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Jennifer Meltzer

From Ballotpedia
Jennifer Meltzer
Candidate, Indiana House of Representatives District 73
Indiana House of Representatives District 73
Tenure
2022 - Present
Term ends
2026
Years in position
3
Predecessor:J. Michael Davisson (R)
Compensation
Base salary
$33,032.24/year
Per diem
$213/day
Elections and appointments
Last election
November 5, 2024
Next election
May 5, 2026
Education
Bachelor's
Xavier University, 2006
Law
Indiana University McKinney School of Law, 2009
Personal
Birthplace
Toledo, OH
Religion
Catholic
Profession
Attorney
Contact

Jennifer Meltzer (Republican Party) is a member of theIndiana House of Representatives, representingDistrict 73. She assumed office on November 9, 2022. Her current term ends on November 4, 2026.

Meltzer (Republican Party) is running for re-election to theIndiana House of Representatives to representDistrict 73. She declared candidacy for the Republican primary scheduled onMay 5, 2026.[source]

Biography

Jennifer Meltzer was born inToledo, Ohio, and lives in Shelbyville, Indiana. Meltzer earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Xavier University in 2006 and a law degree from Indiana University McKinney School of Law in 2009. Her career experience includes working as a city attorney with the City of Shelbyville, Indiana.[1][2]

Sponsored legislation

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according toBillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.


Committee assignments

2025-2026

Meltzer was assigned to the following committees:

2023-2024

Meltzer was assigned to the following committees:


Elections

2026

See also: Indiana House of Representatives elections, 2026

General election

The primary will occur on May 5, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Indiana House of Representatives District 73

Allen Miller (D) is running in the Democratic primary for Indiana House of Representatives District 73 on May 5, 2026.

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There are noincumbents in this race.

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Republican primary

Republican primary for Indiana House of Representatives District 73

IncumbentJennifer Meltzer (R),Edward Comstock II (R), andJacob Johnson (R) are running in the Republican primary for Indiana House of Representatives District 73 on May 5, 2026.

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Incumbents arebolded and underlined.

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Endorsements

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2024

See also: Indiana House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Indiana House of Representatives District 73

IncumbentJennifer Meltzer defeatedHollie Payton in the general election for Indiana House of Representatives District 73 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Jennifer Meltzer
Jennifer Meltzer (R)
 
76.9
 
20,900
Image of Hollie Payton
Hollie Payton (D) Candidate Connection
 
23.1
 
6,284

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Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 27,184
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Indiana House of Representatives District 73

Hollie Payton advanced from the Democratic primary for Indiana House of Representatives District 73 on May 7, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Hollie Payton
Hollie Payton Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
814

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There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 814
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Indiana House of Representatives District 73

IncumbentJennifer Meltzer defeatedEdward Comstock II in the Republican primary for Indiana House of Representatives District 73 on May 7, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Jennifer Meltzer
Jennifer Meltzer
 
74.7
 
5,536
Edward Comstock II
 
25.3
 
1,871

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Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 7,407
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Campaign finance

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Meltzer in this election.

2022

See also: Indiana House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Indiana House of Representatives District 73

Jennifer Meltzer defeatedMimi Pruett in the general election for Indiana House of Representatives District 73 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Jennifer Meltzer
Jennifer Meltzer (R) Candidate Connection
 
77.1
 
13,437
Image of Mimi Pruett
Mimi Pruett (D) Candidate Connection
 
22.9
 
3,988

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There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 17,425
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia 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 73

Jennifer Meltzer defeatedBob Carmony andEdward Comstock II in the Republican primary for Indiana House of Representatives District 73 on May 3, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Jennifer Meltzer
Jennifer Meltzer Candidate Connection
 
56.7
 
3,679
Bob Carmony
 
32.5
 
2,108
Edward Comstock II
 
10.8
 
698

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There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 6,485
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia 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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Campaign finance


Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also:Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Jennifer Meltzer has not yet completedBallotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.If you are Jennifer Meltzer,click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

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2024

Jennifer Meltzer did not completeBallotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Candidate Connection

Jennifer Meltzer completedBallotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Meltzer's responses.

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Jennifer is the current City Attorney for the City of Shelbyville and a former Deputy Attorney General for the State of Indiana. She and her husband Trent Meltzer, Shelby County Circuit Court Judge, have three daughters, June (10), Rose (8), and Pearl (5). Jennifer is Secretary of the Shelby County Republican Central Committee, a Girl Scout leader, Vice President of her daughters' Parent Teacher Organization, and a member of the Shelby County Youth Assistance Program. They are members of St. Joseph Church. Professionally, Jennifer has appeared on behalf of the State of Indiana in both State and Federal Courts. She has defended the constitutionality of Indiana's laws and represented Indiana Judges, Prosecutors, Legislators, and Governor in Court.
  • Pro Life: A human life begins at conception. Jennifer will work to protect all lives. As a proud mother of three daughters she cherishes each and every single moment she has with them everyday. Every child deserves the right to be born, loved, and cared for.
  • Pro 2nd Amendment: An individuals Second Amendment Right is their way of ensuring they are armed and able to defend themselves and their family if they need to. Jennifer will work to ensure that our Second Amendment Right is protected.
  • Anti Mandate: The State should stay out of mandating individual Hoosiers from receiving a vaccine and from mandating or prohibiting businesses from requiring a vaccine. The choice should be left up to each individual in consultation with their doctor.
Jennifer is passionate about mental health, education, and local control. Mental health is the elephant in the room that has been ignored for too long. Big Pharma lied to us. They advertised and encouraged the prescribing of opioids for their own financial gain knowing they were highly addictive. Now after years of litigation by local governments the State has an opportunity to receive millions in settlement dollars. These monies need to be channeled directly to local communities who have been on the frontlines of responding to the opioid epidemic for years. Local communities shouldn't have to compete with each other for these funds.

