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State House — Southern Indiana

Uncontested general election races

The Candidates

Southern Indiana's ten uncontested-general races include two of the most competitive seats in the state -- HD-62 (the only R-held district Harris won) and HD-43 (one of three Dems holding Trump-won territory). The rest are deep-red rural seats, though a coordinated Democratic slate of teachers and Rural Summit candidates is contesting territory Republicans have taken for granted.

Competitive Races

District Incumbent (Party) Challenger (Party) Key fact
HD-62 Dave Hall (R) Amy Huffman Oliver (D) Only R holding a district Harris carried (by 0.3%). Hall won by 74 votes in 2022, 809 in 2024. Oliver is Brown County attorney/teacher/school board member. Rural Summit slate.
HD-43 Tonya Pfaff (D) Amy Lore (R) One of 3 Dems holding Trump-won districts. Pfaff won 58.4% in 2022, unopposed 2024. 32-year math teacher. Lore is Vigo County School Board president, fmr Lt Gov Skillman aide.
HD-78 Tim O'Brien (R) Sally Busby (D) O'Brien won 62.7% in 2022, unopposed 2024. Youngest member, chairs K-12 W&M subcommittee. Busby is UE education professor with EdD, National Board Certified Teacher. Coordinated slate with HD-76 and SD-49.

Safe Seats -- Contested but Not Competitive

District Incumbent (Party) Challenger (Party) Key fact
HD-55 Lindsay Patterson (R) Victoria Martz (D) Won 80.5% in 2024. Rematch -- Martz got just 19.5% last time. Six-county rural district. Martz is attorney, Ripley County Dem chair.
HD-67 Alex Zimmerman (R) Justin Chadwick (D) Appointed via caucus July 2023. Attorney, fmr IN Senate staffer. Chadwick has no public campaign presence.
HD-68 Garrett Bascom (R) Hunter Collins (D) Won 76.5% in 2024. Freshman attorney. Collins is Amazon warehouse lead and Teamsters Local 89 organizer.
HD-69 Jim Lucas (R) Chris Bowen (D) Won 68.7% in 2024. Most controversial House member: racist meme, flashed gun at student advocates, OWI conviction. Bowen is Rural Summit candidate, self-funded.
HD-76 Wendy McNamara (R) Logan Patberg (D) Since 2010. Chairs Courts and Criminal Code. 30-year educator. Patberg is teacher running as part of Evansville coordinated slate. Posey County: 75.9% Trump.

Uncontested (No Opponent Filed)

District Incumbent (Party) Key fact
HD-64 Matt Hostettler (R) No D filed. Father was 6-term US congressman. Ran unopposed in 3 of 4 generals. Fifth term.
HD-66 Zach Payne (R) No D filed. Flipped seat from 20-year D incumbent Terry Goodin in 2020. Now at 69%. Seat went from competitive to uncontested in 6 years.

For full biographical profiles, see the deep-dive research: Batch 6, Batch 7, Batch 8, Batch 9.

Why It Matters

Southern Indiana's ten uncontested-general House districts contain two of the most competitive races in the state -- HD-62 (Brown/Monroe/Jackson), where a Republican holds the only House seat won by Kamala Harris, and HD-43 (Terre Haute), where one of only three Democrats holding a Trump-won district faces her first credentialed Republican challenger. The rest are deep-red rural seats stretching from the Evansville metro through the Ohio River counties to the Columbus corridor, where the general election outcomes are settled but a coordinated Democratic slate of public school teachers and Rural Summit candidates is contesting territory Republicans have taken for granted.

