HD-95: Far East Side Indianapolis / Lawrence (Safe D) -- Contested 3-Way Democratic Primary
House District 95 covers the far east side of Indianapolis and portions of the city of Lawrence, situated within Marion County's Warren and Lawrence townships. This is one of the most economically challenged areas of the Indianapolis metropolitan region. The Far Eastside neighborhood has some of the highest gun violence rates in the city, elevated child poverty (29% in some census tracts), and significant educational attainment gaps (25% of adults without a high school diploma in some tracts). The school district -- MSD Warren Township -- enrolls a student body that is approximately 55% Black, 22.5% Hispanic, and 14% white, reflecting the area's diversity. [1] [2]
Marion County as a whole voted 62.6% for Harris and 35.1% for Trump in 2024, but the far east side's demographics make HD-95 considerably more Democratic than the county average. Bartlett ran unopposed in the 2024 general election, receiving 17,901 votes with no Republican challenger. No Republican filed for HD-95 in 2026, meaning the Republican primary was canceled and the winner of the May 5 Democratic primary will be the next representative. [3] [4]
This is a safe Democratic seat that has not seen a Republican challenger in at least six consecutive election cycles. The only competitive elections are Democratic primaries, and even those are infrequent -- the 2024 primary, in which Bartlett defeated Autumn Carter 57.7% to 42.3%, was the first contested primary in four years. [3]
The 2026 primary is unusual: three Democrats are competing, making this the most crowded HD-95 ballot in recent memory. The candidates are incumbent John L. Bartlett, Indianapolis City-County Councilor Keith Graves, and Lawrence Common Council President Tyrrell Giles Quest. All three filed in January 2026 -- Giles Quest on January 7, Bartlett on January 12, and Graves on January 21. [5]
John L. Bartlett (D, Incumbent)
John L. Bartlett, approximately 77 years old, has held this seat since December 17, 2007, when he filled the vacancy left by Mae Dickinson's resignation. He is a lifelong Indianapolis resident and a retired tool-and-die maker who spent 42 years at Rolls-Royce Corporation before entering politics. A graduate of Arsenal Technical High School, Bartlett earned his bachelor's degree from Martin University in 2015 -- at age 66 -- after also attending Ivy Tech. His wife is Lillie Bartlett. [6] [7] [8]
Bartlett's path to the legislature was through Democratic Party organizing. He served as a precinct committeeman, campaign manager for Rep. Mae Dickinson (whose seat he now holds), and member of the mayor's Neighborhood Advisory Council. He received gubernatorial appointments to the Judicial Nominations Commission under Governor Frank O'Bannon and to the Public Compensation Advisory Commission and Commission on Supply Diversity. [6] [8]
In the House, Bartlett currently serves on the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee, the Employment, Labor and Pensions Committee, and the Government and Regulatory Reform Committee. He serves as parliamentarian of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus. His community leadership extends well beyond the legislature: he founded Indiana's annual Military Veterans Legislative Day at the Statehouse, chairs the Indiana Military Veterans Hall of Fame advisory board, formerly chaired Martin University's board of trustees, led the Indianapolis Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, and has held leadership roles in the UAW Civil Rights Council and the NAACP. He hosts "Kitchen Table Conversations" -- informal community gatherings for constituent engagement. [6] [8]
Bartlett's 2026 platform priorities include women's health care, utility costs, road funding, and police accountability. He plans to reintroduce a bill requiring officers who discharge their firearm, causing injury or death, to be tested for substances -- a bill he first authored in 2025. On data centers, Bartlett told Mirror Indy he is "totally opposed," citing concerns about environmental impact and increased energy usage. [9]
Bartlett participated in the February 2011 Democratic walkout opposing right-to-work legislation, joining 36 colleagues in leaving the Statehouse to prevent a quorum. Democrats incurred daily fines of $250-$350 during their 36-day absence. [6]
His campaign fundraising has been modest but consistent over his career. In 2024 -- a year with a contested primary -- he raised $45,429 and spent $44,637. In the quieter 2022 cycle, he raised $16,454. Earlier cycles: $25,082 in 2020, $28,347 in 2018, $24,490 in 2016. [6]
Recent results: Bartlett won 17,901 votes (100%) in the 2024 general, 1,945 votes (57.7%) in the 2024 primary vs. Autumn Carter's 1,428 (42.3%), 10,597 (100%) in 2022, 20,799 (100%) in 2020, and 16,040 (100%) in 2018 -- all general elections unopposed. [3]
Keith Graves (D, Primary Challenger)
Keith Graves currently represents District 9 on the Indianapolis City-County Council, a seat he assumed on January 1, 2024. His council district overlaps significantly with HD-95, covering eastside neighborhoods including Arlington Woods, Brendonridge, Devington, and parts of Lawrence. He previously represented Council District 13 from 2019 to 2024. [10]
Graves is a lifelong Indianapolis resident who grew up near Wes Montgomery Park in the 46218 zip code. He graduated from Broad Ripple High School and Indiana University. He served 13 years in the United States Army Reserves as a Sergeant Legal Specialist (71D) and Legal NCOIC for the 136th JAG Detachment, overseeing the law office for Fort Benjamin Harrison military base. His civilian career has included eight years working across multiple city government departments, with particular focus on the criminal justice system: he worked with the Marion County Justice Agency, served as Deputy Bail Commissioner and Investigator for the Public Defender Agency, and helped create the Pretrial Release Program. He currently works as an investment advisor representative at 1st Financial Bank USA. [10]
