Title: Allissa Impink wins Senate District 46 Democratic primary
URL Source: https://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/elections/voter-guide/2026/05/05/indiana-senate-district-46-primary-election-results/89777538007/
Published Time: 2026-05-05T22:01:34Z
Markdown Content:
May 5, 2026 Updated May 6, 2026, 12:04 p.m. ET
Allissa Impink, an Indianapolis Public Schools board member, won the Democratic primary race for Indiana Senate District 46 and will likely become downtown Indy's next senator in the Statehouse.
Impink won in a landslide with roughly 68% of the vote, according to unofficial county election results. Each of her two challengers garnered less than 20% of the vote.
Indiana Sen. Andrea Hunley's decision to step down to run for Indianapolis mayor next year opened the floor to three Democratic challengers in Senate District 46, which covers downtown Indy and several surrounding neighborhoods. The race pitted Impink against local education researcher and activist Clif Marsiglio and first-time candidate Sam Glynn.
Impink celebrated the victory at her election night watch party, where she told friends, family and supporters that "today we chose a better path." She spoke of the voices that she aims to champion at the Statehouse.
"It has never been about me," Impink told a gathered crowd. "It has always been about the individuals I’ve met, who are working hard every day to make ends meet. The parents who are juggling their jobs, childcare ... the communities that deserve to be seen and heard and cared for and invested in."
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With no Republican challenger yet in a heavily blue district, Impink will likely cruise to victory in the general election this November.
Of the three candidates, Impink's political profile most resembles Hunley's.
A former educator and a 42-year-old Black mother, Impink spent years doing educational and child advocacy. She now works for a nonprofit that funds causes benefiting women and girls. Hunley, also 42, was a longtime IPS principal and public school teacher before winning election in 2022.
Toward the end of election night, Hunley stopped by the watch party and expressed her pride in Impink.
“Allissa is hands down one of the smartest women that I know," Hunley said. "She is going to take this baton and run with it. She’s a mom with young kids and we don’t have a lot of folks with that perspective in the Senate, so I think that having that perspective is really going to shift some of the thinking."
Impink's top priorities reflect her experience. She previously told IndyStar that she'll push for a moratorium on new charter school approvals until they're judged on equal footing as traditional public schools. She will also fight to repeal Indiana's near-total abortion ban and expand the state's Medicaid program to include comprehensive postpartum care, she said.
Marsiglio, an educator and administration at Indiana University, argued that his three decades of grassroots activism and his willingness to stand up to Indiana Republicans at the Statehouse made him the best choice.
In recent months, Marsiglio, 54, has worked with east-side community groups to advocate for safer streets and fight what he views as "predatory" data centers like the one in Martindale-Brightwood. His campaign centered populist ideas like passing new laws to shift more power to renters and keep down rising utility costs.
As the youngest candidate in the race, Glynn, 25, came out with some bold stances. Glynn, a Marion County Treasurer's Office staffer, told IndyStar he would oppose all new data centers and support age limits so that no one over 67 years old could run for political office in Indiana.
Impink's pitch won over more of the highly engaged voters who donate to political campaigns.
Impink received over 10 times more money than her opponents, according to campaign finance records. Impink's campaign had raised nearly $52,000 by mid-April — including a $5,000 donation from the Indy Chamber and smaller donations from two Indianapolis City-County Council members in Senate District 46, Andy Nielsen and Kristin Jones.
Meanwhile, Marsiglio had raised less than $5,000 and Glynn reported raising nothing.
Impink’s Fletcher Place neighbor Katara McCarty, 53, said at the watch party that she believes Impink will value community and collaboration at the Statehouse.
“I love her background as a teacher and really caring about families, just the time I’ve spent with her, watching how she interacts with community and pulls people together,” said McCarty, who also spent time knocking on doors and working the polls. “I believe in Allissa.”
_Email Indianapolis City Hall Reporter Jordan Smith
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