Sources

  1. 1. Ballotpedia: Indiana House of Representatives District 41 https://ballotpedia.org/Indiana_House_of_Representatives_District_41
  2. 2. Indiana House Republicans: Mark Genda https://www.indianahouserepublicans.com/members/general/mark-genda/
  3. 3. Wikipedia: Mark Genda https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Genda
  4. 4. Based in Lafayette: Candidate Q&A -- Indiana House District 41 https://www.basedinlafayette.com/p/candidate-q-and-a-indiana-house-district-ded
  5. 5. Indiana Citizen: 2026 Indiana Primary Candidate List https://indianacitizen.org/2026-indiana-primary-candidate-list/
  6. 6. Ballotpedia: Indiana House of Representatives District 43 https://ballotpedia.org/Indiana_House_of_Representatives_District_43
  7. 7. Wikipedia: 2026 Indiana House of Representatives election https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Indiana_House_of_Representatives_election
  8. 8. Tonya Pfaff for State Representative: About Tonya https://www.tonyapfaff.com/about-tonya
  9. 9. Indiana House Democratic Caucus: Tonya Pfaff https://www.indianahousedemocrats.org/members/tonya-pfaff
  10. 10. Tonya Pfaff for State Representative: Platform https://www.tonyapfaff.com/platform
  11. 11. Goshen News: State representative candidates disclose pre-primary finances https://www.goshennews.com/indiana/news/state-representative-candidates-disclose-pre-primary-finances/article_65372b47-08a0-5b38-98f2-e4a3d87b2ff6.html
  12. 12. Terre Haute Tribune-Star: Amy Lore running for state representative in District 43 https://www.tribstar.com/news/local_news/amy-lore-running-for-state-representative-in-district-43/article_0597f2ec-a50d-435d-a7db-01086f8ee54a.html
  13. 13. Amy Lore campaign website: Meet Amy https://www.amy-lore.com/meet-amy
  14. 14. Ballotpedia: Indiana House of Representatives District 47 https://ballotpedia.org/Indiana_House_of_Representatives_District_47
  15. 15. Indiana House Republicans: Robb Greene https://www.indianahouserepublicans.com/members/general/robb-greene/
  16. 16. Indiana Capital Chronicle: State representative named as new director of Indiana Republican Party https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/briefs/state-representative-named-as-new-director-of-indiana-republican-party/
  17. 17. Friends of Michael Potter: About https://friendsofmichaelpotter.com/about
  18. 18. Friends of Michael Potter: Platform https://friendsofmichaelpotter.com/platform
  19. 19. Ballotpedia: Indiana House of Representatives District 50 https://ballotpedia.org/Indiana_House_of_Representatives_District_50
  20. 20. Indiana House Republicans: Lorissa Sweet https://www.indianahouserepublicans.com/members/general/lorissa-sweet/
  21. 21. Ballotpedia: Pepper Snyder https://ballotpedia.org/Pepper_Snyder
  22. 22. Ballotpedia: Gary Snyder (Indiana) https://ballotpedia.org/Gary_Snyder_(Indiana)
  23. 23. Indiana House of Representatives District 52 - Ballotpedia https://ballotpedia.org/Indiana_House_of_Representatives_District_52
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  25. 25. Ben Smaltz - Ballotpedia https://ballotpedia.org/Ben_Smaltz
  26. 26. Smaltz issues statement on House Bill 1032 - Indiana House Republicans https://www.indianahouserepublicans.com/news/press-releases/smaltz-issues-statement-on-house-bill-1032/
  27. 27. Indiana House of Representatives District 53 - Ballotpedia https://ballotpedia.org/Indiana_House_of_Representatives_District_53
  28. 28. Ethan Lawson - Indiana House Republicans https://www.indianahouserepublicans.com/members/general/ethan-lawson/
  29. 29. Earlham Politicos: Local politics with Reece Axel-Adams https://earlham.edu/news-events/earlham-politicos-local-politics-with-reece-axel-adams/
