Q&A: Schenke takes campaign on the road in run for Congress in 1st District

After losing in an often chaotic ‘24 run for Indiana House, West Lafayette Republican looks to The Region and the 1st Congressional District: ‘I’m running again because that duty hasn’t gone away’

Last seen on what was a tumultuous campaign for the Indiana House District 26 seat, West Lafayette Republican Jim Schenke was stepping back from a 28 percentage point loss to Democratic incumbent Chris Campbell in one of the bluest districts in the state.

Schenke had made news at just about every turn in a campaign that featured his prominently positioned, fully branded RV, getting sideways with the Tippecanoe County Election Board over campaign disclosures on the vehicle; getting tracked down and ticketed by West Lafayette police when he left the scene after he backed the RV into and knocked over a lamp post in the Village area weeks before Election Day; and spending 12 hours in the Tippecanoe County Jail the day before the election on allegations that he violated a protective order a neighbor had against him.

Now, Schenke has announced that he will run for Congress, challenging U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan in Indiana’s 1st District.

(From Schenke for Congress video)

That district, held by Mrvan since 2020 and by a Democratic candidate for decades, includes Lake and Porter counties and part of LaPorte County, in a northwestern part of Indiana known as The Region.

Candidates do not need to live in the congressional district to get on the ballot. Tippecanoe County is in the 4th District, with U.S. Rep. Jim Baird, a Greencastle Republican, in that position since 2018.

As of now, Schenke is the only candidate who has publicly indicated a challenge for the seat. In the most recent election, in 2024, Mrvan took 53.4% of the vote, beating Republican Randell Neimeyer, who came in second with 44.9%.

Mrvan’s campaign did not immediately respond to questions about the 2026 race.

Question: Have you moved to the 1st District? Or will you run for that seat from outside?

Jim Schenke: I spend a lot of time here, and I’m currently working with a buyer’s agent to move into the district. I’m going to fight for this community, and I’m going to do it right – boots on the ground, all-in.

Question: Why the run for Congress? And why in the 1st District?

Jim Schenke: I’m running because Washington is broken, and the people of Northwest Indiana deserve someone who’s not afraid to call it out and do something about it. I’ve been a soldier, a teacher, a journalist and a dad — but above all, I’ve been a truth-teller. I see what’s happening to our country: open borders, runaway inflation, working-class families getting crushed while career politicians play games. I just can’t sit on the sidelines. Why the 1st District? Because this is where the fight is. This district has been ignored and taken for granted by national Democrats.

Question: Is the 1st District winnable for a Republican? What’s your approach?

Jim Schenke: The playbook has changed. There are thousands of voters here who feel abandoned by both parties. They’re working hard, raising kids and trying to stay afloat — and they’re ready for someone who speaks their language and shares their values. My approach is straightforward: tell the truth, show up everywhere, and fight for the working class. This campaign will be won at community meetings, in church basements and at kitchen tables. We’re going to show people that a Republican can fight for jobs, families and safety — and mean it.

Question: After the House District 26 race and how that turned out, are you up for another campaign?

Jim Schenke: Absolutely — and maybe now more than ever. I ran in District 26 because I felt a duty to give conservatives in a Democratic legislative district a voice. I’m running again because that duty hasn’t gone away — it’s only deepened. People are hurting. Our institutions are crumbling. And I can’t walk away from the fight just because the first round didn’t go my way.

Question: I haven’t seen the landscape up in The Region, but is there competition in the primary? Or do you expect competition in the primary?

Jim Schenke: I'm not focused on the primary. Here's what I do know. I am the only Republican in the race at this moment. I have launched my campaign, and I have hit the ground running. I'm focused on running the best campaign possible, and not about what others might do.

Question: What else should people know?

Jim Schenke: I'm running for Congress to show the forgotten men and women of Indiana that they have a voice. If you want to learn a little more, visit my website at www.schenkeforcongress.com and watch my video.

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THIS AND THAT

REMINDER, FIRE TRUCK PROCESSION FOLLOWS SATURDAY FUNERAL: Visitation and services for Sgt. John Robinson, a Lafayette firefighter of 29 years who died of a medical emergency while on shift this week, will be Saturday at the Lafayette Jefferson High School gym, 1801 S. 18th St., the fire department announced. Visitation will be from 9-11 a.m. Services will be 11:30 a.m. A procession will start at 1 p.m. and will loop around the city, following Teal Road, Sagamore Parkway, McCarty Lane, Veterans Memorial Parkway and U.S. 231 on the way to IOOF Cemetery in Brookston. Lafayette police say they will have officers at intersections to allow what is expecting to be a large gathering of fire trucks and firefighters from across Indiana taking part. LPD said drivers could expect long delays at intersections along the procession route in the Lafayette and West Lafayette between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon. Again, here’s a map of the procession route:

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