Phil Goss
Phil Goss (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Indiana's 5th Congressional District. He lost in the Democratic primary on May 5, 2026.
Goss (Democratic Party) also ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Indiana's 3rd Congressional District. He did not appear on the ballot for the Democratic primary on May 5, 2026.
Biography
Phil Goss was born in Oklahoma. Goss earned a bachelor's degree from the Wabash College and a graduate degree from the University of Strathclyde. His career experience includes working as a president and CEO. As of 2024, Goss was affiliated with the Farm Bureau of Indiana.[1]
Elections
2026
U.S. House Indiana District 5
See also: Indiana's 5th Congressional District election, 2026
Indiana's 5th Congressional District election, 2026 (May 5 Democratic primary)
Indiana's 5th Congressional District election, 2026 (May 5 Republican primary)
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
General election for U.S. House Indiana District 5
Incumbent Victoria Spartz (R) and J.D. Ford (D) are running in the general election for U.S. House Indiana District 5 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| | Victoria Spartz (R) | |
| | J.D. Ford (D) ![]() | |
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Democratic primary
Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 5
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 5 on May 5, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | J.D. Ford ![]() | 42.5 | 17,608 |
| | Jackson Franklin ![]() | 17.0 | 7,023 | |
| | Deborah A. Pickett | 14.1 | 5,840 | |
| | Tara Nelson ![]() | 13.5 | 5,573 | |
| | Dylan McKenna ![]() | 7.5 | 3,098 | |
| | Phil Goss | 3.0 | 1,240 | |
| | Steven Avit ![]() | 2.5 | 1,022 | |
| Total votes: 41,404 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Samuel Cooper (D)
- Todd Shelton (D)
Republican primary
Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 5
Incumbent Victoria Spartz (R) defeated Scott King (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 5 on May 5, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Victoria Spartz | 59.9 | 33,695 |
| | Scott King ![]() | 40.1 | 22,526 | |
| Total votes: 56,221 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
U.S. House Indiana District 3
See also: Indiana's 3rd Congressional District election, 2026
Indiana's 3rd Congressional District election, 2026 (May 5 Democratic primary)
Indiana's 3rd Congressional District election, 2026 (May 5 Republican primary)
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
General election for U.S. House Indiana District 3
Incumbent Marlin A. Stutzman (R), Kelly Thompson (D), and Phillip Beachy (Independent) are running in the general election for U.S. House Indiana District 3 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| | Marlin A. Stutzman (R) | |
| | Kelly Thompson (D) ![]() | |
| | Phillip Beachy (Independent) (Write-in) | |
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary
Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 3
Kelly Thompson (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 3 on May 5, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kelly Thompson ![]() | 100.0 | 21,146 |
| Total votes: 21,146 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Phil Goss (D)
Republican primary
Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 3
Incumbent Marlin A. Stutzman (R) defeated Jon Kenworthy (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 3 on May 5, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Marlin A. Stutzman | 68.2 | 39,730 |
| | Jon Kenworthy | 31.8 | 18,543 | |
| Total votes: 58,273 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
2024
State House
See also: Indiana House of Representatives elections, 2024
General election
General election for Indiana House of Representatives District 85
Incumbent David Heine defeated Phil Goss in the general election for Indiana House of Representatives District 85 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | David Heine (R) | 74.4 | 23,160 | |
| Phil Goss (D) | 25.6 | 7,970 | ||
| Total votes: 31,130 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Indiana House of Representatives District 85
Incumbent David Heine advanced from the Republican primary for Indiana House of Representatives District 85 on May 7, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | David Heine | 100.0 | 7,042 | |
| Total votes: 7,042 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Goss in this election.
Pledges
Goss signed the following pledges.
