Indiana’s 2nd Congressional District: Who Wins the House Seat

A new Free Press Indiana/Bellwether Research poll shows Democrat Beau Bayh leading Republican Max Engling in the race for Indiana Secretary of State, 43% to 35%. Libertarian Lauri Shillings drew 6% and Lincoln Party candidate Greg Ballard, a former Indianapolis mayor, drew 5%, with 11% undecided. The race drew heightened attention after incumbent Diego Morales lost his GOP renomination bid at the party's June convention. Bayh led in most regions, including Indianapolis and the Chicago/South Bend/Elkhart/Lafayette area, while Engling performed best around Fort Wayne. Bayh also posted the highest favorability rating among the four candidates, while more than 40% of voters said they had never heard of Engling, Ballard or Shillings.

The same survey of 896 registered voters, conducted Oct. 8-11 with a margin of error of ±3.4%, found Democrat Jessica Bailey narrowly ahead in the State Comptroller race and Republican Daniel Elliott leading in the State Treasurer contest. Indiana's general election is Nov. 3, with absentee ballot applications due Oct. 22.

Elkhart County, Indiana — home to more than 80% of the world's RV production and long viewed as a bellwether for the national economy — is showing signs of softening after a pandemic-era boom. Manufacturing makes up more than half of the metro area's workforce, and a New York Times analysis found roughly a quarter of local jobs sit in industries targeted by early retaliatory tariffs. Community leaders are split on the effect of President Trump's tariff policy: some, including the local economic development CEO, say tariffs are pushing manufacturers to reshore supply chains, while others, including a local factory worker running for county council and the county GOP's vice chair, say tariffs and higher costs have dampened RV demand, contributing to layoffs, facility closures, and consolidation. An RV manufacturer in Bristol is set to close in September, cutting 105 jobs.

Beyond tariffs, the county is investing state redevelopment funds to retain young workers and has drawn a diverse, immigrant-heavy workforce. Politically, local leaders describe unusual bipartisan cooperation, even as tension grows with state government over property tax legislation ahead of the coming election.

Two women from South Bend, Indiana, reported missing over the weekend have been found dead in Niles, Michigan. Alexandra Navarro Torres, 23, and Vanessa Bautista, 24, were last known to be in Niles, according to South Bend police. Their bodies were discovered inside a submerged Jeep, and clothing matched both women. On Wednesday, the local medical examiner confirmed the identities.

The cause of death has not yet been released. Niles Mayor Nick Shelton offered condolences to the families and thanked first responders and law enforcement for their work on the case. Authorities have not indicated whether foul play is suspected, and the investigation remains ongoing.

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun has renewed the state's gas tax holiday for a seventh straight month, extending relief from Oct. 6 through Nov. 4. The suspension covers both the state gas excise tax and gas usage tax, saving residents roughly 60 cents per gallon. The new order also lifts special fuel restrictions on dyed diesel, letting farmers use it for any farm-related activity during harvest season.

The holiday began in April under an energy emergency order tied to the Iran conflict; after 120 days, Braun issued a new order citing the Russia-Ukraine war and Canadian wildfires. As of late September, most Indiana cities averaged under $4 a gallon. The Indiana State Board of Finance continues reimbursing fuel retailers, with the most recent approval topping $138 million for July. The Indiana Farm Bureau praised the dyed diesel exemption as timely relief for farmers facing high input costs. Braun has framed the repeated extensions as part of a broader affordability push for Hoosier families.

Ohio voters on Nov. 3 will pick a successor to term-limited Gov. Mike DeWine, with Republican Vivek Ramaswamy facing Democrat Amy Acton and Libertarian Don Kissick. The same ballot includes a special U.S. Senate election to fill the remainder of JD Vance's term, pitting incumbent appointee Jon Husted against challengers; the winner serves until 2028. All 15 Ohio U.S. House seats are also up, under a new Republican-favorable congressional map targeting Democratic-held districts. In Kentucky, Republican Andy Barr and Democrat Charles Booker are competing for the seat long held by retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell. Indiana will re-elect its House delegation, and ballot measures appear in all three states.

The Marion County Clerk's Office says the U.S. Department of Justice will send "election monitors" to the county for the November midterm election. The Marion County Election Board was notified of the plan but has not been told what specifically the monitors will do beyond observing election processes for federal law compliance. Officials say Marion and Lake counties are the only two Indiana counties receiving monitors, and both are represented in Congress by the state's only Democratic federal lawmakers. Clerk Kate Sweeney Bell said the office wasn't informed of the criteria used or why these counties were chosen, but says the board has a plan in place, including a recent policy on poll worker interactions with federal officials, to ensure a smooth, lawful election.

Illinois' 2nd Congressional District, stretching from Chicago's South Side through the south suburbs to Kankakee and Danville, is holding an open-seat race after Democrat Robin Kelly, who held the seat since 2012, gave it up for an unsuccessful Senate bid. Democrat Donna Miller, a Cook County commissioner and former healthcare executive, won her primary over candidates including former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. Republican Mike Noack, a truck driver making his first political run, is campaigning on government dysfunction and immigration reform. Independent write-in candidate Ashley Banks, a former CTA bus driver and freelance journalist, says she entered the race to give downstate and rural voters a stronger voice. Early voting is underway ahead of Election Day on Nov. 3.

Four candidates for Indiana secretary of state met Wednesday night in their first debate ahead of the November race to lead the office overseeing the state's elections. Democrat Beau Bayh, Lincoln Party candidate Greg Ballard and Libertarian Lauri Shillings largely aligned on voter ID, election security and mail-in voting, while Republican Max Engling — chosen at the GOP convention over embattled incumbent Diego Morales — stood apart, notably as the only candidate to back the SAVE Act and the only one not to question the Indiana Recount Commission's disputed ruling in a close state Senate race.

Bayh, Ballard and Shillings all pledged to audit the office if elected to probe alleged misuse under Morales; Engling declined to commit. All four agreed on the need for transparency in business registration and said they intend to serve full four-year terms. A second debate is set for Oct. 7.

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun and the state Republican Party are committing $1 million to a statewide ad buy backing GOP secretary of state candidate Max Engling, as the race draws unusual national attention. The money is split evenly between Braun's gubernatorial campaign account and the Indiana Republican Party, with two new ads set to air by the end of the week answering ads already run by Democrat Beau Bayh.

The race also features Greg Ballard, a former Republican Indianapolis mayor running as an independent under a new "Lincoln Party," and Libertarian Lauri Shillings. Bayh, son of former U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh, has significantly outraised Engling, who entered the race in May with backing from U.S. Sen. Jim Banks after incumbent Diego Morales lost the GOP nomination amid scandal. A University of Virginia political analysis recently reclassified the contest as a "toss up," calling it possibly the most competitive secretary of state race in the country this year. The election is set for Nov. 3.

Following a FOX59/CBS4 debate, Democrat Beau Bayh and Republican Max Engling agreed on core Secretary of State issues like voter participation and prosecuting illegal voting, but split sharply on investigating current officeholder Diego Morales and on dueling campaign ad attacks. Engling called Bayh's investigation approach unserious, favoring an inspector general-led review, and said Bayh strayed into unrelated issues; he also said he's considering a defamation suit over Bayh's ads. Bayh countered that Engling can't differentiate himself from Morales and pledged to personally pursue accountability. The race, triggered by Morales's convention loss, has drawn heavy spending ahead of Indiana's Nov. 3 election.