Bartholomew County voters will soon get their first look at who plans to run for a range of federal, state and local offices that will be up for grabs during the 2026 midterm elections.
Candidate filings for the 2026 primary open Wednesday and continue until Feb. 6, marking the start of the primary campaign season. The primary in Indiana is May 5.
Primary elections are held to nominate candidates from each party to appear on the general election ballot in the fall.
This year, several federal, state and local offices will be on the ballot in Bartholomew County — including four Indiana General Assembly seats, two U.S. House seats, Columbus Township Trustee and several county offices, among other races.
One race that is expected to draw some attention is the Republican primary for Indiana Senate District 41.
The seat is currently held by five-term incumbent Sen. Greg Walker, R-Columbus, who said last month that he is “beginning to reconsider” retiring from the Senate after announcing in August that he would not seek re-election.
Walker’s potential decision to reverse course and seek a sixth term comes after he became a vocal critic of President Donald Trump’s demands to redraw Indiana’s congressional map ahead of this year’s midterm elections.
The Indiana Senate voted 31-19 last month to reject a proposed congressional map that would have redrawn congressional districts in ways that could flip two Democratic-held seats as part of a broader national push to help preserve the GOP’s narrow majority in the U.S. House.
Walker said he declined two invitations to visit the White House, including an offer to visit the Oval Office, while the Trump administration officials pushed for Indiana lawmakers to redraw the map.
In a 20-minute address to the Senate Committee on Elections last month, Walker suggested the push to redraw Indiana’s congressional map mid-decade may lead him to seek re-election after all.
“And you’re thinking, ‘Oh, it’s easy. You already said you’re not coming back. You can’t be primaried,’” Walker said during the address. “Well, some little seed in the back of my head says, ‘Go ahead and file.’ I think it’d be the dumbest thing I ever did in my life, but that’s what my wife thought when I ran 20 years ago.”
After Walker initially said he did not plan to seek re-election, former U.S. Rep. Greg Pence, R-Ind., said he had conversations about the seat becoming vacant with leaders and others who may be interested in running in the GOP primary but had not made a decision about whether he would run.
Pence, who is the older brother of former Vice President Mike Pence, represented Indiana’s Sixth Congressional District for three terms from 2019 to 2025.
Former Indiana Rep. Milo Smith, R-Columbus, who represented Indiana House District 59 from 2006 to 2018, said in August that he plans to run for Walker’s seat.
Following the Senate vote on redistricting last month, Gov. Mike Braun issued a statement that seemed to indicated that was pledging to work with Trump against members of his own party in Indiana to oppose state senators who voted against the proposed congressional map.
At the federal level, Indiana’s Sixth and Ninth Congressional Districts are up for re-election this year. Those two seats are currently held by Rep. Jefferson Shreve, R-Ind., and Rep. Erin Houchin, R-Ind.
Indiana House Districts 59, 69 and 73 will also be up for grabs this year. Rep. Ryan Lauer, R-Columbus; Rep. Jim Lucas, R-Seymour; and Rep. Jennifer Meltzer, R-Shelbyville, currently hold those seats.
Locally, the 2026 primary will be the first election since former Columbus Township Trustee Ben Jackson pleaded guilty to stealing and misusing $1.12 million in township funds to cover personal expenses over an eight-year period.
Jackson, a Republican, resigned in November 2024 amid an investigation into his use of the township’s credit card.
Several county-level races will also be on the ballot this year, including Bartholomew County Council seats, Bartholomew County Prosecutor, Bartholomew County Sheriff, Bartholomew Superior Court 2 judge and Bartholomew County Clerk.
Bartholomew County Prosecutor Lindsey Holden-Kay, Bartholomew Superior Court 2 Judge Jonathan “Jon” Rohde and Bartholomew County Sheriff Chris Lane, all Republicans, have already announced plans to seek re-election this year.
The deadline to register to vote for the 2026 primary is April 6, according to the Indiana Secretary of State’s Office.