U.S. House
See also: Indiana's 3rd Congressional District election, 2024
Indiana's 3rd Congressional District election, 2024 (May 7 Republican primary)
Indiana's 3rd Congressional District election, 2024 (May 7 Democratic primary)
General election
General election for U.S. House Indiana District 3
Marlin A. Stutzman defeated Kiley Adolph and Jarrad Lancaster in the general election for U.S. House Indiana District 3 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Marlin A. Stutzman (R) | 65.0 | 202,653 | |
| Kiley Adolph (D) | 31.4 | 97,871 | ||
| Jarrad Lancaster (L) | 3.5 | 11,015 | ||
| Total votes: 311,539 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 3
Kiley Adolph defeated Phil Goss in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 3 on May 7, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Kiley Adolph | 62.8 | 10,286 | |
Phil Goss ![]() | 37.2 | 6,095 | ||
| Total votes: 16,381 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Jo Anderson (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 3
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 3 on May 7, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Marlin A. Stutzman | 24.2 | 19,507 | |
| Tim Smith | 22.6 | 18,204 | ||
| Wendy W. Davis | 19.5 | 15,660 | ||
| Andy Zay | 16.4 | 13,157 | ||
Grant Bucher ![]() | 10.3 | 8,259 | ||
Jon Kenworthy ![]() | 3.8 | 3,064 | ||
| Michael Felker | 1.8 | 1,417 | ||
| Eric Whalen | 1.5 | 1,189 | ||
| Total votes: 80,457 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Chandler Likes (R)
- Scott Wise (R)
Libertarian convention
Libertarian convention for U.S. House Indiana District 3
Jarrad Lancaster advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Indiana District 3 on March 2, 2024.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | Jarrad Lancaster (L) | |
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Goss in this election.
Campaign themes
2026
U.S. House Indiana District 5
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Phil Goss did not complete Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign website
Goss' campaign website stated the following:
Farm Support
Family farms are disappearing because federal policy has prioritized size and profit over people and stewardship. I support expanding direct farm support for small and mid-sized producers, protecting crop insurance, strengthening disaster relief, and expanding access to low-interest credit.
Conservation programs should pay farmers for responsible land management — not punish them. If we want to preserve rural America, we must design farm policy around farmers, not corporations. I support reforming USDA programs to ensure that subsidies and support reach working farmers rather than being captured by the largest operations.
Farm support must also include mental health resources, succession planning assistance, and support for young and first-generation farmers. Strong farm policy keeps rural communities alive, protects our food supply, and ensures farmers can pass their land on to the next generation.
Raising the Minimum Wage
Working full time should mean earning enough to live with dignity. Today, the federal minimum wage is nowhere near a living wage, forcing millions of workers to work multiple jobs just to get by while corporate profits reach record highs.
I support raising the federal minimum wage to at least $15 an hour and indexing it to inflation over time and relative cost of living index by location. This way, workers will not fall behind every time costs rise. No one working full time should live in poverty or depend on government handouts.
Raising the minimum wage is not just good for workers, it is good for the economy. When people earn more, they spend more in their local communities, supporting small businesses and strengthening local economies. I support gradually phasing in a higher minimum wage to give small businesses time to adjust, while providing targeted tax relief and support for truly small, locally owned businesses during the transition.
A higher minimum wage reduces reliance on public assistance programs by ensuring employers, not taxpayers, compensate workers fairly. Raising wages is about fairness, respect, and opportunity. I will fight for a minimum wage that reflects the value of work and allows every worker a fair shot at a stable life
Tax Policy
The tax code is rigged in favor of the wealthy and well-connected. Our current tax policy has left working families to pick up the tab. I support cutting taxes for working and middle-class families by expanding refundable credits, lowering payroll tax burdens, and ending loopholes that allow billionaires and corporations to avoid paying their fair share. Tax policy should reward work, reduce inequality, and invest in the common good.
We must restore a tax system where wealth is taxed more fairly than wages. This includes taxing capital gains like ordinary income and ensuring large corporations pay a minimum effective tax rate.
Tax relief should be targeted to ensure Americans are not taxed out of housing, healthcare, and education. A fair tax system allows us to invest in infrastructure, education, healthcare without shifting the burden onto working people.