  30. 30. Earlham student from Pendleton to run for Statehouse in District 53 https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/earlham-student-pendleton-run-statehouse-183850489.html
  31. 31. Indiana Campaign Finance Database https://campaignfinance.in.gov/PublicSite/Homepage.aspx
  32. 32. Indiana House of Representatives District 55 - Ballotpedia https://ballotpedia.org/Indiana_House_of_Representatives_District_55
  33. 33. Lindsay Patterson - Indiana House Republicans https://www.indianahouserepublicans.com/members/general/lindsay-patterson/
  34. 34. Lindsay Patterson - Ballotpedia https://ballotpedia.org/Lindsay_Patterson
  35. 35. Victoria Martz - Ballotpedia https://ballotpedia.org/Victoria_Martz
  36. 36. Ripley County Democrats Elect Victoria Martz as Chairwoman - The Batesville Leader https://www.batesvilleleader.com/story/2025/09/17/news/ripley-county-democrats-elect-victoria-martz-as-chairwoman/559.html
  37. 37. Victoria Martz for District 55 - Campaign Website https://votevictoriamartz.org/
  38. 38. Indiana House of Representatives District 62 - Ballotpedia https://ballotpedia.org/Indiana_House_of_Representatives_District_62
  39. 39. Dave Hall (Indiana) - Ballotpedia https://ballotpedia.org/Dave_Hall_(Indiana)
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  41. 41. Republican Dave Hall affirmed winner for District 62 after recount - Indiana Public Media https://www.ipm.org/2022-12-21/republican-dave-hall-affirmed-winner-for-district-62-after-recount
  42. 42. Republican Dave Hall holds onto State House District 62 in close election - Indiana Daily Student https://www.idsnews.com/article/2024/11/dave-hall-wins-state-house-district-62-indiana-election-2024
  43. 43. Dave Hall - Indiana House Republicans https://www.indianahouserepublicans.com/members/leadership/dave-hall/
  44. 44. Amy Huffman Oliver to run for House District 62 in 2026 - Brown County Democrat https://bcdemocrat.com/2025/09/02/amy-huffman-oliver-to-run-for-house-district-62-in-2026/
  45. 45. Amy Huffman Oliver - Hoosier Women Forward https://hoosierwomenforward.org/amy-huffman-oliver/
  46. 46. Nearly 30 Rural Summit Candidates Target Statehouse Seats - WIBC https://wibc.com/840312/nearly-30-rural-summit-candidates-target-statehouse-seats/
  47. 47. Two vie for District 62 Indiana House seat - Brown County Democrat https://bcdemocrat.com/2026/03/27/two-vie-for-district-62-indiana-house-seat/
  48. 48. Amy Huffman Oliver launches call for campaign leaders in competitive House District 62 race - WBIW https://www.wbiw.com/2025/10/16/amy-huffman-oliver-launches-call-for-campaign-leaders-in-competitive-house-district-62-race/
  49. 49. Matt Hostettler - Ballotpedia https://ballotpedia.org/Matt_Hostettler
  50. 50. Matt Hostettler | State of Indiana House of Representatives https://www.indianahouserepublicans.com/members/general/matt-hostettler/
  51. 51. John Hostettler - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hostettler
  52. 52. Matt Hostettler - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Hostettler
  53. 53. Zach Payne - Ballotpedia https://ballotpedia.org/Zach_Payne
  54. 54. Zach Payne | State of Indiana House of Representatives https://www.indianahouserepublicans.com/members/general/zach-payne/
  55. 55. Zach Payne - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zach_Payne
  56. 56. Indiana State Rep.-elect Zach Payne riding high after defeating 20-year incumbent Terry Goodin - WDRB https://www.wdrb.com/news/politics/indiana-state-rep--elect-zach-payne-riding-high-after-defeating-20-year-incumbent-terry/article_d19e3ce0-1f0c-11eb-a1cb-3f2e3989a9c4.html
  57. 57. Clark County: Payne wins District 66 race - News and Tribune https://www.newsandtribune.com/news/clark-county-payne-wins-district-66-race-hutchinson-crump-victorious-in-school-board-contests/article_97f3e5b0-9c8c-11ef-bb1e-1f71b1fceb63.html
