An Indiana Senate district on the west side promises to be one of the more competitive races in this year’s midterm election.
Sen. J.D. Ford, a Democrat, is running for Congress instead of his seat representing District 29, giving Republicans a chance to retake a district they lost eight years ago.
They think they have the right candidate in John Ruckelshaus, a moderate Republican and former state senator and representative. He’ll face Kristina Moorhead, a Democrat running for her first elected office.
Senate District 29 includes portions of Wayne and Pike townships, as well as parts of Zionsville and Carmel.
Ford narrowly won reelection by 4% in 2022 against Republican challenger Alexander Choi. The Democrat enjoyed a more comfortable margin of victory in 2018, when he defeated Republican incumbent Mike Delph by 13%.
“The district is diverse so you are talking about a really wide swath of voters, but also a district previously held by Democrat JD Ford,” said Laura Merrifield Wilson, professor of political science at the University of Indianapolis. “It is an opportunity for the Republicans to flip the open seat but Ruckelshaus needs to speak to the moderates and middle-of-the-road voters to be successful.”
Ruckelshaus leads in the fundraising battle, reporting $177,000 cash on hand, while Moorhead has just over $10,000 in her campaign account, according to campaign finance records.
Ruckelshaus taking ‘down the middle’ approach
On a recent Monday afternoon, Ruckelshaus knocked on doors in a working-class subdivision of Wayne Township. Many of the voters he encountered weren’t tuned into politics, and those who were seemed more concerned about the actions of the federal government.
“We’ve gone as a society that used to spend time on local things to more national issues,” Ruckelshaus said. “They kind of dominate and get people into one category or the other.”
Ruckelshaus is less interested in what’s happening on the national level. In his latest campaign ad, he asserts that “ring wing cultural wars have not lowered any property taxes,” as footage from the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol appears onscreen.
“A uniter, not a divider” is the mantra guiding his campaign to reclaim a seat in the state Senate.
Ruckelshaus, 62, most recently worked as a lobbyist and vice president of government affairs for the Indiana State Medical Association. He grew up in Pike Township and lives in Carmel. He previously represented District 30 from 2016 to 2020 before losing to Fady Qaddoura, an Indianapolis Democrat.
Ruckelshaus’ campaign priorities include lowering income and property taxes, improving disability rights and making sure every high school has a vocational program.
Ruckeshaus was elected to one term in the Indiana House in 1990. He later worked as a deputy commissioner of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development for Government Affairs in the Daniels administration.
Ruckeshaus followed in the footsteps of his father, who was also a state senator. Ruckelhaus’ uncle, William Ruckelshaus, served in President Richard Nixon’s administration and was one of several top officials to resign instead of obeying Nixon’s orders to fire an independent special prosecutor who was investigating the Watergate scandal. The mass resignations were later dubbed the “Saturday Night Massacre.”
Ruckelshaus is hoping to appeal to more “down the middle” voters by emphasizing his willingness to work with Democrats to get things done. He wants to eliminate straight-ticket voting, which allows people to vote for one political party with just one mark on their ballot.
“I don’t care if you’re Republican or Democrat. If they’ve got a better idea, let’s work together, figure it out, let’s get stuff done,” he said.
Moorhead focuses on healthcare
Moorhead recently spent a Saturday afternoon at the Clermont Lions Club Fall Festival, where she and her husband handed out candy to people walking by.
While their young son is trying to convince his parents to adopt a puppy, Moorhead is thinking about the tens of thousands of Hoosiers who are expected to lose health care coverage after new work requirements take effect next year as part of President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.” Indiana also instituted its own stricter work requirements.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Moorhead said. “I’ve never seen a Medicaid agency try to save money by kicking people off the program, and that’s what we’re doing right now.”
Moorhead, 43, has two decades of experience working on healthcare policy for the state. A former deputy director in the Indiana Office of Medicaid Policy and Planning, she most recently worked as a deputy vice president and a lobbyist for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.
Moorhead, who moved from Indy to Carmel in 2019, is also concerned about data centers — in particular, the massive tax incentives doled out by the state. Indiana offers state sales and use tax exemptions of up to 50 years to qualified data center developers, on top of any property tax abatements offered by local governments.
She thinks state officials could be doing more to help local governments negotiate community benefit agreements with developers.
“It’s a local government decision, ultimately, if they want it or if they don’t want it,” Moorhead said of data centers. “But if it comes, it really needs to be benefiting the local community.”
Other campaign priorities include increasing funding for public education, improving access to reproductive rights and lowering everyday costs for Hoosiers.
The election is Nov. 3. Early voting started Oct. 6.
For more information on all of the candidates running for office, check out the Mirror Indy Voter Guide.
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Peter Blanchard covers local government. Reach him by phone or Signal at 317-605-4836 or peter.blanchard@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @peterlblanchard.
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