U.S. House, Indiana 1st Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Indiana's 1st Congressional District?
Frank Mrvan has the strongest record in Indiana's 1st Congressional District. Frank Mrvan scores 64 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Barb Regnitz at 59, as of October 6, 2026. Frank Mrvan's highest marks are relevant experience and courage. Barb Regnitz's highest marks are roots in the constituency and relevant experience. Alex Degman (2 of 15 criteria) and Prescription Dope Deaths Johnson Jr. (0 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Write-in
Alex Degman
On the ballot as Alexander R (Alex) Degman
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 2 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
Write-in
Prescription Dope Deaths Johnson Jr.
On the ballot as Prescription Dope Deaths Johnson, Jr
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 0 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- NR
- Performance
- NR
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
Frank Mrvan
On the ballot as Frank J. Mrvan
64 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 60
- Qualifications
- 75
- Performance
- 56
Republican
Barb Regnitz
59 / 100
Public evidence on 8 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 65
- Performance
- NR
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Alex Degman
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Prescription Dope Deaths Johnson Jr.
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Frank Mrvan
- On the record2025-01-07
Voted for the Laken Riley Act on Jan. 7, 2025, when Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries voted against it; it passed 264 to 159.
Source: House Clerk Roll Call 6, 2025
- Credit2025-11-01
Held a public community conversation at Calumet College of St. Joseph in Whiting on Nov. 1, 2025, taking residents' questions on immigration.
- Credit2022-12-27
Sponsored H.R. 6961, the Dignity for MST Survivors Act, on Board of Veterans' Appeals hearings for military sexual trauma claims; it was signed into law Dec. 27, 2022.
Barb Regnitz
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Alex Degman. No public record found.
Prescription Dope Deaths Johnson Jr.. No public record found.
Frank Mrvan. His 2025 annual financial disclosure was filed June 14, 2026, after an extension. No House Ethics Committee matter and no FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10078141, House Committee on Ethics site search for Mrvan, FEC administrative fines search
Barb Regnitz. A House candidate financial disclosure was filed Aug. 13, 2026, and committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10077193, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Alex Degman. No public record found.
Prescription Dope Deaths Johnson Jr.. No public record found.
Frank Mrvan. Voted for the Laken Riley Act in January 2025 when Democratic Leader Jeffries voted no, and against the GENIUS Act in July 2025 when Jeffries voted yes; a 2023 to 2026 roll call scan found dozens of such splits.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 6, 2025, House Clerk Roll Call 200, 2025
Barb Regnitz. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Alex Degman. No public record found.
Prescription Dope Deaths Johnson Jr.. No public record found.
Frank Mrvan. Holds open in-person town halls he calls community conversations, including Portage in August 2025 and Whiting in November 2025, and answered WFYI's 2026 voter survey. No 2026 general election debate record found.
Sources: Chicago Tribune (Post-Tribune), Aug. 28, 2025, Chicago Tribune (Post-Tribune), Nov. 3, 2025, WFYI 2026 Voter Guide, Sept. 21, 2026
Barb Regnitz. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Alex Degman. No public record found.
Prescription Dope Deaths Johnson Jr.. No public record found.
Frank Mrvan. North Township trustee from 2005 to 2021 and in Congress since 2021. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee matter found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Frank Mrvan, House Committee on Ethics site search for Mrvan
Barb Regnitz. Porter County commissioner since her 2022 election, after careers in software engineering and financial planning. No formal conduct finding found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Barb Regnitz (Candidate Connection survey), Chicago Tribune (Post-Tribune), Oct. 3, 2026
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Alex Degman. No public record found.
Prescription Dope Deaths Johnson Jr.. No public record found.
Frank Mrvan. Took office Jan. 3, 2021 and voted Nay on both January 2021 objections to certified electors (Arizona and Pennsylvania). No misuse-of-office finding found.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, 2021, Ballotpedia, Frank Mrvan
Barb Regnitz. Has held sworn office as a Porter County commissioner since her 2022 election. No misuse-of-office finding found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Barb Regnitz (Candidate Connection survey)
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Alex Degman. No public record found.
Prescription Dope Deaths Johnson Jr.. No public record found.
Frank Mrvan. In the U.S. House since January 2021, seeking a fourth term; previously North Township trustee for 15 years.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Frank Mrvan, WFYI 2026 Voter Guide, Sept. 21, 2026, Office site, About
Barb Regnitz. Elected Porter County commissioner in 2022; earlier a software engineer and project manager at United Airlines and a certified financial planner who started her own business.
Source: Ballotpedia, Barb Regnitz (Candidate Connection survey)
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Alex Degman. Publishes general positions: term limits, constitutional government and equal treatment under the law.
