Republicans outraise Democrats by 112% in Indiana Senate races


Campaign finance requirements govern how much money candidates may receive from individuals and organizations, how often they must report those contributions, and how much individuals, organizations, and political entities may contribute to campaigns.

While campaign finance is not the only factor in electoral outcomes, successful fundraising can provide a candidate with advantages during a campaign. Fundraising can also indicate party momentum.

This article lists top fundraisers in the Indiana State Senate, overall and by party. It is based on campaign finance reports that officeholders in and candidates for the State Senate submitted to the Indiana Secretary of State. It includes activity between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021.

Top fundraisers in the Indiana State Senate by party

The top fundraisers in Indiana State Senate elections are shown below. Individuals are presented with the office that they are on the ballot for in 2022, if applicable.

In the Democratic Party, the top fundraisers were:

  • Eddie Melton – $97,937
  • Fady Qaddoura – $91,476
  • David Niezgodski – $83,650
  • Kristin Jones (District 46) – $77,112
  • J.D. Ford (District 29) – $71,510

In the Republican Party, the top fundraisers were:

  • Mark Messmer (District 48) – $259,900
  • Chris Garten (District 45) – $224,275
  • Kevin Boehnlein (District 47) – $201,205
  • Kyle Walker (District 31) – $183,928
  • Andy Zay (District 17) – $176,856

Fundraising totals

Overall, Democratic officeholders and candidates raised $634,035 in this period. Republican officeholders and candidates raised $2.24 million. Combined, all State Senate fundraisers in the January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2021, filing period raised $2.87 million.

The five largest Democratic fundraisers were responsible for 67 percent of all Democratic State Senate fundraising. The five largest Republican fundraisers were responsible for 47 percent of all Republican State Senate fundraising.

The table below provides additional data from the campaign finance reports from the top ten fundraisers during this period.

TOP TEN FUNDRAISERS – INDIANA STATE SENATE (January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2021)

NameParty AffiliationRaisedSpent
Mark MessmerRepublican Party$259,900$146,602
Chris GartenRepublican Party$224,275$13,387
Kevin BoehnleinRepublican Party$201,205$37,423
Kyle WalkerRepublican Party$183,928$39,532
Andy ZayRepublican Party$176,856$18,665
Alexander ChoiRepublican Party$171,852$52,052
Travis HoldmanRepublican Party$131,145$60,277
Jon FordRepublican Party$111,875$46,263
Linda RogersRepublican Party$105,395$15,365
Eddie MeltonDemocratic Party$97,937$57,866

Campaign finance reporting periods

The data above are based on campaign finance reports that candidate PACs submitted to the Indiana Secretary of State. Candidate PACs represent individuals who have run for state or local office at any point, including past and present officeholders. This article does not include non-candidate PACs. In 2022, Transparency USA will publish campaign finance data after the following major reporting deadlines. State or federal law may require filers to submit additional reports.

Report NameReport Due Date
2022 Jan Semiannual1/19/2022
2022 Statewide Quarterly/Semiannual7/15/2022
2022 Pre-Election10/17/2022
2022 Statewide Quarterly11/1/2022
2022 Annual Report1/18/2023

This article is a joint publication from Ballotpedia and Transparency USA, who are working together to provide campaign finance information for state-level elections. Learn more about our work here.