Healthcare
Healthcare is a human right. No one in Indiana’s 5th District—or anywhere in America—should have to worry about losing their home or their savings because they get sick. I support Medicare for All: a universal, publicly funded healthcare system that guarantees comprehensive coverage for every American, including primary care, mental health, reproductive care, vision, dental, and prescription drugs. Medicare for All will reduce costs by eliminating private insurance middlemen and allowing the federal government to negotiate fair drug prices.
Until Medicare for All is fully implemented, I will fight to expand coverage, protect reproductive freedom, and strengthen rural healthcare infrastructure. Our healthcare system should put patient outcome ahead of corporate profits.
Medicare for All will also free workers to change jobs, start businesses, or retire without fear of losing healthcare. Employers will no longer be burdened by spiraling insurance costs, thus strengthening small businesses and local economies.
I support fully funding community health centers, expanding telehealth, and increasing the rural healthcare workforce so that geography never determines health outcomes. Mental health and substance-use treatment must be fully integrated into primary care.
I will oppose efforts to privatize Medicare, cut Medicaid, or restrict access to reproductive healthcare. Healthcare policy must be measured by outcomes—longer lives, lower costs, and healthier communities.
The 2nd Amendment
I am a proud and responsible gun owner, and I strongly support the Second Amendment. The rights of law-abiding Americans to keep and bear arms is a fundamental Constitutional freedom rooted in self-defense and personal liberty.
Protecting the Second Amendment and promoting public safety are not opposing goals. I support universal background checks, closing loopholes that allow gun sales without oversight, red flag laws with strong due process protections, and investments in community violence prevention and mental health care. Responsible gun ownership and sensible safety measures go hand in hand.
Recent actions by federal immigration enforcement raise serious Constitutional concerns. If federal agents can use deadly force against individuals who are legally carrying firearms, then the Second Amendment is not being meaningfully respected. A Constitutional right that disappears during an encounter with the federal government is not a right at all.
The Second Amendment cannot be separated from the rest of the Constitution. The Fourth Amendment protects people from unreasonable seizures, and the Fifth Amendment guarantees due process of law. Law abiding gun owners must never be treated as criminals or threats simply for exercising a legal right.
I will defend the Second Amendment, hold federal agents accountable to the Constitution, and ensure that Constitutional rights are enforced consistently—without fear, discrimination, or abuse of power.
Education
Education is a public good and the foundation of a fair economy, yet schools are underfunded while students and teachers are asked to carry the burden.
I support fully funding public education, universal pre-K, tuition-free community college, strong vocational pathways, and student debt relief. Teachers deserve professional pay and respect, and students deserve opportunity—not lifelong debt.
Education policy must expand opportunity and prepare every student for the future they deserve. I support reducing class sizes, modernizing school facilities, and ensuring students have access to counselors, special education services, and mental health support.
Higher education should be accessible without crushing debt. I support refinancing student loans at lower rates and targeted debt cancellation for borrowers who were misled or underserved.
Education policy should respect educators, empower parents, and prepare students for a democratic society and a rapidly changing economy.
Cannabis
Cannabis prohibition has failed. It has not reduced use, it has fueled mass incarceration, and it has disproportionately harmed vulnerable communities while wasting public resources.
I support the full legalization of cannabis at the federal and states level, including removing cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act. Legalization must be paired with strong, commonsense regulation to ensure product safety, restrict youth access, and prevent monopolization by large corporations.
Legal cannabis should be taxed responsibly, with revenues reinvested in communities
harmed by the War on Drugs. I support directing these funds toward public education,
substance abuse treatment, mental health services, and local infrastructure.
Legalization must also include justice. I support automatic expungement of prior non-violent
cannabis convictions and resentencing for those still incarcerated for cannabis-related
offenses. No one should carry a lifelong criminal record for conduct that is now legal.
Farmers and small businesses must have a fair shot in the legal cannabis market. I support
licensing structures that prioritize small producers, prevent corporate consolidation, and allow family farmers to diversify their operations.
Cannabis policy should be grounded in public health, economic opportunity, and personal
freedom, not outdated stigma. I will work to end prohibition, repair the harm it has caused, and build a legal cannabis framework that works for everyone.
Agriculture
Agriculture is the backbone of Indiana’s economy and culture.
