Kelly Thompson

Thompson was born in Palo Alto, California, and graduated as salutatorian from Tippecanoe Valley High School in Indiana.[1] She attended Valparaiso University's Christ College before moving to Florida with her family, where she earned a BS in Business Administration from the University of Central Florida in 1989.[1]

Thompson describes herself as a Hoosier business owner and nonprofit founder, and Ballotpedia lists her career experience as business owner. The Indiana Capital Chronicle's voter guide, which gives her home as North Webster, describes her as a concrete contractor.[1][5] Outside her business she has worked as a substitute teacher and as a visiting pastor of a local jail ministry, according to her Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. She says she spent over a decade volunteering to help local teens and families through a nonprofit she founded.[1]

Thompson was the Democratic candidate for Indiana House District 22 in 2020 and lost the general election. She won the May 5, 2026 Democratic primary for Indiana's 3rd District unopposed.[1][5] During the campaign, she said her platform included public education and the cost of living for working families.[1] She received 45.1% of the vote to Marlin Stutzman's 54.9%, according to unofficial results reported by NBC News.[2]