J.D. Ford — U.S. House District 5

FJ.D. FordDemocratic

Indiana state senator for District 29 since 2018 and the first openly LGBTQ+ member of the Indiana General Assembly.

As a state senator, Ford voted against Indiana's 2022 abortion ban on Senate passage and again on final concurrence, after calling the bill 'extreme.' He backed the governor's veto of the 2022 girls'-sports bill, opposed the 2023 ban on gender-transition care for minors, and voted with every Senate Democrat against final passage of permitless carry in 2022. His campaign lists 'reproductive freedom,' LGBTQ+ protections and 'common sense gun policy' as priorities.

• Life: Voted against SB 1 on Senate passage (July 30, 2022) and concurrence (Aug. 5, 2022), said he would 'strongly oppose' it, and states 'I trust women to make this deeply personal decision, not the Government.'
• Family: Supported the governor's veto of HB 1041 (girls' sports), called the 2023 ban on gender-transition care for minors a ban on 'science-based healthcare,' and opposed the 2014 HJR-3 one-man-one-woman marriage amendment.
• Religious liberty: No religious-liberty-specific votes were found; iVoterGuide lists a 57% Indiana Family Institute score alongside a Liberal rating.
• 2nd Amendment: All 11 Senate Democrats, including Ford, voted against final passage of permitless carry (HB 1296, 30-20, March 2022), and he lists 'common sense gun policy' as a priority.
• Limited gov’t: His platform calls for national nursing-home staffing standards and expanded federal care programs; iVoterGuide lists American Conservative Union Indiana scores of 27% and 19%.
• Fiscal: He cites his vote to end the sales tax on utility bills but opposed the 2025 federal reconciliation tax law as a deficit-raising giveaway to 'the billionaire class'; iVoterGuide lists a 56% NFIB Indiana score.

Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Campaign siteBallotpedia