Indiana’s 4th Congressional District primary is competitive this year, giving voters a rare chance to shape what kind of representation they want. On the GOP side, two very different Republicans are vying to replace or unseat incumbent Jim Baird; on the Democratic side, there is a long list of first‑time and returning candidates whose platforms range from pragmatic incrementalism to sweeping change.
The League of Women Voters has always been non-partisan. With its commitment to education, this week’s column pulls together what candidates answered for Ballotpedia and Vote411 surveys and what they post on their websites—if they have one.
On the Republican ballot, voters have a choice between continuity, conventional conservatism, and confrontational outsider politics. Jim Baird, who has represented the district since 2019 and previously served in the Indiana House, is running as the established incumbent who claims an endorsement from President Donald Trump. Baird’s public campaign presence has been notably limited; his main campaign site functions primarily as a fundraising portal, and he has not completed major issue surveys for Ballotpedia or Vote411. For voters, that means judging him largely on his incumbency, voting record in Congress, and Trump’s backing rather than a clearly articulated 2026 platform.
State Rep. Craig Haggard, by contrast, is inviting GOP voters to make a change without leaving the conservative lane. A retired Marine Corps officer and current state legislator, Haggard is running as a “constitutional Republican” emphasizing gun rights, pro‑life positions, skepticism of government overreach, and a hard line on border security and China. His issue page leads with the Second Amendment, opposition to abortion, veteran care, support for farmers, and concern about the Chinese Communist Party’s influence—especially around land ownership and national security. Haggard stresses that he has authored conservative legislation at the Statehouse and promises to be both reliably conservative and personally accessible, with a focus on constituent service and regular communication.
The third Republican, John Piper, a businessman who has owned restaurants and veterinary hospitals, casts himself as a federal whistleblower and says the FBI tried to kill him. His website is dominated by PDFs alleging vast conspiracies: federal agencies and corporate interests supposedly restricting veterinary services and food access as part of a plot that disproportionately harms Black children.
On the Democratic side, the field is varied, but certain themes recur: frustration with economic inequality, healthcare costs, and endless wars, paired with calls for stronger worker protections and more accountable government. Several candidates—Drew Cox, Darin Patrick Griesey, Joe Mackey, Jayden McCash, Paul McPherson, and John Whetstone—have offered detailed answers through Ballotpedia and Vote411, giving primary voters unusually rich insight into their priorities.
Drew Cox, a Marine Corps veteran and Purdue visiting instructor with a doctorate in music and a recent degree in energy technology, centers his campaign on what he calls an “affordability crisis” driven by congressional inaction. His three key messages are an affordable economy, single‑payer healthcare and stronger oversight of Immigration and Customs Enforcement—including requiring judicial warrants and more transparency. Cox is also explicit about wanting big money out of politics; he rejects PAC and corporate contributions that, in his view, deepen wealth inequality.
Darin Patrick Griesey, a fourth‑generation farm owner and longtime community development professional from Monticello, offers perhaps the most sweeping legislative wish list. He promises, on “day one,” to submit bills to balance the federal budget while eliminating income taxes, impose term limits on Congress and the Supreme Court, create a Medicaid[SG1] ‑for‑all style system, reform immigration, end “forever wars,” curb gun violence, overhaul federal education funding, secure energy independence, protect Social Security, and decriminalize cannabis. Griesey frames service as an honor, pledging to serve no more than two terms and to tithe 10% of his salary into scholarships for district students, while running a grassroots, small‑donor campaign and literally kayaking district waterways to assess environmental health.
Joe Mackey, a retired machinist and repeat candidate from Lafayette, leans into lived experience—losing two children to cancer, watching neighbors struggle during the 2025 government shutdown and navigating the healthcare system himself. His platform emphasizes “three affordables”: healthcare (defending Medicare and ACA protections and fighting drug prices), education (curbing predatory student loans and supporting public schools), and housing (first‑time buyer support and cost‑cutting reforms). Mackey pledges practical, bipartisan problem‑solving rooted in respect, integrity, and resilience.
Jayden McCash, a Teamster truck driver and father of three, brings a blunt, anti‑war and pro‑labor message: “Hoosier first,” end funding for “wars of choice” and the “genocide in Gaza,” and redirect tax dollars to domestic needs. He backs Medicare for All and a structural change to “uncap” the House of Representatives so each member represents fewer people. McCash is explicit that his passion is ending “forever wars” and forcing Washington to focus on the home front.
Paul McPherson, a Purdue professor of practice and director of the Bechtel Innovation Design Center, brands himself as a fiscally minded problem‑solver who bridges moderate and progressive ideas. His top commitments are cross‑party work on healthcare, education, the farm bill, and wages; stronger protections for farmland and natural resources from large corporate projects; and policies that both improve quality of life and reduce the national debt. McPherson emphasizes budgeting, economic development, affordability, and strong checks and balances in government.
John Whetstone, a small‑business owner from Crawfordsville who runs a hobby game store, grounds his campaign in the everyday struggles he sees in his shop. His key planks include raising the federal minimum wage to $17.25 an hour and tying it to inflation, establishing Medicare for All, and reversing permanent corporate tax cuts while adding a wealth tax on those with $10 million or more in assets and lifting the Social Security payroll cap. Whetstone describes himself as motivated by neighbors’ stories of medical debt, high rents, and grocery prices driven up by tariffs, as well as his own family’s experience with medical debt after his father’s death.
Roger Day has little or no survey content, leaving social media and prior campaigns as the main clues to their priorities. Roger Day’s online presence presents him as a progressive Democrat and longtime Avon resident and small‑business owner, but without a detailed issue platform in the major voter guides.
For District 4 voters, then, the 2026 primary comes down to the usual discernment process for a democratic republic. We need to weigh both the platforms and the quality of character—connection and commitment to voters over partisan ploys on nuanced issues. What kind of long‑term vision matters to you? Primaries are famously low‑turnout, but this is where a better candidate is chosen. Don’t wait for November. Vote early or on May 5.
[SG1]Should it be Medicare?