A bunch of folks don’t like the way things are going in Indiana — and you don’t need a poll to see it. You can see it in the filing numbers. By the close of the February 6 window, 12,869 Hoosiers had put their names on the 2026 primary ballot, a level of participation that goes far beyond routine civic housekeeping. Running for office takes time, money, ego, and a thick skin; people don’t do it casually. When nearly 13,000 of them decide to jump into the arena, it tells you something is moving beneath the surface of Indiana politics. This isn’t apathy. It’s agitation — and it’s playing out from the Statehouse to the smallest township hall.
Start at the top.
At the state level — U.S. House, State Senate, and State House — there are 312 candidates (162 Republicans, 150 Democrats). That’s not a sleepy legislative cycle. In fact, the most striking dynamic here is inside the Republican Party itself: almost every Republican state senator on the ballot is facing a primary challenger.
That’s a remarkable fact in a supermajority state. It means the fight for power in Indiana is happening within the GOP, not just between parties. The redistricting vote didn’t sort winners from losers or insulate incumbents; instead, it became part of the narrative driving those primaries. Whether they voted yes or no, many Republican senators still drew challengers — proof that 2026 is less about party control and more about what kind of Republican majority Indiana will have.
Move one rung down, and the scale explodes.
At the county level, 2,370 candidates filed — nearly five times the number running for state office. Republicans dominate this tier numerically (1,931 GOP vs. 439 Democrats), which reflects both Indiana’s partisan geography and the reality that county government remains the GOP’s farm team. Sheriffs, clerks, auditors, recorders, prosecutors — these are not symbolic offices. They are where policy meets pavement, and this year’s filings show that a lot of people want a seat at that table.
Then there’s the layer most voters barely think about: township government.
A staggering 3,891 candidates are running for Township Trustee or Constable — 2,973 Republicans and 918 Democrats. That is more candidates than at the state and county levels combined. Most of these races will never make the evening news, but they determine who runs poor relief programs, emergency services, and local budgets in more than a thousand Indiana townships.
And here’s where the filings tell an especially interesting story: 2,686 of those township candidates are in contested primaries, while only 1,205 are uncontested. In other words, most township races aren’t polite coronations — they’re real competitions. That is grassroots politics in its rawest form.
Finally, there’s the party infrastructure itself.
A massive 6,296 candidates filed to be state convention delegates or precinct officers — 4,179 Democrats and 2,117 Republicans. This isn’t about holding public office; it’s about controlling the internal machinery of the parties. Democrats, in particular, flooded the field, suggesting an energized base that wants a voice in how the party operates.
Which brings us to a second big takeaway: Democrats are literally on the ballot everywhere.
For the first time in a long while, Democrats have a candidate in essentially every State House and State Senate district. That means someone will be on the ballot in November in every legislative race — not just in blue or swing districts, but deep-red ones too. That’s not symbolism; it’s strategy. More candidates mean more choices, and more choices tend to mean higher turnout. Even if Democrats don’t win most of these races, simply being present forces Republicans to campaign, explain their positions, and — over time — shave margins in places that were once automatic.
Step back, and a pattern emerges.
This is not an election defined by a single marquee race at the top of the ticket. There is no governor’s race, no U.S. Senate contest, and no presidential election to suck up all the oxygen. Instead, the energy is diffused across thousands of local contests that most voters will never follow closely — but which collectively shape how power is exercised in Indiana.
Of the total filings, 6,754 candidates are in contested primaries, while 6,115 are uncontested. That split — almost perfectly even — suggests that Indiana’s primary electorate will actually have choices in a lot of places. Choice matters. It is the lifeblood of participation. When voters have something to decide, they show up. When they don’t, they stay home.
So if you’re looking for a single takeaway from the filing period, it’s this: 2026 will not be decided solely by big names or big races. It will be shaped by thousands of smaller contests — and by two clear trends: a Republican Senate map riddled with primaries, and a Democratic Party determined to contest every inch of the state.
Twelve thousand eight hundred sixty-nine names. That’s not just a statistic. That’s a democracy in motion.
