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2026 General Election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Indiana Senate, District 31

Indiana Senate. 4-year term. Open seat: Kyle Walker is not on the ballot.

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What this office does

Members of the Indiana Senate write and vote on state laws as part of the Indiana General Assembly. The Senate has 50 members, each representing one district for a four-year term; about half the seats are elected every two years [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
4 years [1]
Term limit
None [1]
Seats
50 [1]
On the 2026 ballot
25 districts [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 25 years old when taking office and have lived in the district for at least a year, under Article 4 of the Indiana Constitution [1].

About this race

  • Senate District 31 includes parts of Hamilton, Hancock and Marion counties, more than 135,000 residents, according to WRTV [6]; WFYI describes it as Fishers, parts of northern Lawrence Township and the Geist Reservoir area [4].
  • It is an open seat: Republican Sen. Kyle Walker is not running again [3]. The Indiana Capital Chronicle called it one of the state's few politically competitive Senate districts; Walker won 55% in 2022 [3, 4].
  • May 5, 2026 Republican primary: Juanita Albright 3,516 votes (37.7%), Tiffanie Ditlevson 2,332 (25.0%), Travis Hankins 1,781 (19.1%), Jan Kepley Keefer 1,699 (18.2%), according to Wikipedia's compilation of results [7].
  • May 5, 2026 Democratic primary: Kerry Forestal 4,153 votes (37.7%), Catherine Torzewski 3,909 (35.5%), Lasima Packett 1,805 (16.4%), Andrew Dezelan 1,141 (10.4%) [7].
  • No general-election debate or forum between Albright and Forestal was found in reviewed coverage.
  • Both nominees list cost of living, health care costs and public safety among their priorities; Albright's materials emphasize tax cuts and property tax relief, while Forestal's emphasize utility, health care and grocery costs [8, 4, 9].

Candidates on the ballot

Juanita Albright

Republican

Work
Physician in Fishers; Hamilton Southeastern School Board member [10]

Albright is a Fishers physician and Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board member who won a four-way Republican primary [10, 7].

Albright's background

  • Has practiced medicine and lived in Fishers for more than 20 years [10].
  • Elected to the Hamilton Southeastern School Board, which her January 2026 filing announcement said she led as president [10]; the district's board page now lists Tiffany Pascoe as president [11]. Her campaign says the district reached its highest graduation rate during her term and that she has overseen a budget of more than $340 million [8, 10].
  • Appointed by Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness to the Fishers Senior Center Committee [10].

Albright's positions

Property taxes

  • Her campaign site says she will work to lower property taxes in the district and help seniors stay in their homes [8].

Economy & jobs

  • Says Hoosiers need "relief, not more government-driven costs" and supports tax cuts, balanced budgets and making housing, groceries and health care more affordable [8].

Health care

  • Supports "practical, market-based reforms" to lower premiums and out-of-pocket costs, including prescription drugs, with emphasis on care for older Hoosiers [8, 10].

Education

  • Supports adequate funding for local schools, teacher support, parental involvement, high academic standards and local decision-making [8].

Public safety

  • Supports keeping violent offenders incarcerated and mental health treatment for low-risk, nonviolent offenders to reduce reoffending [8].

How Albright would run the office

  • Running on lowering inflation and the cost of living, fiscal responsibility, quality education and public safety [10].

Albright on the current officeholder

  • No statements by Albright about Sen. Walker's record or the seat's direction were found beyond her own platform. She told WFYI, "I bring vast experience in healthcare and education, which are two of the largest issues facing Hoosiers" [4].

How Albright got on the ballot

  • Filed Jan. 7, 2026 [10]; won the May 5, 2026 Republican primary with 37.7% over Tiffanie Ditlevson, Travis Hankins and Jan Kepley Keefer, per Wikipedia's compilation [7].

Albright's endorsements and funding

  • Her campaign lists Americans for Prosperity–Indiana, Hoosiers for Quality Education, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and the Indiana State Police Alliance [8]; she also told WFYI she had Indiana Right to Life's endorsement [4].

