and Outpatient Pharmacy. [13] He was born in Anderson, attended Indiana Christian Academy through high school, and studied Music Business at Anderson University, where he met his wife Megan, a nurse practitioner. They have two children: Mitchell (7) and Maya (1). [13]
Levi's path to politics is unconventional. Before healthcare, he worked as a professional musician in Nashville, Tennessee. [13] He announced his candidacy on August 13, 2025, framing the race as "David versus Goliath" -- a pharmacy tech taking on the Speaker of the House. [14]
His platform is the most detailed of any candidate in these two primaries. Five core priorities: fully funding public schools (and opposing voucher expansion), requiring background checks on private gun sales, protecting the environment, standing with unions for fair wages, and safeguarding Medicaid. [14] He has since added detailed positions on data center energy policy (opposing residential ratepayers subsidizing corporate infrastructure) and Medicaid income caps (opposing restrictions that remove working Hoosiers from coverage). [15] His campaign explicitly targets Huston's education record, arguing that the Speaker's legislative agenda has underfunded public schools while expanding voucher programs. [14]
Levi's campaign kickoff at Livery in Hamilton Town Center, Noblesville, featured State Senator Andrea Hunley as a special guest speaker -- a notable signal of institutional Democratic support. [16] His campaign describes itself as "powered by people, not special interests," emphasizing grassroots fundraising over corporate donations. [14]
Lauren Cole (D) -- Clinical Trials Researcher
Lauren Cole works in clinical trials for multiple myeloma studies. [17] Beyond this professional detail, her public profile is thin. She filed for the Democratic primary in House District 37, creating a contested race where Levi had initially appeared to be the sole Democratic candidate. [1]
Cole's stated priorities are strengthening public education, increasing transparency and accountability in government, and improving affordability for Hoosier families. [17] On property taxes, she has advocated for careful evaluation of changes to ensure communities remain financially stable while protecting taxpayers, supporting responsible adjustments so schools and essential local services do not suffer. [17] She describes herself as "a community-focused candidate who believes representing my district well means bringing thoughtful, evidence-based solutions." [17]
No campaign website, endorsements, or fundraising figures have surfaced for Cole as of late March 2026. Her candidacy appears to be in an earlier organizational stage than Levi's.
The Primary
Levi has the clear organizational advantage. He announced seven months before Cole filed, has a functioning campaign website with detailed policy positions, has local press coverage from multiple outlets, and has drawn at least one notable endorsement appearance (Senator Hunley). His personal story -- the son of an immigrant, a former musician turned healthcare worker, a father of young children in local schools -- provides a compelling narrative for a suburban district where education and healthcare costs are top-of-mind issues.
Cole brings a science-oriented professional background and positions that overlap substantially with Levi's, but has not yet built the visible campaign infrastructure that typically wins primaries. Her late entry into the race and limited public footprint suggest either a very recent decision to run or a campaign that has not yet found its public footing.
The winner faces Speaker Huston in November -- a prohibitive challenge by any measure. Huston has run unopposed in two consecutive general elections, holds the most powerful position in the chamber, and represents a district where the last Democrat to run received 43.8% in a presidential election year with higher Democratic turnout. [12] But the race has symbolic importance: challenging the Speaker is an act of political communication even when the math is against you. A strong Democratic showing could signal suburban discontent with the supermajority's agenda on education, healthcare, and energy policy. A weak one would confirm that Hamilton County remains out of reach for Democrats at the state legislative level.