House District 63 covers all of Martin County and portions of Dubois, Daviess, and Pike counties in southwestern Indiana. This is deep-red rural territory. Retiring incumbent Shane Lindauer won his last four general elections with margins of 35 to 54 points. The Republican nominee will be the next representative.
The Kippenbrock-Moss primary represents a familiar Republican intraparty contest: institutional conservatism vs. ideological insurgency. Kippenbrock is the party-builder -- the county clerk who modernized elections, the county party chair who recruits candidates. Moss is the outsider who has repeatedly challenged the party establishment, written a book condemning the GOP as betraying America, and positioned himself further right than the mainstream. His five consecutive losses suggest either that Republican primary voters in this region do not want what he is selling, or that he has not yet found the right-sized race. HD-63, with its smaller electorate and open seat, may be his best structural opportunity yet.
The Democratic primary is a three-way race where the winner faces 50-point general election deficits. Arthur, as county party chair, has the organizational advantage. Mann brings a moderate platform. The winner will face either Kippenbrock or Moss in November in a district that went 76-24 Republican in 2024.