U.S. House · Indiana's 4th District

West-central Indiana, including Lafayette, Terre Haute, and Kokomo

General election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

✓ Fact-checked 2026-09-25: 22 claims re-checked against their sources

A second, independent research pass re-opened every cited source for this race and corrected or removed anything the source didn’t support.

On the ballot · 3 candidates

Where they stand — side by side

Only positions documented in a cited source are shown. Where an officeholder’s recorded votes speak to an issue, the votes set the position (marked “votes”). A dash means we found no clear public position — not that the candidate has none.

ISSUEJim Baird
R
Drew Cox
D
David Bokash
IND
Protect legal access to abortionOpposes[21][22]votes——
Stricter gun lawsOpposes[17][18][19]votes——
Expand immigration enforcement and deportationsSupports[7][8][9][10][11][12][13]votesOpposes[4]—
Loosen zoning rules to build more housing—Supports[4]—
Raise taxes on high earners or corporationsOpposes[8][9][10][15]votesSupports[4]—
Expand public health coverageOpposes[8][9][10]votesSupports[4]—
Faster transition away from fossil fuelsOpposes[8][9][10][14][15]votes——
Raise the minimum wageOpposes[20]votesSupports[4]—
Continue U.S. military aid to Israel—Opposes[4]—
Broad tariffs on imported goodsSupports[16]votes——
Universal, publicly funded child careOpposes[14]votes——

The candidates, in full

Jim Baird

RINCUMBENTU.S. Representative, Indiana's 4th District (since 2019)

Won the May 5, 2026 Republican primary with 60.5% of the vote, over Craig Haggard and John Piper

Jim Baird is the incumbent Republican U.S. Representative for Indiana's 4th District, first elected in 2018. He previously served as Putnam County commissioner and in the Indiana House of Representatives.[3]

Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.

