Age in the 2025 Indiana General Assembly
The State of Indiana held its elections for a new Indiana House of Representatives and Indiana State Senate on November 4th 2024. In January 2025 the currently active 124th legislative session of the Indiana General Assembly. Among the members elected 13 were aged 35 or younger on election day in 2024. Below is a map of these representatives within both chambers of the Indiana General Assembly.
Indiana Demographic Background in the 2024 Election
Preliminary estimates from CIRCLE at Tufts University indicate that 42% of young people aged 18–29 voted in the 2024 election, with turnout surpassing 50% in key battleground states. Nearly 50 million young citizens were eligible to vote nationwide, including over 8 million who turned 18 since the 2022 midterms.
Nationally, according to the Pew Research Center, Millennials in 2020 overtook Baby Boomers as the largest generation in the U.S., comprising 31% of the population, followed closely by Baby Boomers at 30.9%. Generation X makes up 28%, while the Silent Generation is the smallest at 9.9%. According to the CIRCLE institutes – Youth Electoral Significance Index (YESI), young voters in Indiana had strong political sway. For example, according to YESI the congressional race in Indiana’s 1st district ranked 38th most impacted by youth political participation.
This election showcased the increasing diversity of the youth electorate, with notable differences in voting patterns by race, gender, and issue priorities. Given Indiana’s unique demographics, voters elected twelve members to the Indiana House of Representatives, who were age 35 and under on election day. Below is information about the generational backgrounds of the current Indiana House of Representatives.
The Indiana House of Representatives 124th Legislative Session
Below is information covering age dynamics in the recently elected to the Indiana House of Representatives
- the average age of Indiana House of Representatives members is 54.73 years
- the youngest Representative Ethan Manning born in 1996
- the oldest Representative Sheila Klinker was born in 1938
- 13 Representatives are Young Elected Leaders age 35 or younger as of Election Day 2024
Generational Breakdown
Within the Indiana House of Representatives, most representatives come from the Millennial, Generation X or The Baby Boomer generation. Importantly, no members of the current Indiana House of Representatives belong to Generation Z. Scroll below to see the generations in the Indiana House of Representatives visualized.
* One House members age is currently missing
Partisanship in the Indiana House of Representatives
The chart below further breaks down the current partisan makeup of the 2025 Indiana House of Representatives. Each dot represents a single member, colored by both party affiliation and whether the legislator qualifies as a Young Elected Leader (YEL)—defined as age 35 or younger at the time of the election. This format provides a visual snapshot of generational and partisan distribution within the chamber, highlighting how younger legislators are positioned across party lines.
Partisan dynamics in the Indiana House of Representatives reflect not only ideological differences but also generational contrasts. The visual below highlights one key distinction: the average age of legislators by party. While both parties include a mix of experience levels, Democratic members are, on average, older than their Republican counterparts. This difference may reflect broader trends in political recruitment, generational turnover, and candidate emergence in recent election cycles.
* One House members age is currently missing
Young Elected Representatives – Indiana House of Representatives
Following the 2024 State Legislative Elections in Indiana, twelve members aged 35 or under were elected to the Indiana House of Representatives. Below are all twelve of these members along with information about their local districts and party affiliation.
| Name | District | Birth year (Age on Election Day) | Year first elected to Indiana House | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Ethan Manning (R) | 23rd District –
Denver, IN |
1996 (Age 28) | 2018 |
 |
Andrew Ireland (R) | 90th District –
Franklin Twp, IN |
1995 (Age 29) | 2024 |
 |
Garrett Bascom (R) | 68th District –
Lawrenceburg, IN |
1994 (Age 30) | 2024 |
 |
J. Alex Zimmerman (R) | 67th District –
North Vernon, IN |
1993 (Age 31) | 2023 |
 |
Timothy O’Brien (R) | 78th District –
Evansville, IN |
1993 (Age 31) | 2021 |
 |
John D. Prescott (R) | 33rd District –
Union City, IN |
1992 (Age 32) | 2018 |
 |
Kyle R. Miller (D) | 82nd District –
Fort Wayne, IN |
1992 (Age 32) | 2022 |
 |
Mitch Gore (D) | 89th District –
Indianapolis, IN |
1991 (Age 33) | 2022 |
 |
Cory Criswell (R)
|
54th District –
Middletown, IN |
1991 (Age 33) | 2022 |
 |
Ethan J. Lawson (R) | 53rd District –
Indianapolis, IN |
1991 (Age 33) | 2024 |
 |
Matthew Commons (R)
|
13th District –
Williamsport, IN |
1991 (Age 33) | 2024 |
 |
Zachary Payne (R)
|
66th District –
Charlestown, IN |
1989 (Age 35) | 2020 |
Photos courtesy of the Indiana House of Representatives member roster.
Gender in the Indiana House of Representatives
The Indiana House of Representatives reflects a range of age and gender dynamics that help shape the composition of the state’s legislative body. Across all members, 70% are men, while women make up the remaining 30%. Age differences between these groups are very similar: male representatives had an average age of 53.65 at the time of the election, compared to 57.19 for their male colleagues. Of the the 12 Young Elected Leaders, all are male.
