Indiana’s 5th District House Race: 2026 Winner

Independent candidate Greg Ballard, a former Republican Indianapolis mayor now running in Indiana's secretary of state race, has called on the state legislature to make the office nonpartisan. His proposal would bar the secretary of state from endorsing candidates, fundraising for parties, holding party leadership roles, or speaking at political events, while still allowing a sitting officeholder to campaign for reelection and retain voting and party-registration rights. Ballard urged the other three candidates to pledge to avoid partisan activity if elected.

Republican candidate Max Engling's campaign did not directly address the proposal, noting existing law already bars using the office for campaign functions. Democrat Beau Bayh's campaign rejected it, arguing officeholders shouldn't lose personal political rights. Libertarian Lauri Shillings also declined, saying it would force her to give up party membership, and instead proposed recusing herself from matters involving candidates she has backed.

The debate follows past controversies, including Republican Todd Rokita's taxpayer-funded mailers as secretary of state and current officeholder Diego Morales' attendance at a Republican National Committee convention as a delegate.

Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears, a Democrat seeking reelection this November, pushed back on "soft-on-crime" criticism from Republican challenger Philip Foust in an interview with IndyStar's "Meet the Candidates" series. Mears cited double-digit percentage reductions in violent crime since he took office in 2019 and a 90% conviction rate in murder trials as evidence his approach is working.

Foust has argued Mears' policies fail to hold offenders, particularly teens, accountable and has criticized the prosecutor's investments in housing and expungement programs for lower-level offenses as distractions from core prosecutorial duties. Mears defended those programs as proactive crime-reduction tools and also addressed criticism from suburban Indianapolis leaders, including Carmel Mayor Sue Finkam, who argue Marion County's approach to repeat offenders endangers public safety regionally. Mears also responded to speculation that he may run for Indianapolis mayor in 2027, acknowledging frustration with systemic issues beyond the prosecutor's office's control. Mears won reelection in 2022 by 18 percentage points despite similar attacks.

Indianapolis has become the latest city to see a sharp increase in immigration enforcement activity, with ICE agents reported making stops across the city and in suburbs including Carmel and Westfield starting Aug. 31. Cell phone video captured agents chasing a man across traffic lanes, and witnesses documented arrests at a gas station and along Rockville Road. Nationally, ICE arrests hit record highs in June and July, with most July arrests involving people accused only of civil immigration violations and fewer than 4% having a past violent conviction, per a New York Times analysis.

Mayor Joe Hogsett criticized the lack of advance notice or transparency, saying it caused "confusion and fear," while confirming IMPD is not participating in federal enforcement. Rep. André Carson filed a congressional inquiry to DHS demanding details on the operation's scope, and several state senators backed the request. Sen. Jim Banks defended ICE's mission, and DHS said agents are enforcing immigration law nationwide. Protesters demonstrated outside ICE's Indianapolis office over the weekend.

Carmel, Indiana, celebrated the end of a roughly four-year construction project on College Avenue between 96th and 106th Streets, which added three roundabouts and other traffic and beautification improvements. City officials, including Mayor Sue Finkam, held a Thursday night party thanking residents for enduring the disruption, with local business Rosie's Gardens hosting the event after being directly affected by the construction traffic and access issues.

Residents and business owners described years of inconvenience, from difficulty reaching businesses to complaints from customers, but said the improved corridor connecting Carmel and Indianapolis was worth the wait. The relief is expected to be short-lived: Hamilton County crews are set to begin demolition next week on the Hazel Dell Road bridge, which was partially washed away in historic flooding. That project is expected to last until 2028.

Carmel, Indiana officials warn that the worst effects of recent flooding may still lie ahead, even as floodwaters recede. A levee breach over the weekend sent Blue Woods Creek flowing backward toward a Martin Marietta quarry, with erosion advancing nearly 200 feet in a single night. City engineers put the odds of the eroding channel connecting to the White River at roughly 75%. If that happens, the river could temporarily divert into the quarry, which can hold about 9 billion gallons — potentially easing downstream flooding in Indianapolis but raising new infrastructure risks locally.

Hamilton County has banned recreational travel on the White River due to hazardous conditions. The Hazel Dell Parkway bridge has been declared a total loss and will require replacement, with officials considering an accelerated rebuild. Crews are also racing to protect two sewage force mains beneath the shifting creek bed that serve most of Carmel, building bypass infrastructure as a precaution. Drinking water remains safe, with no boil order issued. Officials say the full cost of the damage is still being assessed.

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.

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.

Following a FOX59/CBS4 debate between Democrat Beau Bayh and Republican Max Engling, Indiana's minor-party Secretary of State candidates, Lincoln Party's Greg Ballard and Libertarian Lauri Shillings, gave their own reactions. Both were excluded from the debate after polling below 10% support, with Bayh and Engling drawing the bulk of backing in a prior Free Press Indiana poll. Ballard and Shillings criticized the major candidates' sparring, pledged to avoid negative campaigning, and said they would have refused to share voter rolls with the federal government. Both also questioned the U.S. Department of Justice's plan to send election monitors to Marion and Lake counties for the midterms. Election Day is November 3, with early voting already underway.

Indiana municipal leaders are grappling with sharply higher fire truck costs, an issue thrown into relief by last month's severe flooding in central Indiana that strained first-responder resources. Pumper truck prices roughly doubled between 2013 and 2023, from about $500,000 to nearly $1 million, while ladder trucks climbed from roughly $900,000 to nearly $2 million; delivery times have stretched from one or two years to more than four.

Carmel Mayor Sue Finkam has criticized the pricing, and Fort Wayne recently approved a $2.5 million tower ladder truck with a nearly four-year wait, while Porter opted for a used ladder truck to avoid long delays and higher costs. U.S. Sens. Jim Banks and Elizabeth Warren filed a joint resolution seeking an FTC investigation into alleged price fixing, price gouging, and monopolization, noting three manufacturers control 70–80% of the market. The issue is also playing out in multidistrict federal litigation in Wisconsin against REV Group, Oshkosh Corp., and Rosenbauer America, with plaintiffs from multiple states alleging anticompetitive conduct dating to at least 2016.

Carmel, Indiana is asking for public feedback on a proposed $252.4 million budget for 2027 as it works to absorb the effects of state property tax changes without raising taxes. City officials say certified net assessed value fell 1.6%, from $12.4 billion to $12.2 billion, and the gap from earlier forecasts could grow to nearly $40 million by 2030.

To manage the shortfall, Carmel plans to prioritize its operating levy over its debt levy, keeping roughly $3 million more in city revenue while covering a resulting $5.7 million debt-levy gap with general-fund dollars. Some departments, including property maintenance and facilities management, are being folded into the Street Department rather than eliminated. Personnel costs are rising with a 3% cost-of-living increase, higher health insurance contributions and new police, fire, IT and inspection positions. General-fund revenue is projected at $152.69 million, with spending kept just below that mark. Reserves remain a buffer, with the general fund projected to end 2027 at $17.2 million. A joint budget meeting is set for Sept. 28, followed by a formal presentation Oct. 5.