Indiana › Races › U.S. House District 8
U.S. House District 8 — Indiana 2026
2 candidates on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot (official Indiana Election Division list, as of October 22, 2026). Grades reflect each candidate's public record on life, family, religious liberty, the Second Amendment, limited government and fiscal responsibility.
Build my ballot →
Download the iPhone app
Candidates
DMary AllenDemocratic
At-large Evansville City Council member, small-business owner, Army Reserve veteran and former occupational therapist.
Allen has no federal record. Her priorities call for the ultra-wealthy and corporations to 'pay their fair share in taxes,' more USAID funding, protecting the Department of Education and universal pre-K, and she said ICE 'in its current form' needs to go away. She has stated no positions on abortion, marriage, religious liberty or guns and did not answer iVoterGuide's questions.
- Life: No explicit position on abortion was found; running as a Democrat suggests pro-choice alignment.
- Family: No explicit positions on marriage, parental rights or gender issues were found; her platform aligns with the Democratic Party.
- Religious liberty: No religious-liberty statements were found, apart from a call to let immigrant families attend religious services 'without fear.'
- 2nd Amendment: No position on guns was found.
- Limited gov’t: Wants to protect the Department of Education and add universal pre-K, says ICE 'in its current form' needs to go away, and calls the SAVE Act a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.
- Fiscal: Calls for higher taxes on the ultra-wealthy and corporations and more spending on USAID, Medicaid and Medicare, while proposing to curb military spending.
BMark MessmerRepublican
First-term Republican congressman from Jasper, small-business owner, and former Indiana Senate majority leader and state representative.
In the House he has an A+ from SBA Pro-Life America, a 96% Heritage Action score, and yes votes on H.R. 28 and H.R. 1. As an Indiana senator he voted against SB 1, the 2022 abortion ban, in committee and on Senate passage (26-20, July 30, 2022), saying anti-abortion groups had urged a no vote; Indiana Right to Life called that bill 'weak and troubling.' He was absent for the final concurrence vote (28-19, Aug. 5, 2022). Little direct record on guns or religious liberty keeps the overall grade at B.
- Life: Rated A+ by SBA Pro-Life America for his House votes, and he introduced the Forced Abortion Prevention and Accountability Act; his 2022 no votes on Indiana's SB 1 came after anti-abortion groups, including Indiana Right to Life, opposed that bill as too weak.
- Family: Voted for the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act (H.R. 28) and holds a 96% Heritage Action score; his campaign site describes him as putting faith and family first.
- Religious liberty: No religious-liberty-specific votes were reviewed; the grade rests on his 96% Heritage Action score and his self-description as an active Catholic.
- 2nd Amendment: No NRA rating or gun-specific votes were found for his House or state Senate service, so the grade reflects his broadly conservative record.
- Limited gov’t: Describes himself as a pro-Trump conservative who believes 'less government creates more jobs' and holds a 96% Heritage Action score.
- Fiscal: Voted for H.R. 1 (the 2025 reconciliation tax-and-spending law); no Club for Growth rating was found.
More Indiana 2026 races
U.S. House District 1 · U.S. House District 2 · U.S. House District 3 · U.S. House District 4 · U.S. House District 5 · U.S. House District 6 · U.S. House District 7 · U.S. House District 9