KH
Kate-Lynn Holley
Democratic
- Work
- Realtor in Northwest Indiana; runs a small business [14]
Kate-Lynn Holley, a Democrat, is a Northwest Indiana real estate agent and small-business owner, according to her campaign biography [14].
Holley's background
- Describes herself as "a Northwest Indiana Realtor" who also runs a small business, and a lifelong Northwest Indiana resident [14].
- Graduated from Gavit High School in 2006; her campaign biography says she wrestled professionally in a WWE ring in 2018 and used the earnings to pay for real estate school [14].
- Lists volunteer work with the Challenger Learning Center and collecting school supplies for families in need [14].
Holley's positions
Housing
- Says "Too many of our neighbors are being pushed out of the places they love" and wants policies to keep housing within reach for young families, veterans and seniors [11].
Health care
- Says "No family should ever have to choose between medicine and groceries" and aims to lower prescription costs and expand access to care [11].
Economy & jobs
- Supports "fair wages that keep up with the cost of living" and small businesses [11].
Education
- Proposes fully funding public schools, supporting teachers and expanding early learning [11].
Infrastructure
- Wants safer roads and bridges, reliable internet and water systems, without new tolls [11].
Agriculture
- Says "Family-run farms are the backbone of our communities" and plans to support family farms, new markets and rural broadband [11].
How Holley would run the office
- Lists six priorities: housing, health care costs, jobs and wages, public schools, infrastructure, and farmers and rural communities [15].
How Holley got on the ballot
- Won the May 5, 2026 Democratic primary unopposed, according to Wikipedia's tabulation [4].
What we could not find about Holley
- Blue Voter Guide's entry for her could not be reviewed for this profile.
- Her town of residence was not stated in sources reviewed.
- No news coverage of her campaign was found.
- No fundraising totals were found; state campaign finance reports could not be reviewed for this profile.
- No public statements by Holley about Niemeyer, Starkey or the seat's record were found.
- No endorsements are listed on her campaign site [15].
Holley's campaign website
JS
James (Jay) Starkey
Republican
- Work
- Owner and president of Rigid Construction; project manager at Jason DeYoung Construction [12]
Jay Starkey, a Republican, is a construction business owner and project manager and a Republican precinct committeeman who defeated Sen. Rick Niemeyer in the May 2026 primary [12, 4].
Starkey's background
- Lists his work as owner/president of Rigid Construction since 2012 and project manager at Jason DeYoung Construction since 2021, with earlier jobs as a job foreman, crew leader and estimator [12].
- Graduated from Hebron High School and attended Purdue North Central [12].
- Coached track and field at DeMotte Christian from 2013 to 2023 [12].
- Has served as Republican precinct committeeman for Keener 1 since 2025 [12].
Starkey's positions
Property taxes
- His campaign platform supports "policies that reduce the ridiculous growth of our property taxes" and proposes changes to the county assessor process [10]. In his iVoterGuide questionnaire, he listed structural property tax reform and local spending transparency as his top legislative priority [12].
Energy & utilities
- Says data centers are raising utility bills and wants companies that invest locally to cover their own power costs; listed greater oversight of utility rate setting as a legislative priority [10, 12].
Education
- Supports school choice with funding following the student, and expanded career and technical training and apprenticeships [10].
Public safety
- Opposes restrictions on gun rights and says he will back police with resources; listed enforcement against violent crime as a legislative priority [10, 12].
Immigration
- Calls for stronger enforcement of existing immigration laws and state cooperation with federal authorities [10].
Other issues
- His campaign site says he will protect life from conception and opposes reintroducing DEI and Critical Race Theory in schools [13]. He opposes tolls and taxpayer funding for a proposed stadium [10].
How Starkey would run the office
- Listed his legislative priorities, in order, as property tax relief and fiscal accountability, energy affordability and utility oversight, and public safety [12].
- Signed the U.S. Term Limits pledge [13].
Starkey on the current officeholder
- His platform pledges to resist state Senate leadership that he says has sided with Democrats; the campaign pages reviewed do not mention Niemeyer or redistricting by name [10].
How Starkey got on the ballot
- Won the May 5, 2026 Republican primary over incumbent Rick Niemeyer, 56.1% to 43.9%, according to Wikipedia's tabulation [4].
Starkey's endorsements and funding
- His campaign site lists endorsements from Gov. Mike Braun, Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith, Attorney General Todd Rokita, Americans for Prosperity Indiana, Indiana Right to Life, Indiana Family Action PAC, the Indiana State Police Alliance, the Republican Steelworkers PAC and NFIB Indiana PAC, among others [13].
What we could not find about Starkey
- His town of residence was not found in sources reviewed.
- An April 16, 2026 Capital Chronicle tally listed no Braun endorsement in this race; Braun's endorsement listed on Starkey's site and on Wikipedia may have come later — timing not confirmed.
- Wikipedia lists NFIB Indiana PAC as backing Niemeyer in the primary; Starkey's site now lists NFIB Indiana PAC — presumably a general-election endorsement, not confirmed.
- No news coverage of his campaign was found; The Ballot Brief cites newsbug.info for his background, which was not reviewed.
- No fundraising totals were found; state campaign finance reports could not be reviewed for this profile.
Starkey's campaign website