Marissa Meador
Updated
Wed, May 6, 2026 at 9:14 AM UTC
ELECTIONS
U.S. Rep. Jim Baird named presumptive nominee in 4th District after contentious race
Marissa Meador
Indianapolis Star
Updated May 5, 2026, 8:58 p.m. ET
U.S. Rep. Jim Baird has prevailed in a bitter GOP primary race for the 4th Congressional District, according to Decision Desk and the Associated Press, dashing challengers' hopes that they could overcome the powerful advantage of incumbency.
With 72% of votes counted, Baird beat state Rep. Craig Haggard and business owner John Piper with around 60% of the vote. Haggard and Piper received around 31% and 9%, respectively.
After an early campaign launch in August 2025, Haggard had distinguished himself as a "
new blood
" candidate, tapping into the disillusionment of voters who see dysfunction in Washington, D.C. But Baird, armed with an endorsement from President Donald Trump, pulled through by a wide margin.
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Baird will now face the winner of an eight-person Democratic primary, each of whom spent the past several months making a case to voters about why they're best suited to flip a deep red district.
Those candidates include Drew Cox, a visiting professor of music at Purdue University; Roger Day, a former congressional candidate; Darin Patrick Griesey, a farm owner and nonprofit consultant who ran previously for the seat; Thomas Hall Jr., a United Parcel Service worker; Joe Mackey, a former congressional candidate who founded a children's cancer foundation; Jayden McCash, a truck driver; Paul McPherson, director of a manufacturing makerspace at Purdue; and John Phillip Whetstone, who owns a game store.
The number of Democrats throwing the hat in the ring, from perennial candidates to newcomers, comes even as the 4th Congressional District is rated solid Republican by the
Cook Political Report
. In fact, more Democratic candidates are running today
than they did in 2018
, when the race for the seat was open: another potential sign of budding enthusiasm among the state's minority party.
Still, much of the conversation had centered on the back-and-forth between campaigns for Haggard and Baird, from accusations that Baird was
priming his seat for his son
, state Rep. Beau Baird, to claims that
Haggard used state legislative campaign funds to pay for a congressional campaign staffer
. Both candidates have denied the claims against them.
Contact breaking politics reporter Marissa Meador at
[email protected] or find her on X at @marissa_meador.
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