Three Candidates Compete for Indiana's 3rd Congressional District Seat

Ahead of the May 5 primary election

Voters in Blackford County will choose among three candidates for Indiana's 3rd Congressional District in the May 5 primary. The Republican primary is contested, with incumbent Rep. Marlin Stutzman facing challenger Jon Kenworthy. Democrat Kelly Thompson is running unopposed in her party's primary.

Stutzman, 49, of Howe, is a businessman and farmer who won the 2024 general election with 65% of the vote. He originally won the seat by caucus in 2010 after Rep. Mark Souder's resignation. Stutzman's priorities include eliminating inflation and addressing what he calls "corruption in federal bureaucracies."

Kenworthy, a Fort Wayne military analyst and former staffer for Sen. Mike Braun, received about 4% in the 2024 seven-candidate Republican primary. He is running on campaign finance reform and transparency. "I'm running for the people who make Northeast Indiana what it is," Kenworthy said.

Thompson is a business owner and at-risk youth nonprofit leader. Her platform includes protecting farmland, lowering healthcare costs, affordable housing, and cannabis legalization.

The 3rd District covers all of Blackford County along with Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wells, and Whitley counties, plus parts of Jay and Kosciusko counties. Early voting is open now through May 4.

Source: WFYI Indiana Public Media (April 17, 2026)