Key votes in Congress

  • NoWar Powers Resolution directing removal of forces from Iran hostilities · H. Con. Res. 86 · Passed 215–208 · 2026-06-03 roll call ↗The resolution directs the President to remove U.S. armed forces from hostilities with Iran that Congress has not authorized, invoking the War Powers Resolution. It passed the House with support from Democrats and a number of Republicans.
  • NoResolution disapproving tariffs on Canada · H.J. Res. 72 · Passed 219–211 · 2026-02-11 roll call ↗The resolution terminates the national emergency the President declared in February 2025 to justify a 25 percent tariff on imports from Canada, ending that tariff if it becomes law. It passed with a bipartisan majority, including several Republicans who broke with the administration on trade policy.
  • YesConsolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 — full-year government funding · H.R. 7148 · Passed 217–214 · 2026-02-03 roll call ↗The bill provides full-year discretionary appropriations for federal agencies for the remainder of fiscal year 2026, replacing the stopgap funding enacted after the fall 2025 shutdown. It sets spending levels across defense and non-defense programs through September 2026.
  • Didn't voteBreaking the Gridlock Act — ACA subsidy extension · H.R. 1834 · Passed 230–196 · 2026-01-08 roll call ↗The bill extends for additional years the enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits that were expanded in 2021 and had lapsed at the end of 2025, lowering health-insurance premiums for people who buy coverage on ACA marketplaces. It passed with support from nearly all Democrats and a small group of Republicans.
  • NoWar Powers Resolution on Venezuela · H. Con. Res. 64 · Failed 211–213 · 2025-12-17 roll call ↗The resolution would have directed the President to remove U.S. armed forces from hostilities in or against Venezuela that Congress had not authorized. It failed after U.S. military strikes on suspected drug-trafficking vessels off Venezuela had raised questions in Congress about the administration's legal authority for military action in the region.
  • YesNational Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 — final passage · S. 1071 · Passed 312–112 · 2025-12-10 roll call ↗The fiscal year 2026 NDAA authorizes roughly $900 billion in defense spending, including a pay raise for service members and funding for shipbuilding, munitions, and missile-defense programs. It also sets policy on military personnel, procurement, and other Defense Department programs for the year.
  • YesEpstein Files Transparency Act · H.R. 4405 · Passed 427–1 · 2025-11-18 roll call ↗The bill directs the Department of Justice to publicly release its investigative files related to Jeffrey Epstein within 30 days, while allowing redactions to protect victim identities, ongoing investigations, and law enforcement techniques. It passed with near-unanimous support.
  • YesContinuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2026 — shutdown-ending vote · H.R. 5371 · Passed 222–209 · 2025-11-12 roll call ↗The bill reopened the federal government after a 43-day shutdown by funding most agencies through January 30, 2026, and providing full-year funding for a smaller group of agencies through September 2026. It also reversed shutdown-related federal layoffs and funded SNAP benefits retroactively.
  • YesCLARITY Act — digital asset market structure · H.R. 3633 · Passed 294–134 · 2025-07-17 roll call ↗The CLARITY Act creates a regulatory framework dividing oversight of digital assets between the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. It sets registration and disclosure requirements for cryptocurrency exchanges and other digital-asset intermediaries.
  • YesGENIUS Act — stablecoin regulation · S. 1582 · Passed 308–122 · 2025-07-17 roll call ↗The GENIUS Act creates a federal regulatory framework for payment stablecoins, requiring issuers to hold reserves backing their tokens on a one-to-one basis and to comply with new disclosure and licensing rules. It was the first major piece of cryptocurrency legislation enacted into federal law.
  • YesOne Big Beautiful Bill Act — final passage · H.R. 1 · Passed 218–214 · 2025-07-03 roll call ↗H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, extends and expands the 2017 tax cuts, adds new deductions for tips, overtime pay, and seniors, and raises the cap on state and local tax deductions. It increases border security and defense spending while cutting projected Medicaid and SNAP spending and adding new work requirements; President Trump signed it into law on July 4, 2025.
  • YesRescissions Act of 2025 · H.R. 4 · Passed 214–212 · 2025-06-12 roll call ↗The Rescissions Act canceled about $9 billion in previously approved federal spending, mostly for foreign aid programs and for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. It was the first rescissions package Congress had approved in decades.
  • YesOne Big Beautiful Bill Act — House passage · H.R. 1 · Passed 215–214 · 2025-05-22 roll call ↗H.R. 1 extends and modifies the 2017 individual and business tax cuts, creates new deductions for tips and overtime pay, and increases spending on border security and defense. It also reduces projected spending on Medicaid and food-assistance programs and adds new work requirements for some recipients.
  • YesSAVE Act — proof-of-citizenship voter registration · H.R. 22 · Passed 220–208 · 2025-04-10 roll call ↗The SAVE Act would require individuals to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship in person when registering to vote in federal elections. It also directs states to establish procedures to remove noncitizens identified on voter rolls.
  • YesFull-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 · H.R. 1968 · Passed 217–213 · 2025-03-11 roll call ↗The bill funded the federal government through the remainder of fiscal year 2025, largely at prior-year spending levels, averting a shutdown ahead of a March 14 deadline. It also extended several expiring health and other program authorizations.
  • YesLaken Riley Act — final passage · S. 5 · Passed 263–156 · 2025-01-22 roll call ↗The Laken Riley Act requires the Department of Homeland Security to detain undocumented immigrants who are arrested, charged, or convicted for theft, burglary, or certain violent crimes. It also allows state attorneys general to sue the federal government over certain immigration enforcement decisions.
  • YesSecure the Border Act of 2023 — House passage · H.R. 2 · Passed 219–213 · 2023-05-11 roll call ↗Would have resumed border-wall construction, restricted asylum eligibility, expanded detention, and mandated E-Verify for employers.
  • NoInflation Reduction Act — final House passage · H.R. 5376 · Passed 220–207 · 2022-08-12 roll call ↗Enacted clean-energy and climate tax credits, a 15% minimum tax on large corporations' book income, a 1% excise tax on stock buybacks, and Medicare drug-price negotiation.
  • NoAssault Weapons Ban of 2022 — House passage · H.R. 1808 · Passed 217–213 · 2022-07-29 roll call ↗Would have banned the sale, manufacture and import of many semiautomatic assault weapons and large-capacity magazines.
  • NoWomen's Health Protection Act of 2022 — House passage · H.R. 8296 · Passed 219–210 · 2022-07-15 roll call ↗Passed after Dobbs; would have created a federal statutory right to abortion services and limited state restrictions.
  • NoBipartisan Safer Communities Act — final House passage · S. 2938 · Passed 234–193 · 2022-06-24 roll call ↗Expanded background checks for buyers under 21, funded state red-flag and crisis-intervention programs, and narrowed the "boyfriend loophole."
  • NoBuild Back Better Act — House passage · H.R. 5376 · Passed 220–213 · 2021-11-19 roll call ↗Would have funded clean-energy tax credits, universal pre-kindergarten and child-care subsidies, and extended health-coverage subsidies; it did not pass the Senate.
  • NoWomen's Health Protection Act of 2021 — House passage · H.R. 3755 · Passed 218–211 · 2021-09-24 roll call ↗Would have created a federal statutory right for providers to offer, and patients to receive, abortion services, limiting state restrictions.
  • NoAmerican Dream and Promise Act of 2021 — House passage · H.R. 6 · Passed 228–197 · 2021-03-18 roll call ↗Would have created a path to permanent legal status for many undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children and for certain TPS and DED holders.
  • NoRaise the Wage Act — House passage · H.R. 582 · Passed 231–199 · 2019-07-18 roll call ↗Would have raised the federal minimum wage in steps from $7.25 to $15 an hour by 2025.
  • NoAmerican Dream and Promise Act of 2019 — House passage · H.R. 6 · Passed 237–187 · 2019-06-04 roll call ↗Would have created a path to permanent legal status for many undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children and for certain TPS and DED holders.
  • NoBipartisan Background Checks Act — House passage · H.R. 8 · Passed 240–190 · 2019-02-27 roll call ↗Would have required background checks for most firearm transfers between private parties.