Source: Ballotpedia, 2026 District 1 race (Candidate Connection survey)
Prescription Dope Deaths Johnson Jr.. No public record found.
Frank Mrvan. Serves on the House Appropriations Committee (Commerce, Justice, Science and Energy and Water subcommittees) and sponsored four enacted veterans bills in the 117th Congress. No chair or ranking post.
Source: GovTrack, committee membership
Barb Regnitz. Publishes positions on border security, spending, public safety and taxes in general terms; the Post-Tribune reported she could not immediately answer follow-up questions on specific plans.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Barb Regnitz (Candidate Connection survey), Chicago Tribune (Post-Tribune), Oct. 3, 2026
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Alex Degman. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026.
Source: Ballotpedia, Alexander Degman
Prescription Dope Deaths Johnson Jr.. No public record found.
Frank Mrvan. Answered WFYI's 2026 voter survey, offers an e-mail newsletter, publishes issue pages and holds community conversation town halls. Has not completed Ballotpedia's survey.
Sources: WFYI 2026 Voter Guide, Sept. 21, 2026, Office site, home page, Chicago Tribune (Post-Tribune), Nov. 3, 2025
Barb Regnitz. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026 and publishes issue positions; declined WFYI's survey.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Barb Regnitz, WFYI 2026 Voter Guide, Sept. 21, 2026
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Alex Degman. No public record found.
Prescription Dope Deaths Johnson Jr.. No public record found.
Frank Mrvan. Lives in Highland, graduated from Morton High School and was North Township trustee for 15 years. FEC by-state totals show about 39 percent of itemized individual contributions from Indiana.
Sources: WFYI 2026 Voter Guide, Sept. 21, 2026, Ballotpedia, Frank Mrvan, Office site, About, FEC contribution totals by state
Barb Regnitz. Lives in Valparaiso, serves as a Porter County commissioner and on Valparaiso Rotary boards. FEC by-state totals show about 91 percent of itemized individual contributions from Indiana.
Sources: WFYI 2026 Voter Guide, Sept. 21, 2026, Ballotpedia, Barb Regnitz (Candidate Connection survey), FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Alex Degman. No public record found.
Prescription Dope Deaths Johnson Jr.. No public record found.
Frank Mrvan. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine record found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Barb Regnitz. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine record found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Alex Degman. No public record found.
Prescription Dope Deaths Johnson Jr.. No public record found.
Frank Mrvan. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.224 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 0.526, below expectations (meets in the 117th). Raised to 2 under E14: his Dignity for MST Survivors Act was enacted Dec. 27, 2022.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, H.R. 6961 (117th Congress)
Barb Regnitz. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Alex Degman. No public record found.
Prescription Dope Deaths Johnson Jr.. No public record found.
Frank Mrvan. Missed 41 of 2,915 roll call votes, 1.4 percent, from January 2021 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Barb Regnitz. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Alex Degman. No public record found.
Prescription Dope Deaths Johnson Jr.. No public record found.
Frank Mrvan. Lists a district office in Merrillville and offers help with federal agencies. No published casework totals found.
Source: Office site, home page
Barb Regnitz. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Alex Degman. No public record found.
Prescription Dope Deaths Johnson Jr.. No public record found.
Frank Mrvan. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -0.65372 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 255 of 436.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Barb Regnitz. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Alex Degman. No public record found.
Prescription Dope Deaths Johnson Jr.. No public record found.
Frank Mrvan. No public record found.
Barb Regnitz. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 6, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in Indiana's 1st Congressional District?
Frank Mrvan has the strongest record in Indiana's 1st Congressional District. Frank Mrvan scores 64 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Barb Regnitz at 59, as of October 6, 2026. Frank Mrvan's highest marks are relevant experience and courage. Barb Regnitz's highest marks are roots in the constituency and relevant experience. Alex Degman (2 of 15 criteria) and Prescription Dope Deaths Johnson Jr. (0 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in Indiana's 1st Congressional District in 2026?
Alex Degman (Write-in), Prescription Dope Deaths Johnson Jr. (Write-in), Frank Mrvan (Democratic, incumbent), Barb Regnitz (Republican). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Alex Degman a good candidate for Congress?
Alex Degman has public evidence on 2 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Prescription Dope Deaths Johnson Jr. a good candidate for Congress?
Prescription Dope Deaths Johnson Jr. has public evidence on 0 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Frank Mrvan a good candidate for Congress?
Frank Mrvan scores 64 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 60 of 100, qualifications 75 of 100, performance 56 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Barb Regnitz a good candidate for Congress?
Barb Regnitz scores 59 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 8 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 65 of 100, performance no record. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every Indiana race scored, and the Indiana 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.