Senate District 43 covers the southeastern corner of Indiana: all of Dearborn, Jefferson, Ohio, Scott, and Switzerland counties, plus southern Jennings County. It is one of the most reliably Republican districts in the state. Chip Perfect ran unopposed in both 2018 and 2022. The last time a Democrat even appeared on the SD-43 ballot was 2014, when Perfect defeated Rudy Howard 71.7% to 28.3%.
The seat opened unexpectedly in September 2023, when Perfect resigned mid-term, citing family and business obligations. A Republican caucus selected his replacement: Randy Maxwell won 56 of 80 precinct committee votes, defeating Sam Mortenson (17 votes) and Joe Volk (7 votes).
Maxwell is a lifelong southeastern Indiana resident who grew up in Logan, played football at East Central High School and then at Indiana University, and graduated from IU's Kelley School of Business. He has been CEO of Maxwell Construction since 1999. His civic footprint in the region is deep: former president of the Dearborn County Home Builders Association, founding member of the 1Dearborn Economic Development Organization, and two decades of youth sports coaching.
Maxwell voted in favor of HB 1032, the Trump-backed congressional redistricting bill. On March 24, 2026, Trump endorsed Maxwell, calling him "a Tremendous Champion" and praising him as "a very successful Businessman." Maxwell was one of eleven incumbent Republican senators Trump endorsed, all of whom voted in favor of redistricting.
Volk is a farmer and small-business owner from Dearborn County making his second attempt at the SD-43 seat. During his 2023 caucus bid, Volk emphasized the absence of farmers in the Indiana Senate: "In the recent past, one Hoosier senator was a farm operator/owner -- now there are none." Against a Trump-endorsed incumbent with a construction company, deep civic ties, and a caucus margin of 56-7, Volk faces long odds.
Byron Holland is the sole Democratic candidate. No public information is available about his background, platform, or campaign organization. In a district where Republicans have run unopposed in the last two general elections, the general election is not expected to be competitive.
SD-43 is analytically interesting for one reason: it illustrates the reward side of Trump's Indiana endorsement campaign. The endorsement transforms a sleepy re-election campaign into a data point in a statewide narrative about presidential power over state legislatures. The signal it sends to every Republican state legislator in Indiana: loyalty to Trump on redistricting is rewarded, while opposition is punished.