J. D. Ford
Member of the Indiana Senate
from the 29th district
Assumed office
November 7, 2018
Preceded byMike Delph
Personal details
Born (1982-11-06) November 6, 1982 (age 41)
Youngstown, Ohio, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materUniversity of Akron (BS)
Purdue University Northwest (M.Ed.)

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 United States 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 was the first, and so far only, openly LGBT person elected to Indiana's state legislature.[3]

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 September 2020, he made a guest appearance on the podcast The Popular Vote.[4]

In November 2020, he was elected as the Caucus Chair of the Indiana Senate Democrats.[5] For the 2021 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), Homeland Security and Transportation (Ranking Minority Member), and Veterans Affairs and The Military (Ranking Minority Member).[6]

In addition to these committee assignments, he serves on the Medicaid Advisory Committee, Civics Task Force, Redistricting Commission and formerly served on the Jail Overcrowding Task Force and Distressed Unit Appeals Board.[6]

Electoral history

Indiana Senate 29th District: Results 2014–2018[7][8] Year Democratic Votes % Republican Votes % Third Party Party Votes % 2014 J. D. Ford 12,685 46% Mike Delph 15,094 54% 2018 J. D. Ford 31,974 57% Mike Delph 24,403 43% 2022 J. D. Ford 22,636 52% Alex Choi 21,175 48%

References

  1. ^ a b "Democrat J.D. Ford becomes first LGBT candidate elected to Indiana General Assembly". WXIN, November 6, 2018.
  2. ^ Carden, Dan. "Senate Democrats seek fair redrawing of legislative district boundaries". Northwest Indiana Times. Retrieved 2021-09-12.
  3. ^ "Senator J.D. Ford". Indiana Senate Democrats. Retrieved 2021-09-12.
  4. ^ "The Popular Vote • A podcast on Anchor". Anchor. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
  5. ^ Smith, Brandon (2020-11-06). "Sen. Greg Taylor Is First Black Leader Of Legislative Caucus In State History". WFYI Public Media. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
  6. ^ a b insendems. "Senator J.D. Ford | District 29". Indiana Senate Democrats. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
  7. ^ "November 4, 2014 General Election". Secretary of State of Indiana. March 11, 2015. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  8. ^ "November 6, 2018 General Election". Secretary of State of Indiana. November 6, 2018. Retrieved April 16, 2019.


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