How the 2022 Indiana Senate race reshaped the state's political landscape and electoral history

Countries & Cities · Published 15 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: The 2022 Indiana Senate election saw incumbent Todd Young secure a second term with a decisive victory. Beyond the final vote count, the contest was marked by significant shifts in ballot access, the emergence of historic candidacies, and a clear divergence in campaign strategies between the two major party nominees.

Incumbent Republican Senator Todd Young first entered the Senate in 2016, overcoming initial expectations that he was an underdog against former Senator Evan Bayh. By 2022, Young sought a second term, announcing his candidacy in March 2021. His primary opponent was Thomas McDermott Jr., the mayor of Hammond. Both candidates secured their party nominations unopposed on May 3, 2022. This election was notable for being the first time since 1986 that neither Bayh nor Dan Coats appeared on the ballot for Indiana's Class 3 Senate seat.

The path to the general election involved legal maneuvering that narrowed the field. In February 2022, the Indiana Election Commission removed several candidates from the primary ballot, including Haneefah Khaaliq. Khaaliq, a professor at Indiana University, subsequently launched a lawsuit and proceeded as a write-in candidate. Her participation made her the first person of African descent to seek a seat in the U.S. Senate during a general election in the history of Indiana. The challenge against her had been filed by an attorney linked to McDermott’s campaign, a move that drew scrutiny as McDermott entered the year with limited campaign funds.

During the general election, the candidates presented starkly different platforms. McDermott positioned himself as a moderate, highlighting his pro-choice stance following the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson ruling and criticizing Young’s alignment with the Republican establishment. Young focused his messaging on border security and inflation, frequently directing his critique toward President Joe Biden. In their sole debate on October 16, McDermott aggressively targeted Young’s legislative record, specifically questioning his support for the CHIPS Act. Despite early polling suggesting a tighter race, Young ultimately won with nearly 59% of the vote, outperforming his 2016 results by 11 percentage points, while McDermott received 38%.

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