Who's running in Indiana's 1st congressional district
2 candidates are on the ballot. Below is what each one says they stand for, what they have actually done in office or in public life, and the arguments published for and against them — each quoted from a named source rather than summarised by us.
2 candidates · ballot order · Frank Mrvan currently holds this seat
High confidenceHigh confidenceBacked by government records or the candidate's own official statements, with agreement across several independent sources.What would raise it: Nothing missing — this is the strongest evidence tier.
What they say they stand for
Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.
Steel and manufacturing jobs in the Calumet region.
Veterans' services, through his Veterans' Affairs Committee seat.
Agriculture, reflected in his Indiana Farm Bureau AgELECT PAC endorsement.
Abortion rights.
Federal investment in Northwest Indiana infrastructure.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
U.S. Representative for the 1st District since January 2021; re-elected in 2024 with 53.4%.
Former North Township trustee; son of longtime state senator Frank Mrvan Sr.
Won the May 5, 2026 Democratic primary.
Reported $2,386,267 raised with $1,336,695 on hand — less cash on hand than his opponent.
The target, with André Carson, of the failed December 2025 attempt to redraw Indiana's congressional map.
Arguments in favor
He holds an unusual coalition for a Democrat in a manufacturing district: the National Education Association, the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund, Planned Parenthood Action Fund and Reproductive Freedom for All alongside the Indiana Farm Bureau's AgELECT PAC and AIPAC.
— Endorsements from the organisations named
Twenty-one Republicans in the Indiana Senate joined all ten Democrats to defeat the map redrawn to unseat him, despite President Trump threatening to back primary challengers against holdouts — a bipartisan refusal to eliminate the district as it stands.
— Indiana Senate vote of December 11, 2025
Arguments against
The NRCC has run a sustained campaign against him — an advertisement on what it calls his "Project 2026" plan, releases saying he refuses to condemn socialism, that he voted against bipartisan legislation supporting farmers, and that he "sold out his constituents to appease radical, far-left lunatics."
— National Republican Congressional Committee, 2025–2026
The Cook Political Report says the district "has all the characteristics of a district that should be moving in Republicans' direction," and Regnitz has narrowed the money gap to a virtual tie while holding $1.8 million in the bank to his $1.34 million.
— Cook Political Report; Federal Election Commission filings
What we couldn’t verify
The NRCC's characterisations — "Project 2026," hating Indiana farmers, refusing to condemn socialism — are campaign framings of votes rather than descriptions the congressman accepts; the underlying roll calls were not individually verified here, and the Indiana Farm Bureau's own PAC endorsed him.
Mrvan's response to the NRCC campaign was not found.
Whether the failed redistricting attempt has changed the district's politics is not established; every forecaster still rates the seat likely Democratic.
Fiscal management, drawn from her technology and finance career and county budget work.
Public health initiatives, including opioid-settlement spending.
Border security and immigration enforcement.
Lower taxes.
Support for President Trump's agenda.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Porter County commissioner since 2023; career in technology and finance; holds Purdue degrees in mathematics and German.
As commissioner launched a county wellness programme and took part in opioid-settlement distribution planning.
Won the May 5, 2026 Republican primary from a five-candidate field.
Reported $2,376,255 raised with $1,800,688 on hand — more cash than the incumbent.
Named to the NRCC's Maga Majority programme for challengers in swing seats.
Has not held federal office.
Arguments in favor
She has both Indiana senators, Jim Banks and Todd Young, three of the state's Republican House members, the Log Cabin Republicans and Maggie's List behind her, and the NRCC added her to its programme for challengers in swing seats.
— Endorsements from the officials and organisations named; NRCC Maga Majority programme
She has all but matched a three-term incumbent's fundraising — $2.38 million to his $2.39 million — and goes into the autumn with $1.8 million in the bank against his $1.34 million.
— Federal Election Commission filings
Arguments against
Every forecaster rates the seat likely Democratic. The Republican legislature's own attempt to redraw this district out of existence failed in December 2025 when twenty-one Republican state senators voted against it, leaving her to run on lines her party judged unwinnable enough to want changed.
— Cook Political Report, Sabato's Crystal Ball and Decision Desk HQ ratings; Indiana Senate vote of December 11, 2025
What we couldn’t verify
No published criticism of Regnitz by name could be found — not from Frank Mrvan or his campaign, not from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and not in Northwest Indiana news coverage. Searches covered DCCC materials, her name against criticism and opponent terms, and the Northwest Indiana Times, the Indiana Capital Chronicle, WFYI and Fox 59.
Her detailed federal policy positions were not published in the coverage found; the positions above come from her launch coverage and county record.
Her campaign site loads but publishes no readable platform text.
Positions and criticism are quoted from the named sources, not our assessments. This is built to help you start getting informed — confirm the official candidate list with your election authority before you vote.
Indiana held its primaries on May 5, 2026. Two candidates appear on the November ballot: Democratic incumbent Frank Mrvan and Republican Barb Regnitz. The district covers Northwest Indiana — Lake, Porter and northwestern LaPorte counties, including Hammond and Gary. In late 2025 President Trump urged Indiana to redraw its map to unseat Mrvan and André Carson; the bill passed the state House 57–41 but failed in the Republican-supermajority Senate 31–19 on December 11, so the existing lines stand. Forecasters rate the seat likely Democratic, but the Cook Political Report has said it has the characteristics of a district that should be moving toward Republicans. Fundraising is close to even — Mrvan $2.39 million, Regnitz $2.38 million — but Regnitz has more cash on hand.
This is one contest on a longer ballot
A Indiana ballot also carries state legislative districts, county offices, judicial seats and often local questions — and which of them you vote on is decided by your street address, not your city or ZIP code.