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Candidates › IN-05 race › 2025–2026
J. D. Ford
D Democratic nominee for U.S. House, IN-05
Has not served in Congress
- On the ballot
- Won the general electionNov 3, 2026 · 134,449 votes (51.6%)
- Where to vote
- Find your polling place (opens in a new tab) · More ways to vote
- Top priorities
- Affordability
- Accountability
- Accountabilty
- Healthcare
- Hoosier Voices
- Money
- $1.4M raised, $1.1M spent, $324.5K cash on hand (through Oct 14, 2026). Where it comes from
- Who gives
- 18% of individual money from donors at $200 or less · 89% from Indiana · largest committee giver UNITED STEELWORKERS POLITICAL ACTION FUND, $5K
- Outside groups
- $178.4K supporting, $1.2M opposing Ford
- Backed by
- SMART-Transportation Division · United Steelworkers District 7 · Muncie Fire Fighters Local 1348 and 24 more. As the campaign lists them
- Polling
- 44.6% in the latest poll (Quantus Insights). The polls
8 priorities from electjdford.com, in the order they are listed there. Every heading and the text under it is copied exactly, as one passage for each page it is from, and links to that place on the page; hover a source to see which passage it opens.
The cost of groceries, housing, energy, and healthcare have exploded, but our paychecks haven’t. Corporations are raising prices while political leaders focus on power instead of your bills. In Congress, I’ll fight to cap healthcare and prescription costs and push for corporate accountability to lower your monthly expenses.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · electjdford.com
Today, too many Hoosiers who work hard like my parents did are struggling to make ends meet. Big corporations and politicians like Victoria Spartz keep rigging the rules against folks like us. That ends now. I'll fight to control skyrocketing costs and put Hoosier families before corporate profits.
- Make housing more affordable for Hoosiers by banning international investors and big corporations from buying homes and driving up housing costs.
- Control utility costs by standing up to Republican politicians who rubber stamp utility rate increases. While in the State Senate I voted to end the 7% sales tax on utility bills to help lower Hoosiers’ costs.
- Take on Trump's chaotic tariffs that have left our farmers with silos full of harvests they can't sell and priced our small businesses out of the economy.
- Lower health care costs to make sure every family, no matter where they live, can access affordable, quality care. As your State Senator I championed capping the price of insulin and epi pens and reducing prescription costs.
- Stand with organized labor to make sure workers are never left behind. My commitment to working families is why I’m the only candidate endorsed by labor.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · electjdford.com/platform
Heading as listed on electjdford.com ↗ (opens electjdford.com at this heading)
Washington is making too many unchecked decisions that affect our lives without any real oversight. We can’t afford to let this lawless behavior go on—we need a strong Democratic check in Congress to hold these leaders accountable. I’ll fight to bring federal agencies out of the shadows and ensure no one is above the law.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · electjdford.com
Heading as listed on electjdford.com ↗ (opens electjdford.com at this heading)
I’ve been one of the most accessible members of Indiana’s General Assembly and that will continue in Washington. I’ll hold regular town halls, meet with constituents, and keep your concerns at the top of my priorities list. When I’m in Congress, I’ll work for you.
- Fight against big corporations getting tax breaks and handouts for projects that communities do not want. In the Statehouse, I supported eliminating a 50 year tax abatement for billionaire corporations.
- Hold data centers accountable for paying for their own water and utility expenses.
- Ensure that seniors who have earned and paid for their Social Security benefits actually get them.
- Protect and defend our rights. Constitutional rights are not suggestions. When the Trump administration and federal agencies use executive orders to bypass Congress and the Constitution, they are eroding the checks and balances that protect every Hoosier.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · electjdford.com/platform
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I believe health care should be accessible and affordable to everyone, no matter where they live or how much they make. Victoria Spartz keeps siding with corporate interests over Hoosier families — backing cuts to Medicaid that have closed rural hospitals and ended health coverage for 230,000 Hoosiers. I'll fight back.
- Fight to restore and protect Medicaid funding.
- Oppose reckless budget cuts that threaten access to emergency and preventive care.
- Champion rural hospitals and keep their doors open.
- Protect reproductive freedom to ensure every woman is in charge of her own health care decisions.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · electjdford.com/platform
Heading as listed on electjdford.com/platform ↗ (opens electjdford.com/platform at this heading)
I’ve been one of the most accessible members of Indiana’s General Assembly and that will continue in Washington. With regular town halls and public contact information, I will keep your concerns at the top of my priorities list. As soon as I’m in Congress, I’ll take action on the issues I’ve already heard from Hoosiers.
Here’s how:
- Reproductive Freedom: Protect a woman’s right to make her own healthcare decisions by codifying Roe v. Wade into federal law.
- Rights for All Americans: Pass the Equality Act to ensure that no American faces discrimination in housing, employment, or public spaces.
- Marijuana Policy: Modernize our laws to reflect the 90% of Hoosiers who support some form of legalization.
- Gun Safety: Implement universal background checks and protect Red Flag (Jake Laird) laws to keep our neighborhoods and schools safe.
- Veteran Services: Simplify the VA claims process and expand access to mental healthcare for those who served.
- Labor & Jobs: Fight for fair wages, safe working conditions, and the right to organize without interference.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · electjdford.com/platform
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Before I ran for office, I was a substitute teacher. I stood in classrooms and heard directly from teachers about the pressure they were under and how stressed our kids felt. This is personal to me — and politicians in Washington are making it worse, defunding our public schools and pushing schemes that benefit a few at the expense of everyone else. I'll fight to make sure every child in Indiana gets the education they deserve.
- Fully fund public schools and fight back against reckless budget cuts that strip resources from students and teachers.
- Oppose taking money from public schools to fund unaccountable private schools.
- Get politics out of our schools and our classrooms. I was proud to vote against the bill that created partisan school boards.
- Keep our schools safe by supporting common-sense measures that protect our kids and educators.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · electjdford.com/platform
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I’m running for Congress because every family deserves to feel safe in their home, their neighborhood, and their community. We need to ensure our local first responders have the tools and resources they need to keep us safe and respond appropriately to every situation they encounter.
- Reform the system to hold ICE accountable — mandating body cameras, ending masked raids, increasing training standards, and taking on politicians who suspend our constitutional rights and endanger our communities.
- Support the development of mental health crisis response teams, allowing law enforcement to focus on serious crimes and violent offenders.
- Protect schools and neighborhoods by enacting common-sense gun safety measures, like universal background checks and red flag laws.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · electjdford.com/platform
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- Protect equal rights by passing the Equality Act, prohibiting discrimination in employment, housing, and other public spaces.
- Stand by protections for marriage equality and ensure the government never interferes with the most personal decisions in our lives.
- Protect our right to free speech, our right to assemble, and the right to a free press to ensure no matter what you believe, you are free and safe to say it.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · electjdford.com/platform
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