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) |
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 as of 2025 the 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 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] He is running in the 2026 United States House of Representatives elections to represent Indiana's 5th congressional district. [8]