Graves' campaign platform for the state house centers on three priorities: "Continuum of Community Care, Criminal Justice, Community Revitalization." He has articulated specific policy goals including financial relief for the poor, securing tenant rights, and addressing mental health and substance abuse. He supports school choice and backed the Indianapolis Local Education Alliance, a state-mandated task force recommending how IPS and charter schools could share resources. His community involvement includes co-creating the St. John's Youth Awareness Program for teen mentorship with Reverend Dr. Andrew J. Brown, and establishing the Indy Downtown Flag Football League in 2010. He received the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce endorsement in his 2023 council race. [10] [9]
Graves' council election history shows strong Democratic performance: he won his 2023 District 9 general election with 84.5% (4,456 votes) and the primary with 82.4% (2,039 votes). In 2019, he won the District 13 general with 88.4% (4,888 votes). [10]
Graves carries a significant political liability into this race. In July 2025, Laurin Embry, a 29-year-old social worker and Democratic campaign volunteer, publicly alleged that she experienced physical and sexual assault during and after her romantic relationship with Graves, which she said began in 2020 and ended in 2022. Embry described one instance where Graves "grabbed her neck, applied pressure, and threatened her," and another instance of sexual assault. Separately, a woman was granted a civil protective order against Graves in 2024 for domestic violence -- the order stated she demonstrated, by a preponderance of evidence, that "domestic or family violence has occurred sufficient to justify the issuance of this order" and that Graves "represents a credible threat" to her safety. That woman later dropped the order to preserve her privacy. No criminal charges have been filed. Graves denied all allegations, stating: "I have never acted in a way that jeopardized anyone's safety, comfort, or dignity." He stepped down as chair of the City-County Council's Education Committee on July 11, 2025, as Council President Vop Osili noted the details were still unfolding. [11]
Tyrrell Giles Quest (D, Primary Challenger)
Tyrrell Giles Quest (who appears on some sources simply as Tyrrell Giles) serves as president of the Lawrence Common Council, representing District 1. He has lived in Lawrence since 2010 and is a father of three. He owns Quest Event Management, a private security company, and has spent more than 15 years in the staffing and employment services industry, assisting Marion County residents with finding employment. [9] [12]
Giles Quest's platform emphasizes bipartisan pragmatism. He told Mirror Indy: "I will work across the aisle to get results done. I will also want my people to know that I will never weaken and I will always stand strong for our Democratic values." He points to his record on the Lawrence Common Council, noting that some of his proudest achievements occurred under a Republican mayor: rebuilding Lawrence's water treatment plants, the development of the Fort Benjamin Harrison neighborhood, and building new police and fire stations. He supports school choice while also advocating for strong public education funding. He served on the Housing Ready Task Force appointed by Mayor Deb Whitfield to develop housing policies for Lawrence. [9] [12]
Giles Quest brings a complicated local political record. In 2023, it was reported that he had not lived full-time in the Lawrence district he represents for more than a year while renovating his home at 6845 Meadowview Drive -- he was instead living at his wife's home in Speedway, on the west side of Indianapolis. His candidacy was challenged before the Marion County Elections Board, which voted 2-1 to reject the challenge after Giles told the board that moving back was "imminent." The Lawrence Common Council subsequently held a vote to remove him from office over the residency issue; Giles survived the vote. Additionally, City of Lawrence utility records showed he had an approximately $1,800 unpaid water bill, and water to his Lawrence home was cut off in July 2023 for nonpayment. [13]
In his 2023 re-election for the Lawrence Council District 1 seat, Giles won a relatively narrow race against Republican Carl Hayes Barnett: 463 votes (54.7%) to 383 votes (45.3%) -- a modest margin for a Democrat in a municipality that leans Democratic. [13]
The HD-95 Primary Dynamic
This three-way race features an aging incumbent defending a nearly two-decade hold on the seat against two younger challengers with local government experience -- and each carrying meaningful political baggage.
Bartlett's core argument is experience and constituency service. At approximately 77 years old, with 18 years in the legislature and 42 years at Rolls-Royce before that, he represents an older generation of Black Democratic politics on the east side -- union roots, community organizing, incremental institution-building. His 2024 primary result is instructive: he won, but with only 57.7% against a little-known challenger, suggesting a meaningful portion of Democratic primary voters are open to change. His fundraising capacity, while modest in absolute terms, is consistent and substantially exceeds what local council members typically raise for state house races.
Graves brings the most polished political resume of the three: military service, criminal justice expertise, council experience in two districts, and an Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce endorsement. His platform -- tenant rights, mental health, community care -- maps well onto east side concerns. But the sexual assault allegations from July 2025, while not resulting in criminal charges, are a serious political liability in a Democratic primary. His stepping down from the Education Committee chairmanship signals that even party leadership found the allegations sufficiently concerning to require a visible response.
Giles Quest offers the bipartisan, pragmatic-businessperson pitch: a small business owner who has delivered infrastructure improvements under both Democratic and Republican administrations. But his residency controversy -- living in Speedway while representing Lawrence, surviving a removal vote, and having his water shut off for nonpayment -- raises questions about basic accountability that may undercut his executive-competence message.
The absence of any Republican candidate means this primary is the general election in all but name. The winner will represent a district facing serious challenges -- gun violence, poverty, educational inequality, and now the statewide debate over data center development and utility costs. Whoever emerges from this three-way race will serve a community that needs effective representation at the Statehouse more than most.