  58. 58. Alex Zimmerman - Ballotpedia https://ballotpedia.org/Alex_Zimmerman
  59. 59. Alex Zimmerman Takes Oath of Office as State Representative - IU McKinney School of Law https://mckinneylaw.iu.edu/news/releases/2023/08/alex-zimmerman-takes-oath-of-office-as-state-representative.html
  60. 60. Republican caucus members quickly choose attorney to fill vacancy in House District 67 - Indiana Citizen https://indianacitizen.org/republican-caucus-members-quickly-choose-attorney-chosen-fill-vacancy-in-house-district-67/
  61. 61. Indiana GOP caucus picks North Vernon attorney Alex Zimmerman to fill empty Statehouse seat - Indiana Capital Chronicle https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/briefs/indiana-gop-caucus-picks-north-vernon-attorney-alex-zimmerman-to-fill-empty-statehouse-seat/
  62. 62. Garrett Bascom - Ballotpedia https://ballotpedia.org/Garrett_Bascom
  63. 63. Garrett Bascom | State of Indiana House of Representatives https://www.indianahouserepublicans.com/members/general/garrett-bascom/
  64. 64. State Rep. Randy Lyness Announces Plan to Retire After Eight Years of Public Service - Eagle Country 99.3 https://www.eaglecountryonline.com/news/local-news/state-rep-randy-lyness-announces-plan-to-retire-after-eight-years-of-public-service1/
  65. 65. Results roll in for Indiana US House, state House races - WDRB https://www.wdrb.com/news/politics/results-roll-in-for-indiana-us-house-state-house-races/article_e5cd823e-9726-11ef-93ea-974f3d8a2749.html
  66. 66. Hunter Collins Announces Candidacy for Indiana House District 68 - Eagle Country 99.3 https://www.eaglecountryonline.com/news/local-news/hunter-collins-announces-candidacy-for-indiana-house-district-68/
  67. 67. Hunter Collins to Run For Dearborn County Council At-Large - Eagle Country 99.3 https://www.eaglecountryonline.com/news/local-news/hunter-collins-to-run-for-dearborn-county-council-at-large/
  68. 68. Jackson County, Indiana Election Summary Report, November 2024 https://cms7files1.revize.com/jackson/2024%20General%20Results%20-%20OFFICIAL.pdf
  69. 69. Indiana President election results 2024 - CNN https://www.cnn.com/election/2024/results/indiana/president
  70. 70. Indiana House of Representatives District 69 - Ballotpedia https://ballotpedia.org/Indiana_House_of_Representatives_District_69
  71. 71. Lucas to serve another term as state representative - Seymour Tribune https://tribtown.com/2024/11/06/lucas-to-serve-another-term-as-state-representative/
  72. 72. Lucas wins District 69 GOP nomination over Savilla in Statehouse race - The Republic https://www.therepublic.com/2024/05/08/lucas-wins-district-69-gop-nomination-over-savilla-in-statehouse-race/
  73. 73. Jim Lucas | State of Indiana House of Representatives https://www.indianahouserepublicans.com/members/general/jim-lucas/
  74. 74. State lawmaker loses assignments after posting 'racist meme' on Facebook - NWI Times https://www.nwitimes.com/news/state-and-regional/state-lawmaker-loses-assignments-after-posting-racist-meme-on-facebook/article_38d58d83-88d4-5744-80c2-3475eaa57280.html
  75. 75. Speaker Todd Huston Removes Rep. Jim Lucas From Study Committees - WFYI https://www.wfyi.org/news/articles/speaker-todd-huston-removes-rep-jim-lucas-from-study-committees
  76. 76. Viral video captures Indiana lawmaker flashing holstered gun at student gun control advocates - CBS News https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jim-lucas-viral-video-indiana-lawmaker-holstered-gun-student-gun-control-advocates/
  77. 77. House Speaker Huston says Lucas shouldn't have flashed holstered gun at students - WFYI https://www.wfyi.org/news/articles/house-speaker-huston-says-lucas-shouldnt-have-flashed-holstered-gun-at-students