When examining both gender and party affiliation, additional differences in age emerge within the Indiana House of Representatives. Republican men have the lowest average age of the four groups at 52.63, while Republican women have a higher average age of 54.07. For Democrats in the Indiana House of Representatives, both gender groups are on average older, with Democratic women having an average age of 60.32 and Democratic men averaging 57.32. Overall across both parties the average for all groups across party and gender lies above 52 years old. These patterns show that age representation in the Indiana House of Representatives varies by both gender and partisan alignment, highlighting differing pathways to political office across demographic groups.
* One House members age is currently missing
Race and Ethnicity in the Indiana House of Representatives
The racial and ethnic composition of the Indiana House of Representatives varies significantly across generations. In the 2024 Indiana House older generations are overall more diverse, countering national trends. This table highlights how race and ethnicity intersect with age in shaping the diversity of the legislative body.
Generations by Race/Ethnicity in the Indiana House of Representatives
|
Generation Z 1997 – |
Millennial Generation
1981 – 1996 |
Generation X
1965 –1980 |
Boomer Generation
1946 – 1964 |
Silent Generation
1928 – 1945 |
Full Chamber | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | – | 22
(91.67%) |
33
(91.67%) |
28
(84.85%) |
4
(66.67%) |
87
(87.88%) |
| Black/African American | – | 1
(4.17%) |
3
(8.33%) |
5
(15.15%) |
1
(16.67%) |
10
(10.1%) |
| Hispanic/Latino | – | 1
(4.17%) |
– | – | 1
(16.67%) |
2
(2.02%) |
| Total (Precent of Indiana House) | – | 24
(24.24%) |
36
(36.36%) |
33
(33.33%) |
6
(6.06%) |
99*
(100%) |
*Missing age for one House member. The full Indiana House of Representatives is comprised of 100 seats.
The Indiana Senate
Below is information covering age dynamics in the recently elected Indiana State Senate.
- the average age of Indiana State Senate members is 58.71 years
- the youngest Senator is Andrea Hunley who was born in 1991
- the oldest Senator is Ed Charbonneau who was born in 1943
- 1 Senator is a Young Elected Leader, aged 35 or younger as of Election Day 2024
Young Elected Senators in the Indiana State Senate
Following the 2024 State Legislative Elections in Indiana, one member aged 35 or under was elected to the Indiana State Senate. Below is information about their local districts and party affiliation.
| Name | District | Birth Year (Age on Election Day) |
Year First Elected to the Indiana State Senate |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Andrea Hunley (D) | 46th District – Indianapolis, IN | 1991 (Age 33) |
2022 |
Photos courtesy of Indiana State Senate member roster
Partisanship in the Indiana State Senate
In the Indiana State Senate, 40 senators belong to the Republican Party, 10 senators are Democrats. The mean age of Republican state senators after the 2024 election was 59.95, while the mean age of Democratic state senators was 53.75. Each generation had a different partisan makeup. Below is the breakdown of party composition for each generation within the Indiana State Senate.
Gender in the Indiana Senate
The generational makeup of the Indiana Senate also reflects important gender dynamics. Across generations, gender balance is more male skewed across generations. Overall more men are represented than women among both Millennial and Generation X members. While among Baby Boomers women are more represented than men. These patterns suggest that gender balance varies across generational lines, with women represented in each age cohort of the Indiana Senate.
Race and Ethnicity in the Indiana Senate
The racial and ethnic composition of the Indiana Senate reveals generational variation in representation. Below is the breakdown of race and ethnicity within the Indiana Senate.
Generations by Race/Ethnicity in the Indiana State Senate
| Millennial Generation | Generation X | Boomer Generation | Silent Generation | Full Chamber | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | 4 (66.67%) | 18 (78.26%) | 18 (94.74%) | 2 (100%) | 42 (84%) |
| Black/African American | 2 (33.33%) | 3 (13.04%) | 1 (5.26%) | – | 6 (12%) |
| Hispanic/Latino | – | 1 (4.35%) | – | – | 1 (2%) |
| Other | – | 1 (4.35%) | – | – | 1 (2%) |
| Total | 6 (12%) | 23 (46%) | 19 (38%) | 2 (4%) | 50 (100%) |
The full Indiana State Senate is comprised of 50 seats.
Notes
The Young Elected Leaders Project applies the generational categorization of the Pew Research Center:
- Silent Generation: 1928 – 1945
- Baby Boomer Generation: 1946 – 1964
- Generation X: 1965 – 1980
- Millennial Generation: 1981 – 1996
- Generation Z: 1997 – 2012
This analysis is based on data from the most recent state legislative election in Indiana which took place on November 5th 2024.
Citation Guideline
In referencing the Young Elected Leaders Project in publication please use the following language: “The Young Elected Leaders Project is housed at the Center for Youth Political Participation at The Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University – New Brunswick.”
Bibliographic Citation For this document
Author: Young Elected Leaders Project
Corresponding Authors: George D. Quinn
Year: 2024
Title: Age in the 2025 Indiana General Assembly