Republican · Indiana's 3rd District · 2026
Marlin Stutzman
Stutzman started raising beef cattle at 16 and joined the family farm business at 18.
Biography
Marlin Stutzman started a beef cattle operation at 16 and joined his father and other relatives in the family business at 18.1 He is a fourth generation farmer from Howe.1 He and his wife, Christy, have two sons.2
He attended Glen Oaks Community College and Trine University.3 During his years away from Congress, his business work included manufacturing, agriculture and food service.1 He and Christy previously owned a dinner theater that served Wagyu beef during performances.1 He has also taken church mission trips to Haiti, Mexico, Russia and Guatemala.2
Stutzman served in both chambers of Indiana's legislature before his first election to the U.S. House in 2010.3 He represented the 3rd District until January 2017 and returned to Congress in January 2025.3 He is now the Republican incumbent facing Democrat Kelly Thompson, with a platform emphasizing inflation, the economy and reducing what he calls corruption in federal agencies.4
In September 2026, he introduced the Don't Spy on Me Act, proposing to bar federal agencies from building or maintaining databases linking names or license plates with vehicle features or locations obtained through automated plate readers.5 People and companies whose information was involved could sue agencies over violations.5 He supported the 2025 effort to redraw Indiana's congressional districts between census cycles.4
Record and controversies
Historical campaign travel investigation
In 2016, the Office of Congressional Ethics recommended further review of Senate campaign funds used for Stutzman's 2015 California family trip, which included campaign meetings and personal activities.6 Investigators said there was "substantial reason to believe" funds paid for a personal trip, while expressly stating that their findings did not determine whether a violation occurred.6 His lawyers denied a violation, maintained that it was a campaign trip and said he had repaid his family's airfare before the OCE review began.7 The House Ethics Committee's January 2017 report said it would lose jurisdiction when he left the House that month; it did not announce a violation finding.8