Washington has allowed corporate consolidation to hollow out rural America. I will fight for aggressive antitrust enforcement in agriculture, an end to monopolistic control by agribusiness giants, and trade policies that put family farmers, not multinational corporations, first.
Farmland should belong to those who work it, not private equity firms treating it as a speculative asset. Federal agriculture policy must reward sustainability, fair pricing, and local ownership while protecting our soil, water, and rural communities. I support restoring policies for farmers to receive fair prices and real choices.
Agricultural policy must promote climate-smart practices that protect soil health, reduce runoff, and ensure long-term productivity without imposing one-size-fits-all mandates. A strong agricultural system is essential to food security, environmental stewardship, and economic stability across Indiana’s 5th District, and the Heartland as a whole.
— Phil Goss' campaign website (April 15, 2026)
U.S. House Indiana District 3
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Phil Goss did not complete Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.
2024
State House
Phil Goss did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
U.S. House
Phil Goss completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Goss' responses.
| Collapse all
My career has included work as a teacher, a radio show host, and a Fascell Fellowship with the State Department, where I worked on immigrant visas and worked to facilitate adoptions of Eastern European children into loving American families.
Following the Fellowship I returned to education, culminating in work at TVN Linguaa, where I did televised language instruction. I continue to be employed remotely by a Polish company, as well as managing my family farm in Fort Wayne, which has been in my family for four generations. I am the proud steward of 46 acres we grow food for local families, and where we annually raise more than 400 varieties of Irises.
I've been a teacher, a farmer, and a fixer. I've attended colleges in the United States and Poland, and worked with businesses on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Everything I've done has led to this moment, and I'm honored to have your support as we work to flip this District blue. I promise to represent the real needs of our people when I take my seat in the United States House of Representatives.- We must protect the health care rights of Americans, and remember that healthcare is a human right, not a privilege reserved for the few. I support a universal public option for healthcare, allowing all Americans to enjoy healthcare not tied to employment. I support the rights of every American to choose their healthcare; to make the choices that are right for them in family planning, including protecting abortion access at the national level.
- We want to protect family farms. Right now, too many families pay too much in taxes when they inherit their generational farm. Our plan, gives them a tax break to keep families farming, and foreign governments from owning our most precious resource. Check out our Farms First Policy.
- We must protect and rebuild the middle class, starting by making it easier to buy your first home. Today, throughout America, home builders have stopped building starter homes because their is too much profit in building 2,000 square foot McMansions. We've introduced a policy that would provide tax breaks to small builders who want to build smaller homes, homes that we can use to help Americans realize the dream of homeownership again.
I am also passionate about drug policy reform, we must federally legalize cannabis and I will fight to stop labeling people who use this vital medication with the word "criminal."
My mother taught me never to quit, and to remain optimistic despite challenges I may face.
Plato: The Republic
The Federalist Papers
Upton Sinclair: The Jungle
We must also work to maintain food security and economic stability, these things are vital parts of our national security.
I would also be interested in serving on the Rules Committee, and the House Oversight Committee, in an effort to make the house more accountable to voters, and to help it function better.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign website
Goss' campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
I believe that the American Dream has been stolen from us by a single political party that claims to believe in freedom, but then spends all of their time telling us the things we shall, and shall not, be allowed to do. That isn't freedom. True freedom is believing in the American Dream of every American. Join us in reclaiming that American Dream. Donate. Volunteer. Share our website with your friends. Together, we're going to give you the representation you deserve in Congress. Infrastructure A rising tide does not lift those who don’t have a boat. We must build it for them. A small business does not succeed without the internet. We must build it for them. Rebuilding the Middle Class The middle class does not exist with unfair tax policy. We must fix the policy. The middle class does not exist without unions. We must support them. Government Overreach The exam room is too small for the government and the people. People should only be with their doctor. You shouldn’t have to ask John Deere to fix your tractor. We should have Right to Repair laws.[2] |
” |
| —Phil Goss’s campaign website (2024)[3] | ||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on April 8, 2024
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Phil Goss' campaign website, “Issues,” accessed April 17, 2024

