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2026 General Election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Indiana House, District 8

Indiana House of Representatives. 2-year term.

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What this office does

Members of the Indiana House of Representatives write and vote on state laws as part of the Indiana General Assembly. The House has 100 members, each representing one district for a two-year term [1].

The job in full — the duties the Indiana Code puts in it, the term, what it pays and who sets that, and what to ask a candidate.

Term
2 years [1]
Term limit
None [1]
Seats
100 [1]
On the 2026 ballot
All 100 [2]
What the law puts in this job (2)
  • Introduces and votes on state legislation as one of the two chambers of the Indiana General Assembly [1].
  • Must be at least 21 years old when taking office and have lived in the district for at least a year [1].

About this race

  • House District 8 covers portions of South Bend and northern St. Joseph County, including the University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary's College and Holy Cross College campuses, according to the House Democratic Caucus [3].
  • Dvorak, the incumbent, is seeking re-election; Wikipedia's listing of the May 5, 2026 primaries shows Dvorak as the only Democratic candidate and no Republican primary candidate [7]. Republican Eric Harris appears on the general-election ballot [2, 10].
  • No debate or candidate forum for this race was found as of October 10, 2026.
  • Little public information on the Republican nominee's positions was found, so a side-by-side comparison of policy differences is not possible [11].

Candidates on the ballot

Ryan M Dvorak

DemocraticIncumbent

Work
Practices law with May Oberfell Lorber [4]

Ryan Dvorak, a Democrat and South Bend attorney, has held the District 8 seat since 2002 and is seeking another term [3, 4].

Dvorak's background

  • Holds a bachelor's degree in philosophy from the University of Notre Dame and a law degree from the Indiana University McKinney School of Law [3].
  • Practices law with May Oberfell Lorber and was a senior aide to U.S. Rep. Tim Roemer from 1996 to 2001 [4].
  • Ran unsuccessfully in the 2011 Democratic primary for mayor of South Bend [4].
  • Lives in South Bend [3].

Dvorak's positions

Elections & redistricting

  • Voted against the December 2025 mid-decade congressional redistricting bill (HB 1032) and, in 2026, against Senate Bill 12, which prohibits ranked-choice voting [8].

Energy & utilities

  • The House Democratic Caucus describes renewable energy policy as one of his focus areas [3]; Wikipedia credits him with authoring legislation on net metering, renewable energy standards and utility accountability [4].

Environment

  • Secured a 2023 amendment requiring a scientific basis for regional watershed commission projects and keeping St. Joseph River communities in watershed management [5].

Dvorak on the current officeholder

  • Is the current officeholder. No statements by Dvorak about his challenger were found.

How Dvorak got on the ballot

  • Was the only Democratic candidate in the May 5, 2026 primary, according to Wikipedia's listing [7].

What we could not find about Dvorak

  • His campaign website (ryandvorak.com) could not be reviewed for this profile, so his own 2026 campaign statements were not reviewed.
  • His individual votes on the 2025 property-tax law (SEA 1) and the 2025 state budget (HEA 1001) were not confirmed from a roll call.
  • His current committee leadership roles were not confirmed; the caucus page lists Rules, Natural Resources and Judiciary without titles.
  • No bills authored by Dvorak that became law in 2023–2026 were identified.
  • Endorsements could not be confirmed from the sources reviewed.
  • No campaign-finance reports were reviewed.

Dvorak's record in office

Indiana House record, District 8 (2023-2026) · compiled from the official record, Oct. 12-13, 2026

Authored
18
0 became law
Co-authored
2
1 became law

Committees, 2026 session

  • Judiciary
  • Natural Resources
  • Rules and Legislative Procedures
  • Probate Code Study Committee (House Minority Member)

Floor votes

  • 2023: Yes 352, No 103, Excused 33, Not voting 3
  • 2024: Yes 221, No 67, Excused 20, Not voting 2
  • 2025: Yes 326, No 133, Excused 49, Not voting 2
  • 2026: Yes 241, No 78, Excused 39, Not voting 19
How Dvorak voted on 37 selected bills
The 20 bills Dvorak carried

  • HB 1530: PFAS water safety standards.

    2023 · Authored · not reported from House committee

    Requires the Indiana department of health (department) to establish state maximum contaminant levels for PFAS in water provided by public water systems.

  • HB 1632: Ballot access for major and minor parties.

