Mark Messmer won IN-08 in 2024 with 68% — the widest margin of any Indiana House race. He replaced Larry Bucshon, who retired after five terms. Messmer previously served in the Indiana State Senate and ran a pharmacy business.
IN-08 covers the southwest corner of Indiana, including Evansville and Terre Haute. It is deep-red territory by every measure. No Democrat has been competitive here since Brad Ellsworth held the seat from 2007 to 2010, and that was before redistricting pushed the PVI further right.
The district is relevant to the 2026 cycle primarily because of its proximity to the redistricting revenge races — Senate District 38 (Goode vs. Wilson) is centered in Terre Haute, within IN-08's boundaries. Voters in the Terre Haute area are thus facing both a safe congressional race and one of the most contentious state senate primaries in Indiana.
