- Work
- Housing management since 2020; managed a HUD-regulated community [16]
Jack Chance, the Democratic nominee, is a Kokomo resident who works in affordable and senior housing management and is running on housing, utility costs, health care and public education [16, 17].
Chance's background
- Grew up in Tipton, graduated from Tipton High School and now lives in Kokomo, according to his campaign [16].
- Pursued pastoral studies and helped start an outreach for people experiencing homelessness; The Kokomo Lantern reported that he founded a homeless mission while attending seminary in Oklahoma City [16, 17].
- His campaign says he entered housing management in 2020, managed a HUD-regulated community for two years, served on the Indiana Apartment Association's recruitment committee in 2021, and now works for a nonprofit housing organization in Indianapolis serving senior and low-income residents [16].
- The Kokomo Lantern reported that, by his own account, he is "no politician"; he told the paper, "I'm just an everyday guy, and I'm here to serve everyday people" [17].
Chance's positions
Housing
- Proposes a "Fair Hoosier Housing Act" that would set habitability standards for rentals (including working heat, air conditioning in extreme heat and safe electrical systems), require emergency repairs within 24 hours and non-emergency repairs within 10 days of written notice [18].
- Told the Lantern: "I see how incredibly broken housing is... the brokenness is supported by current laws" [17].
Energy & utilities
- Says he would introduce legislation to abolish the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission and replace it with a system in which rate increases are approved by voters [19].
- Supports solar on rooftops, warehouses, parking lots and brownfields rather than on farmland [19].
Education
- Calls for repealing the Indiana Choice Scholarship (voucher) program, citing Article 1, Section 6 of the Indiana Constitution, and for increasing public-school funding and teacher pay [20].
Economy & jobs
- Supports repealing Indiana's right-to-work law, local-hiring standards for publicly funded projects, union apprenticeships, and tying state incentives to long-term job commitments [9].
Health care
- Proposes a "Better Indiana Health Plan" to lower out-of-pocket costs, protect rural hospitals and require emergency medical services in every community of more than 1,000 residents; the campaign says it is "not about government control of doctors or hospitals" [21].
Agriculture
- Supports barring all foreign ownership of Indiana farmland and protecting farmers' rights to own their seeds and crops [22].
Government transparency
- Would amend Indiana's Open Door Law to guarantee public comment at meetings where a governing body takes official action [23].
How Chance would run the office
- Lists his priorities as housing and homelessness, health care affordability and public education [17, 15].
Chance on the current officeholder
- Has not directly addressed Rep. Karickhoff's record in available material; his campaign says Indiana's housing, utility and school systems need legislative changes [16, 17].
How Chance got on the ballot
- Ran unopposed in the May 5, 2026 Democratic primary [12, 10].
Chance's endorsements and funding
- His campaign lists endorsements from former Kokomo Mayor Steve Daily, P.U.R.G.E. (People United for Responsible Growth Everywhere), the Indiana Rural Summit, and a "Verified Politician" designation from MADVoters Indiana [24].
- The campaign says it refuses corporate and super PAC money [15].
What we could not find about Chance
- No campaign finance totals were found.
- No statements by Chance about his Republican opponent were found.
- His campaign's list of district communities (including Tipton) differs from the caucus description of the district (portions of Howard and Grant counties); not checked against the official map.
Chance's campaign website
Paula Davis, the Republican nominee, is a Howard County community advocate and county chair of Moms for Liberty who won the May 2026 Republican primary over Kokomo Common Council President Ray Collins [10, 11].
Davis's background
- Wikipedia, citing State Affairs, describes her as a community advocate and chapter chair of the Howard County Moms for Liberty; The Kokomo Lantern also identified her as the county chair for Moms for Liberty [10, 11].
- Her campaign's slogan is "From the Schoolhouse to the Statehouse" [14].
Davis's positions
Education
- Her campaign says she will "protect parental rights" and "strengthen education by focusing on academics" [14].
Economy & jobs
- Says she will "advocate for policies that support working families" [14].
Public safety
- Says she will "defend the 2nd Amendment" [14].
Immigration
- Says she will "support legal immigration while promoting enforcement of laws already on the books" [14].
Abortion
- Says she will "preserve life at all stages" [14].
How Davis would run the office
- Her campaign site lists the priorities above and does not provide detailed legislative proposals [14].
Davis on the current officeholder
- No statements by Davis about Rep. Karickhoff's record or the seat's direction were found; her campaign site says voters would get "a principled, approachable, Hoosier-hearted leader who listens first and fights for families every day" [14].
How Davis got on the ballot
- Won the May 5, 2026 Republican primary over Ray Collins, 3,354 votes (66.3%) to 1,703 (33.7%), according to Wikipedia; The Kokomo Lantern reported the result as 63-32 [10, 11].
Davis's endorsements and funding
- Americans for Prosperity-Indiana endorsed her in the primary on March 9, 2026 [25].
What we could not find about Davis
- Her occupation and professional background beyond Moms for Liberty were not found in fetched sources.
- No news interview or candidate questionnaire from Davis was found; she did not attend the Sept. 29 Kokomo forum, per the Lantern's report that Republican state candidates were absent.
- No campaign finance totals were found.
- Primary percentages differ between Wikipedia (66.3-33.7) and The Kokomo Lantern (63-32); the Lantern's figure may reflect Howard County only.
Davis's campaign website