    2023 · Authored · not reported from House committee

    Provides that the term "major political party" refers to: (1) with respect to the state, any of the parties whose nominees received more than 2,500 votes statewide for secretary of state in the last election; or (2) with respect to a political subdivision, any of the parties whose nominees received more than 250 votes in that political subdivision for secretary of state in the last election.

  • HJR 5: Membership of the general assembly.

    2023 · Authored · not reported from House committee

    Increases the membership of the Indiana senate to 100 members and the membership of the Indiana house of representatives to 200 members.

  • HB 1085: PFAS water safety standards.

    2024 · Authored · not reported from House committee

    Requires the Indiana department of health (department) to establish state maximum contaminant levels for PFAS in water provided by public water systems.

  • HB 1322: Sales tax exemption for utility service.

    2024 · Authored · not reported from House committee

    Provides a sales tax exemption for the sale or furnishing of the following services or commodities by a power subsidiary or a person engaged as a public utility to a person for commercial or domestic consumption: (1) Electrical energy.

  • HB 1323: Minimum wage.

    2024 · Authored · not reported from House committee

    Provides that, for any work week beginning on or after July 1, 2024, the minimum wage paid to certain employees is 0.008% of the governor's annual salary.

  • HB 1324: Ballot access for major and minor parties.

    2024 · Authored · not reported from House committee

    Provides, for purposes of certain laws, that the term "major political party" refers to: (1) with respect to the state, any of the parties whose nominees received more than 2,500 votes statewide for secretary of state in the last election; or (2) with respect to a political subdivision, any of the parties whose nominees received more than 250 votes in that political subdivision for secretary of st

  • HJR 2: Membership of the general assembly.

    2024 · Authored · not reported from House committee

    Increases the membership of the Indiana senate to 100 members and the membership of the Indiana house of representatives to 200 members.

  • HB 1004: Pension matters.

    2024 · Co-authored · enacted: signed by the Governor

    Provides that a state employee may affirmatively elect to enroll in the deferred compensation plan prior to the auto enroll date on day 31 of the state employee's employment.

  • HB 1364: Minimum wage.

    2025 · Authored · not reported from House committee

    Provides that, for any work week beginning on or after July 1, 2025, the minimum wage paid to certain employees is 0.008% of the governor's annual salary.

  • HB 1365: Ballot access for major and minor parties.

    2025 · Authored · not reported from House committee

    Provides, for purposes of certain laws, that the term "major political party" refers to: (1) with respect to the state, any of the parties whose nominees received more than 2,500 votes statewide for secretary of state in the last election; or (2) with respect to a political subdivision, any of the parties whose nominees received more than 250 votes in that political subdivision for secretary of st

  • HB 1366: PFAS water safety standards.

    2025 · Authored · not reported from House committee

    Requires the Indiana department of health (state department) to establish state maximum contaminant levels for PFAS in water provided by public water systems.

  • HB 1446: Sales tax exemption for utility service.

    2025 · Authored · not reported from House committee

    Provides a sales tax exemption for the sale or furnishing of the following services or commodities by a power subsidiary or a person engaged as a public utility to a person for commercial or domestic consumption: (1) Electrical energy.

  • HJR 3: Membership of the general assembly.

    2025 · Authored · not reported from House committee

    Increases the membership of the Indiana senate to 100 members and the membership of the Indiana house of representatives to 200 members.

  • HB 1598: Assessment of community land trust property.

    2025 · Co-authored · not reported from House committee

    Provides for the true tax value of land and improvements in a community land trust for purposes of property tax assessment.

  • HB 1238: Assessment of homesteads.

    2026 · Authored · not reported from House committee

    Provides that, beginning with the January 1, 2027, assessment date, the assessed value of real property that qualifies as a homestead shall only be adjusted upon the sale, devise, descent, or conveyance of the real property.

  • HB 1239: PFAS water safety standards.

    2026 · Authored · not reported from House committee

    Requires the Indiana department of health (state department) to establish state maximum contaminant levels for PFAS in water provided by public water systems.

  • HB 1340: Sales tax exemption for utility service.

    2026 · Authored · not reported from House committee

    Provides a sales tax exemption for the sale or furnishing of the following services or commodities by a power subsidiary or a person engaged as a public utility to a person for commercial or domestic consumption: (1) Electrical energy.

  • HJR 3: Membership of the general assembly.