What we could not find about Albright

  • County-by-county primary results could not be confirmed from freely available sources.
  • Endorsements beyond those listed on her campaign site and in WFYI's coverage could not be confirmed from freely available sources.
  • Current Publishing articles (primary results, announcement) and the Indiana Capital Chronicle voter guide could not be reviewed for this profile.
  • No fundraising data or general-election forum found.
  • Votes she would cast on specific bills (e.g., property-tax or budget legislation) not stated.
  • No fundraising totals were found in reviewed coverage.

Albright's campaign website

Sources for Albright

Kerry J Forestal

Democratic

Work
Marion County sheriff since 2018; in county law enforcement since 1977 [6]

Forestal is the Democratic Marion County sheriff, in his second and final term, and a former U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Indiana [9]. He has not served in the General Assembly.

Forestal's background

  • Has worked in Marion County law enforcement since 1977, beginning as a patrol deputy [9, 6].
  • Appointed U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Indiana by President Barack Obama in 2010 [9].
  • Elected Marion County sheriff in 2018 and reelected in 2022; he is term-limited and oversees a $150 million budget [6, 9].
  • Received the NAACP's State Rep. Bill Crawford Legacy Award in 2025 [9]. Lives in the district [6].

Forestal's positions

Economy & jobs

  • Lists lowering household costs — housing, utilities and health care — plus infrastructure and economic development as priorities [4].
  • Promised "pragmatic, values-driven leadership" on rising costs including utilities and health care [9].

Public safety

  • Lists public safety, including mental health and addiction treatment, as a priority [4]; says he implemented evidence-based violence prevention programs as sheriff [6].

How Forestal would run the office

  • Says he will work to bring down utility and health care costs while continuing a public-safety focus [6].

Forestal on the current officeholder

  • No statements by Forestal about Sen. Walker's record were found. On the seat, he said constituents' "voice in the State Senate will fight every single day to make their lives better" [9].

How Forestal got on the ballot

  • Announced in December 2025 [6]; won the May 5, 2026 Democratic primary with 37.7% over Catherine Torzewski, Lasima Packett and Andrew Dezelan, per Wikipedia's compilation [7].

What we could not find about Forestal

  • The Indiana Capital Chronicle reported criticism of Forestal for working with federal immigration enforcement and holding detainees in the county jail [9]; no response from Forestal was found.
  • The Indiana Capital Chronicle voter guide could not be reviewed for this profile.
  • No campaign website, endorsements or finance data located.
  • No endorsements or fundraising totals were found in reviewed coverage.

Sources for Forestal

Key points

  • Senate District 31 includes parts of Hamilton, Hancock and Marion counties, more than 135,000 residents, according to WRTV; WFYI describes it as Fishers, parts of northern Lawrence Township and the Geist Reservoir area. (WRTV)
  • It is an open seat: Republican Sen. Kyle Walker is not running again. The Indiana Capital Chronicle called it one of the state's few politically competitive Senate districts; Walker won 55% in 2022. (Indiana Capital Chronicle via Indiana Public Media)
  • Both nominees list cost of living, health care costs and public safety among their priorities; Albright's materials emphasize tax cuts and property tax relief, while Forestal's emphasize utility, health care and grocery costs. (Albright campaign)

Sources

Researched Saturday, October 10, 2026

  1. Indiana Senate (Wikipedia)
  2. 2026 General Election Candidate List (Indiana Election Division)
  3. Republican senator against Indiana redistricting won't seek reelection (Indiana Capital Chronicle via Indiana Public Media)
  4. Could Indiana Senate District 31 turn blue? Here are the candidates vying for the open seat (WFYI via WBOI)
  5. Marion County sheriff Kerry Forestal enters state Senate race (WRTV)
  6. 2026 Indiana Senate election (Wikipedia)
  7. Juanita Albright for Indiana Senate (Albright campaign)
  8. Marion County sheriff to run for open state Indiana Senate seat (Indiana Capital Chronicle via WFYI)
  9. Republican Juanita Albright officially files as candidate for Indiana Senate District 31 (Hamilton County Reporter)
  10. Board of School Trustees (Hamilton Southeastern Schools)
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.