Southwest Indiana voters in the state's 8th Congressional District will choose between two candidates this November to represent them at the national level.
The district was historically nicknamed "The Bloody 8th" as control tipped from Republicans to Democrats and back again. But the district is now reliably Republican — the GOP has held the seat since 2010.
In the last several elections, Democrats only received about 30% of the vote. The Cook Political Report most recently rated it R+18.
The district borders Kentucky at the southwest tip of the state and runs north along the border of Illinois. It includes the cities of Evansville, Terre Haute, Vincennes and Jasper. Its population is more than 758,000.
U.S. House members serve two-year terms, write and vote on federal legislation, sit on committees and direct federal resources to their districts.
Republican incumbent Mark Messmer seeks a second term. He first took the seat in 2025. Before that he served as a member of the Indiana State Senate from 2014-2024, and as a member of the Indiana House of Representatives from 2008-2014. He is currently a member of the House Armed Services Committee.
Messmer is backed by President Donald Trump. In late August he held an event touting the benefits of the "Big Beautiful Bill." He is often criticized by detractors for a lack of public meetings. During his current term he has held one virtual town hall forum and no in-person events.
Messmer is challenged by Democrat Mary Allen.
Allen said in a recent interview her constituents report affordability challenges for medical care, utilities and groceries.
WNIN, our public media partner in Evansville, contacted each campaign to conduct candidate interviews. We will include those interviews below when they are complete.
Mary Allen
Party: Democrat
Website: maryallenforcongress.com
Age: 51
Occupation: At-Large City Councilor, Evansville
Residence: Evansville
WNIN conducted an interview with Allen — we will update this post with that interview when it's complete.
Notable donors: Allen's committee, Mary Allen for Congress, raised $294,502 as of June 30, 2026, according to Federal Election Commission data. OpenSecrets' data shows the campaign raised $2,500 from PACs. The two largest special interest donors are the veterans law firm Woods & Woods and Universal Service Supply Inc.
Mark Messmer
Incumbent
Party: Republican
Website: markmessmer.com
Age: 64
Occupation: U.S. Representative, District 8
Residence: Jasper
WNIN contacted Messmer to request an interview — we will update this post with an interview if it happens.
Notable donors: Messmer's committee, Messmer for Congress, raised $1,171,366 as of June 30, 2026, according to Federal Election Commission data. OpenSecrets' data shows the campaign raised $458,000 from PACs. The two largest special interest donors are Boyd & Sons Machinery LLC and the law firm Bose, McKinney & Evans.
