Trump endorses Barb Regnitz over Frank Mrvan in Indiana’s 1st District race

Trump the president backed the Porter County commissioner, citing her business record and casting the incumbent Democrat as an opponent of steel tariffs and tax cuts on tips and overtime.

First Published: July 13, 2026, 1:18 PM ET

WASHINGTON D.C. — Donald Trump endorsed Barb Regnitz, a Porter County commissioner, for Indiana’s 1st Congressional District on July 13, 2026 at 5:05 PM ET.

Here is the full post on truthsocial: “It is my Great Honor to endorse Porter County Commissioner, Barb Regnitz, who is running to represent the incredible people of Indiana’s 1st Congressional District! A very successful Businesswoman, Software Engineer, and Civic Leader, prior to becoming a distinguished Porter County Commissioner, Barb is a Proven Leader who has dedicated her life to serving her Community. Her opponent, Frank Mrvan, strongly opposed our Great STEEL TARIFFS and Workers that made all of these Jobs, and currently built Factories and Plants that are going up right now, possible. We increased Union Jobs and Votes by numbers never seen before, and Frank Mrvan was a, “NO.” Mrvan also voted against NO TAX ON TIPS, NO TAX ON OVERTIME, and NO TAX ON SOCIAL SECURITY and, if he and the Dumocrats ever got in, all of these things would be terminated. He wants massive Tax Increases, Open Borders, Men playing in Women’s Sports, and Transgender for Everybody. On the other hand, Barb Regnitz will fight hard to Grow our Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., Keep our Border SECURE, Stop Migrant Crime, Strengthen our Brave Military/Veterans, Ensure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH, Advance Election Integrity, and Protect our always under siege Second Amendment. Barb Regnitz has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next Representative from Indiana’s 1st Congressional District — SHE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”

The president framed the contest around steel, tying his endorsement to trade policy in a district anchored by the mills of northwest Indiana. He said Regnitz would promote domestic manufacturing and lower taxes, while accusing the incumbent of blocking his agenda on tips, overtime and Social Security.

“Barb Regnitz has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next Representative from Indiana’s 1st Congressional District,” Trump said in the post.

The seat belongs to Representative Frank Mrvan, a Democrat who has served the 1st District since winning election in 2020, according to the U.S. House of Representatives. The district covers Lake, Porter and part of LaPorte counties, a working-class corridor that includes the steel-producing city of Gary. Regnitz serves on the Porter County Board of Commissioners, according to the Porter County government.

The stakes reach beyond Indiana. Democrats have held the northwest Indiana seat for decades, and a flip would mark a rare Republican gain in a district long tied to organized labor and the steel industry. Union households that once anchored the Democratic vote have drifted rightward in recent cycles, raising the contest’s national profile.

Has this happened before? Trump has spent months issuing endorsements ahead of the 2026 midterms. In the last 30 days, 103 of 521 Trump posts carried the topic “Elections,” according to Zenger analysis, a pattern that shows how central campaign politics has become to his daily output.

The next decision rests with Indiana’s 1st District voters. A date for the district’s 2026 primary and general election was not announced in the post, and the outcome of the endorsed candidate’s nomination remains open.

Presidential endorsements in Indiana steel country have reshaped races before. The 1st District emerged from the industrial boom that built Gary in 1906, when U.S. Steel founded the city and named it for board chairman Elbert Gary. For generations the seat sent Democrats to Washington on the strength of mill labor. The endorsement fight now tests whether that century-old alignment still holds.