Education: parents need to have an active and ongoing voice in education. As a parent of three elementary school aged children I fully appreciate and recognize the voice that teachers and our schools administration have in my children's and your children's education and lives. It is imperative that parents have a voice.

Local Government: It is important that each level of government stay in their own lane. This begins with letting families make their own personal choices. Local governments need to be in charge of local issues and our State should tackle statewide issues and protect us from Federal overreach. The Federal government should mostly leave us alone and protect our country.
Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney-Barrett. Jennifer respects Justice Coney-Barrett's ability and willingness to defend her conservative view points on various issues of law before Congress. Jennifer strives to be the same voice for conservative Hoosiers in the State House. She hopes she can be a strong and persuasive voice to her fellow Republican House Representatives.
Selflessness. Humility. Honesty. An elected House Representative is elected to represent the Hoosiers is their district. This requires an open dialogue between citizens and the House Representative. If I am elected to serve as your House Representative I truly believe it is an honor to do so. I believe I am elected to serve and represent and I will serve and represent the people that have elected me.
Jennifer is honest and straight forward. She is involved in her community and has the experience and knowledge to be a successful House Representative.
To uphold the Constitution and represent your Constituents. Each time I speak to the constituents I ask "What would you like your House Representative to do?". It is imperative that I uphold our constitution, while at the same time representing the desires of my constituents.
In 2000 Jennifer went to a rally for George W. Bush. in Cincinnati Oh. She was 16 at the time. Then on September 11, 2001 two planes struck the twin towers. Jennifer was in high school at the time. She remembers teachers talking in the hallways while not allowing the high school students to fully understand what was going on. Cross Country practice was cancelled that afternoon and her paternal grandparents were staying with their family that week. Upon getting home they sat as a family in front of the tv watching the planes hit the twin towers. Several of Jennifer's close friends joined the military upon graduation. Jennifer remembers watching the planes crash into the twin towers, seeing people jump from the buildings, and the aftermath of the terrorist attack. This has defined her generation.
The Governor should focus on governing and the Legislature should be making the laws that the Governor needs to enforce.
JOBS!! Indiana needs to be a destination for employers.
Indiana has a bicameral state legislature with both houses controlled by Republican majorities. Good ideas will prevail, no matter what party they come from. It just so happens that the Republican party has a monopoly on those at this moment.
I've had years of experience in both, and I think it leaves me uniquely qualified. This experience includes defending Indiana laws and policies in Federal Court. I've defended our pro-life legislation including shutting down abortion clinics. I've worked closely with numerous state agencies while a Deputy Attorney General and the knowledge and understanding I've gained from each of these experiences will be invaluable as a State Representative.
Pubic input begins with whom the public has elected prior to redistricting. Redistricting should be based on the data to best ensure that lines are drawn in a way that ensures that each district represents an equal number of residents.
I'd love to be a part of any committee that leadership feels I'd be an asset to. As a lawyer I have a unique perspective and respect for our judiciary and therefore, ideally I'd be a member of the House Judiciary Committee.
I welcome this opportunity to run for an open House Seat. I have no other ambitions.
I've spoken with hundreds of constituents over the past several months. During this time period I've been asking residents what they would like to see out of their state house. I've heard pro-life, constitutional carry, educational matters, and local control. The story that has stuck with me is a mom of a sophmore in highschool who was so anxious about mandatory testing that she was hospitalized due to the annexiety. We need to take a serious look at standardized testing and determine if it is doing more good than harm.
It is the duty of the Legislature to write laws, including all laws granting emergency powers. When emergency power laws are written to broadly, it is an invitation for the executive to abuse them. We have witnessed this over the past two years and the emergency powers need to be reeled back.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. At least, that's what my father always told me. I'm willing to do what it takes to represent my constituent's interests, and sometimes, something is better than nothing.

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 finance summary

Ballotpedia LogoNote: 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 theFEC website. Clickhere for more on federal campaign finance law andhere for more on state campaign finance law.

Jennifer Meltzer campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024Indiana House of Representatives District 73Won general$33,143 $7,782
2022Indiana House of Representatives District 73Won general$83,212 $78,605
Grand total$116,355 $86,387
Sources:OpenSecrets, Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

Scorecards

See also:State legislative scorecards andState legislative scorecards in Indiana

Ascorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states.  To contribute to the list of Indiana scorecards, email suggestions toeditor@ballotpedia.org.


2024

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show].   

In 2024, theIndiana State Legislature was in session from January 8 to March 8.

Legislators are rated based on their votes related to civil liberties.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to social issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.


2023

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show].   

In 2023, theIndiana State Legislature was in session from January 9 to April 28.

Legislators are rated based on their votes related to civil liberties.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to social issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.










See also


External links

Officeholder

Indiana House of Representatives District 73

  • Website

    • Personal

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

    • Footnotes

    1. ↑Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on January 31, 2022
    2. ↑Indiana House of Representatives Republican Caucus, "Jennifer Meltzer," accessed January 13, 2023

    Political offices
    Preceded by
    J. Michael Davisson (R)    		Indiana House of Representatives District 73
    2022-Present    		Succeeded by
    -


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