Midterm elections on November 3rd will decide several state legislative races impacting residents of Terre Haute, Vigo County, and the broader Wabash Valley. Voters will choose between veteran legislators, recently caucused-in incumbents, and new challengers for seats in the Indiana Senate and House of Representatives.
In Indiana Senate District 38, incumbent Republican state Sen. Greg Goode of Terre Haute will run in his first general election. Goode was selected for the seat by a party caucus in October 2023, following Republican Jon Ford's departure from the Senate. Goode, who also serves as the state director for Republican U.S. Sen. Todd Young of Indiana, posted a clear victory in the primaries. Challenging Goode for the District 38 seat is Democrat Kacey Blundell, also of Terre Haute. Blundell has experience in child services and criminal justice fields and described herself in a Ballotpedia survey as "wife, mother, civil servant, and rescue dog owner." Senate District 38 encompasses all of Vigo and Clay counties and a portion of Sullivan County.
Indiana House District 42 will see state Rep. Tim Yocum, a Republican from Clinton, campaigning as an incumbent for the first time. Yocum was chosen by party caucus after state Rep. Alan Morrison left the House in January 2025 to become director of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Yocum's background includes serving as a former county commissioner and a longtime county chairman for the GOP. He will face Democrat Brandi Cooper Vandivier. Vandivier, a neonatal nurse practitioner of Rockville originally from Terre Haute, earned her undergraduate degree from Indiana State University and a graduate degree from Indiana University, according to Ballotpedia. House District 42 includes all of Parke and Vermillion counties, along with portions of Clay, Fountain, and Vigo counties.
The race for Indiana House District 43 features incumbent Democratic state Rep. Tonya Pfaff of Terre Haute against Republican Amy Lore, also of Terre Haute. Pfaff, a retired Vigo County School Corporation (VCSC) high school math teacher, was first elected to the Indiana House in 2018, succeeding longtime Democratic state Rep. Clyde Kersey. Lore is a current member of the VCSC board, having been elected in 2020 and re-elected in 2024, and served as president from 2023-2024. She also served as a speechwriter and adviser to former Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman. House District 43 is entirely contained within Vigo County.
In Indiana House District 45, no incumbent is running. Republican candidate Kellie Streeter of Freelandville secured her party's nomination by ousting longtime state Rep. Bruce Borders of Jasonville in the primary. Streeter currently serves as the Daviess County Health Department administrator and is in her tenth year as a Knox County Commissioner. The Democratic candidate for District 45 is Rebecca Mayfield of Linton. Mayfield, who describes herself as a wife, mother, and teacher, holds a master of arts for teachers degree in political science and has a background in criminology and mental health. This district covers all of Greene and Sullivan counties and portions of Daviess, Knox, and Vigo counties.
Longtime Republican state Rep. Bob Heaton of Terre Haute is seeking re-election in the Indiana House District 46 race. Heaton, first elected to the Indiana House in 2010, is the president of his own financial service firm, Heaton Financial Services, located in Terre Haute. He faces Democrat James "Jimmy" Pittsford III of Monroe County. Pittsford is a retired union journeyman steamfitter and has been a member of United Association of Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 136 for 40 years. House District 46 includes all of Owen and Clay counties and portions of Monroe and Vigo counties.