  78. 78. Indiana GOP Rep. Jim Lucas pleads guilty to two misdemeanors after drunk driving crash - Indiana Capital Chronicle https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2023/06/12/indiana-gop-rep-jim-lucas-pleads-guilty-to-two-misdemeanors-after-drunk-driving-crash/
  79. 79. Judge cuts probation for State Rep. Jim Lucas after drunken driving plea - WFYI https://www.wfyi.org/news/articles/indiana-rep-jim-lucas-drunk-driving-plea-judge-probation-cut
  80. 80. 'A VOICE, A CHOICE AND A VOTE': Indiana Rural Summit recruits and supports new candidates for 2026 races - The Indiana Citizen https://indianacitizen.org/a-voice-a-choice-and-a-vote-indiana-rural-summit-recruits-and-supports-new-candidates-for-2026-races/
  81. 81. Indiana Rural Summit Coalition members declare candidacies - WBIW https://www.wbiw.com/2026/01/07/indiana-rural-summit-coalition-members-declare-candidacies-to-give-small-town-hoosiers-a-voice-and-a-choice/
  82. 82. Chris Bowen for Indiana House District 69 - Campaign Website https://www.chrisbowen.org/
  83. 83. Indiana House of Representatives District 76 - Ballotpedia https://ballotpedia.org/Indiana_House_of_Representatives_District_76
  84. 84. Wendy McNamara - Ballotpedia https://ballotpedia.org/Wendy_McNamara
  85. 85. Wendy McNamara | State of Indiana House of Representatives https://www.indianahouserepublicans.com/members/leadership/wendy-mcnamara/
  86. 86. Wendy McNamara - About | Campaign Website https://wendymcnamara.com/about.html
  87. 87. Logan Patberg: The Power of Representation - Fireside Aces Radio https://fireside.evansville.edu/2025/11/12/logan-patberg-the-power-of-representation/
  88. 88. Indiana House of Representatives District 78 - Ballotpedia https://ballotpedia.org/Indiana_House_of_Representatives_District_78
  89. 89. Tim O'Brien (Indiana) - Ballotpedia https://ballotpedia.org/Tim_O%27Brien_(Indiana)
  90. 90. Tim O'Brien | State of Indiana House of Representatives https://www.indianahouserepublicans.com/members/general/tim-o-brien/
  91. 91. O'Brien sworn in as new state representative for House District 78 - Indiana House Republicans https://www.indianahouserepublicans.com/news/press-releases/o-brien-sworn-in-as-new-state-representative-for-house-district-78/
  92. 92. School of Education Faculty and Staff - University of Evansville https://www.evansville.edu/majors/education/faculty.cfm
  93. 93. Sally Busby for Indiana - Meet Sally | Campaign Website https://www.sallyforindiana.com/meetsally
  94. 94. Sally Busby for Indiana - Campaign Website https://sallyforindiana.com/
  95. 95. 'We're All in Survival Mode Right Now' - Fireside Aces Radio https://fireside.evansville.edu/2025/10/25/were-all-in-survival-mode-right-now/
  96. 96. Sally Busby tells us why moms should run for something - Project Next Indiana https://www.projectnextindiana.com/p/sally-busby-tells-us-why-moms-should
  97. 97. Indiana House of Representatives District 79 - Ballotpedia https://ballotpedia.org/Indiana_House_of_Representatives_District_79
  98. 98. Matthew Lehman (Indiana) - Ballotpedia https://ballotpedia.org/Matthew_Lehman_(Indiana)
  99. 99. Matt Lehman | State of Indiana House of Representatives https://www.indianahouserepublicans.com/members/leadership/matt-lehman/?back=members
  100. 100. Rep. Lehman re-elected as House Majority Floor Leader - Indiana House Republicans https://www.indianahouserepublicans.com/news/press-releases/rep.-lehman-re-elected-as-house-majority-floor-leader-to-serve-on-key-house-committees/
  101. 101. Richardson files for District 79 State Representative - The Berne Witness https://bernewitness.com/news/richardson-files-for-district-79-state-representative