    2026 · Authored · not reported from House committee

    Increases the membership of the Indiana senate to 100 members and the membership of the Indiana house of representatives to 200 members.

  • HJR 4: Ratification of amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

    2026 · Authored · not reported from House committee

    Provides for ratification of the proposed amendment to the Constitution of the United States concerning congressional apportionment.

How this record was put together, and what it does not show

What we list: 28 bills chosen by a rule that does not look at topic: both state budgets, four bills named in advance, the 2025-26 redistricting bill, and in each session and chamber the 3 bills whose final-passage vote drew the most “nay” votes.

  • Votes reflect party caucus dynamics. Indiana has Republican supermajorities in both chambers, and many floor votes split along party lines; a single vote says little without the bill and its context.
  • Bills often die for procedural reasons, such as no committee hearing or a deadline, and a bill marked “not reported from committee” may have become law inside another bill.
  • A third-reading vote is on the version in front of the chamber at that time; the final version can be very different.
  • Authoring and co-authoring are different: co-authors sign on, often in large numbers, and usually did not write the bill.
  • Attendance counts roll calls on bills and joint resolutions (about 89% of numbered roll calls). “Excused” is an absence the chamber approved; “not voting” means no vote was recorded.

Where Dvorak's record came from

Dvorak's campaign website

Sources for Dvorak

Eric Harris

Republican

Eric Harris is the Republican nominee for House District 8; no campaign website, questionnaire responses or news coverage describing his background or positions was found [10, 11].

Harris's background

  • BallotReady and iVoterGuide list Eric Harris as the Republican candidate for House District 8 but provide no biographical details [10, 11].

Harris on the current officeholder

  • No public statements about Rep. Dvorak or the seat's record were found [11].

How Harris got on the ballot

  • Is on the November 3, 2026 general-election ballot as the Republican nominee [2]. Wikipedia's primary listing shows no Republican candidate in the May 5, 2026 primary, suggesting he was added after the primary, but how he was nominated was not confirmed [7].

What we could not find about Harris

  • No campaign website, social media page, news coverage, candidate questionnaire or forum appearance was found; iVoterGuide rates him 'Insufficient Information'.
  • How he reached the ballot (likely a party caucus to fill a post-primary ballot vacancy) was not confirmed.
  • Residence, occupation and community roles not found.
  • No campaign-finance reports were reviewed.
  • Whether he has previously run for office was not established.

Sources for Harris

Key points

  • House District 8 covers portions of South Bend and northern St. Joseph County, including the University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary's College and Holy Cross College campuses, according to the House Democratic Caucus. (Indiana House Democratic Caucus)
  • Dvorak, the incumbent, is seeking re-election; Wikipedia's listing of the May 5, 2026 primaries shows Dvorak as the only Democratic candidate and no Republican primary candidate. Republican Eric Harris appears on the general-election ballot. (Wikipedia)
  • Little public information on the Republican nominee's positions was found, so a side-by-side comparison of policy differences is not possible. (iVoterGuide)

Sources

Researched Saturday, October 10, 2026

  1. Indiana House of Representatives (Wikipedia)
  2. 2026 General Election Candidate List (Indiana Election Division)
  3. State Rep. Ryan Dvorak (Indiana House Democratic Caucus)
  4. Ryan Dvorak (Wikipedia)
  5. Dvorak amendment promotes better Hoosier rivers (Indiana House Democratic Caucus)
  6. 2026 Indiana House of Representatives election (Wikipedia)
  7. Legislator Detail: Ryan Dvorak (vote record) (BillTrack50)
  8. Eric Harris (BallotReady)
  9. Indiana State Representative, District 8 – 2026 General (iVoterGuide)
What's included
the U.S. House, statewide offices, every Indiana House and Senate district on the ballot, Indiana's statewide public questions and judicial retention questions, and county, township, city, town and school board races from the Indiana Election Division's candidate list.
Everything else
Local races (county, city, school board, judges) and anything else on your ballot are on your official sample ballot: IndianaVoters.in.gov.
Candidate lists
As of Sunday, October 18, 2026.
At the polls
Indiana law lets you bring a list of candidates and public questions into the polling place, including one stored on your phone, as long as you don't electioneer. IC 3-11-8-18.5

This is not an official ballot. Confirm your registration, polling place and ballot with your election office through vote.gov.