J. D. Ford
American politician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
J. D. Ford (born November 6, 1982) is an American politician, currently a member of the Indiana Senate.[1] Elected in the 2018 elections, he represents Senate District 29 as a member of the Democratic Party.[1] He earned a bachelor's degree from University of Akron in criminal justice and political science and a master's degree in education from Purdue University Northwest.[2] He is the Democratic nominee for Indiana's 5th congressional district in 2026, and will face Republican incumbent Victoria Spartz in the general election.[3]
_(cropped).jpg)
Purdue University, Northwest (MEd)
J. D. Ford | |
|---|---|
| |
| Member of the Indiana Senate from the 29th district | |
| Assumed office November 7, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Mike Delph |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 6, 1982 Youngstown, Ohio, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Education | University of Akron (BS) Purdue University, Northwest (MEd) |
He was the first, and as of 2025 the only, openly LGBT person elected to Indiana's state legislature.[4]
He first ran for Indiana Senate District 29 in 2014 and lost to Republican incumbent Mike Delph but won four years later in a rematch.
In November 2020, he was elected as the Caucus Chair of the Indiana Senate Democrats.[5] For the 2024 legislative session, Senator Ford serves on the following committees: Education and Career Development (Ranking Minority Member), Elections (Ranking Minority Member), Ethics, Family and Children Services (Ranking Minority Member), Health and Provider Services, Local Government, and Rules and Legislative Procedure[6]
In addition to these committee assignments, Ford was an Interim Senate Minority Member of the Legislative Council.[7]