On the record — official actions

  • actionAssigned to the House Committee on Agriculture, the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and the Committee on Foreign Affairs for the 119th Congress (2025-2026).[3]

Positions on the issues

  • OpposesStricter gun lawsFrom recorded votes

    Voted no on Bipartisan Background Checks Act (H.R. 8, 2019-02-27). Voted no on Assault Weapons Ban of 2022 (H.R. 1808, 2022-07-29). Voted no on Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (S. 2938, 2022-06-24).[17][18][19]

    What they say: Lists protecting Second Amendment rights among his campaign priorities.[6]

    “Protecting Second Amendment rights and constitutional freedoms.”
  • SupportsExpand immigration enforcement and deportationsFrom recorded votes

    Voted yes on Laken Riley Act (S. 5, 2025-01-22). Voted yes on One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1, 2025-05-22; 2025-07-03), which funded expanded immigration enforcement, detention and border operations. Voted yes on Secure the Border Act of 2023 (H.R. 2, 2023-05-11). Voted no on American Dream and Promise Act of 2019 (H.R. 6, 2019-06-04; 2021-03-18).[7][8][9][10][11][12][13]

  • OpposesExpand public health coverageFrom recorded votes

    Voted yes on One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1, 2025-05-22; 2025-07-03), which reduced federal Medicaid spending and added Medicaid work requirements.[8][9][10]

  • OpposesFaster transition away from fossil fuelsFrom recorded votes

    Voted yes on One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1, 2025-05-22; 2025-07-03), which phased out Inflation Reduction Act clean-energy tax credits. Voted no on Build Back Better Act (H.R. 5376, 2021-11-19; 2022-08-12), which would have funded clean-energy tax credits.[8][9][10][14][15]

  • OpposesRaise taxes on high earners or corporationsFrom recorded votes

    Voted yes on One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1, 2025-05-22; 2025-07-03), which made the 2017 individual tax rates, including the 37% top rate, permanent. Voted no on Inflation Reduction Act (H.R. 5376, 2022-08-12), which added a 15% minimum tax on large corporations and a stock-buyback excise tax.[8][9][10][15]

  • SupportsBroad tariffs on imported goodsFrom recorded votes

    Voted no on Resolution disapproving tariffs on Canada (H.J. Res. 72, 2026-02-11).[16]

  • OpposesUniversal, publicly funded child careFrom recorded votes

    Voted no on Build Back Better Act (H.R. 5376, 2021-11-19), which would have funded universal pre-K and child-care subsidies.[14]

  • OpposesRaise the minimum wageFrom recorded votes

    Voted no on Raise the Wage Act (H.R. 582, 2019-07-18).[20]

  • OpposesProtect legal access to abortionFrom recorded votes

    Voted no on Women's Health Protection Act of 2021 (H.R. 3755, 2021-09-24). Voted no on Women's Health Protection Act of 2022 (H.R. 8296, 2022-07-15).[21][22]

In their words — priorities

  • Says his priorities include supporting agriculture and family farms, and strengthening the economy while reducing government spending.[6]
  • Says his priorities include border security, national security, and protecting Second Amendment rights.[6]
  • Says his priorities include expanding access to rural healthcare and supporting veterans.[6]

Background

  • Born in Fountain County, Indiana, in 1945. Earned bachelor's and master's degrees in animal science from Purdue University (1967, 1969) and a doctorate in monogastric nutrition from the University of Kentucky (1975).[3]
  • Served in the U.S. Army from 1969 to 1972.[3]
  • Worked as a farmer and small business owner. Served as Putnam County commissioner from 2006 to 2010, and in the Indiana House of Representatives from 2010 to 2018.[3]
  • Serves on the House Committee on Agriculture (as Vice Chair of the Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology subcommittee), the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and the Committee on Foreign Affairs in the 119th Congress.[3]

Campaign money

Raised $358K · spent $481K · $92K cash on hand (through 2026-06-30) FEC filing ↗

Drew Cox

D

Won an eight-candidate May 5, 2026 Democratic primary with about 30% of the vote

Drew Cox is the Democratic nominee for Indiana's 4th District, a Marine Corps veteran and music instructor at Purdue University.[4]

Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.

Positions on the issues

  • SupportsExpand public health coverage

    Campaign website says he will fight to pass a Medicare for All-style act to guarantee healthcare as a right, not a commodity.[4]

  • SupportsRaise the minimum wage

    Campaign website says he will fight for the Raise the Wage Act to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, indexed to inflation.[4]

  • SupportsLoosen zoning rules to build more housing

    Campaign website says he will fight to pass the ROAD to Housing Act to ease zoning restrictions and support modular housing construction.[4]

  • SupportsRaise taxes on high earners or corporations

    Campaign website says he supports the For the 99.5 Percent Act and a more progressive tax system with higher brackets for top earners and closing corporate tax loopholes.[4]

  • OpposesContinue U.S. military aid to Israel

    Campaign website says he opposes sending further U.S. military aid or weapons to Israel and would refuse AIPAC campaign contributions.[4]

    “not a single cent, or a single weapon, whether offensive or "defensive", should be sent from the United States to Israel”
  • OpposesExpand immigration enforcement and deportations

    Campaign website calls for abolishing ICE and replacing it with what he describes as a fair, equitable immigration system.[4]

In their words — priorities

  • Says Congress has neglected tariffs, foreign conflict, and data-center regulation, creating an affordability crisis.[4]
  • Says he wants a single-payer healthcare system that prioritizes people over corporate profit.[4]
  • Says he wants ICE held to the same standards as other law enforcement agencies, including producing judicial warrants.[4]

Background

  • Son of a public school teacher and a fourth-generation farmer; honorably discharged from the U.S. Marine Corps in 2012.[4]
  • Used the GI Bill to attend Indiana University and earned a doctorate in music from the University of Illinois.[4]
  • Serves as a Visiting Instructor at Purdue University; member of the Marine Corps League and American Legion Post 11.[4]
  • Completed an Associate of Applied Science in Energy Technology from Ivy Tech Community College.[4]

Campaign money

Raised $20K · spent $14K · $6,863 cash on hand (through 2026-06-30) FEC filing ↗

David Bokash

IND

Independent candidate

David Bokash is an independent candidate for Indiana's 4th District. Ballotpedia reports no campaign contributions and he has not completed a Candidate Connection survey or documented campaign themes as of this writing.[5]

Little public record found for this candidate.

Research notes & limits

Jim Baird has not completed a 2026 Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey; his baird.house.gov Issues pages (Agriculture, Healthcare, Jobs & Economy, National Security, Veterans, Life, Energy, Education, Natural Resources, Budget & Federal Spending) list only press-release headlines with no substantive first-person text, and no current campaign website was reachable. Priorities and one position are drawn from a verbatim quote of his 2026 primary-survey answer as reported by WFYI; his committee record is documented separately. David Bokash has no discoverable biography, stated positions, or reported campaign finance activity; his entry is marked minimal.

Sources · 22

Researched 2026-09-25. Green citations are official government records.

  1. 1.United States House of Representatives elections in Indiana, 2026 · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
  2. 2.David Bokash · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
  3. 3.James Baird · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
  4. 4.Drew Cox · Drew Cox campaign website / Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey · 2026-04-15 Candidate's own words
  5. 5.David Bokash · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
  6. 6.2026 Voter Guide: Indiana's 4th Congressional District · WFYI · 2026-09-21 News report
  7. 7.Roll call: Laken Riley Act — final passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2025-01-22 Official record
  8. 8.Roll call: One Big Beautiful Bill Act — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2025-05-22 Official record
  9. 9.H.R. 1 (119th Congress) — One Big Beautiful Bill Act: text and summary · Congress.gov Official record
  10. 10.Roll call: One Big Beautiful Bill Act — final passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2025-07-03 Official record
  11. 11.Roll call: Secure the Border Act of 2023 — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2023-05-11 Official record
  12. 12.Roll call: American Dream and Promise Act of 2019 — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2019-06-04 Official record
  13. 13.Roll call: American Dream and Promise Act of 2021 — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2021-03-18 Official record
  14. 14.Roll call: Build Back Better Act — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2021-11-19 Official record
  15. 15.Roll call: Inflation Reduction Act — final House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2022-08-12 Official record
  16. 16.Roll call: Resolution disapproving tariffs on Canada · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2026-02-11 Official record
  17. 17.Roll call: Bipartisan Background Checks Act — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2019-02-27 Official record
  18. 18.Roll call: Assault Weapons Ban of 2022 — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2022-07-29 Official record
  19. 19.Roll call: Bipartisan Safer Communities Act — final House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2022-06-24 Official record
  20. 20.Roll call: Raise the Wage Act — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2019-07-18 Official record
  21. 21.Roll call: Women's Health Protection Act of 2021 — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2021-09-24 Official record
  22. 22.Roll call: Women's Health Protection Act of 2022 — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2022-07-15 Official record