Teshka Wins Indiana House District 7 Seat
Republican Jake Teshka defeated Democrat Oliver Davis by a 0.8% margin in the Indiana House District 7 state representative race.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Elections
Live Poll
Do you trust your local state representative to serve your community well?
Republican Jake Teshka won the Indiana House District 7 state representative election over Democrat Oliver Davis, who remains a South Bend Common Council member. Teshka received 10,133 votes and a 0.8% margin of victory.
Why it matters
The narrow margin in a state House race shows how closely contested District 7 remained for Indiana voters. Teshka has held the seat for six years, and the result keeps the district under Republican representation.
Teshka's total rose by 162 votes from the prior election while his margin over Davis was 0.8%. The source does not indicate the total number of ballots cast in the district.
The players
Jake Teshka
Jake Teshka is a Republican who has won the Indiana House District 7 seat for the past six years.
Oliver Davis
Oliver Davis is a Democrat and South Bend Common Council member who holds a doctorate in social work from the University of Southern California.
The details
Davis ran as a Democrat against Republican Jake Teshka in the District 7 race. Davis previously served three consecutive terms as the sixth district council member on the South Bend Common Council, which he entered in 2024.
Timeline
2019: Davis earned a doctorate in social work from the University of Southern California.
2024: Davis entered the South Bend Common Council.
Nov. 5, 2026: Davis lost the District 7 race to Teshka.
Nov. 2, 2027: Next election for Davis's at-large council seat.
Season Trajectory
Teshka's six-year hold on Indiana House District 7 continued with a vote total that rose by 162 from the previous race. The narrow 0.8% margin marks this contest as closer than his prior wins in the same seat.
Indiana House District 7 voters elected Teshka to represent them in the state House. Residents who want to follow state legislative decisions can track the seat's representative in the coming session.
The takeaway
A margin of 0.8% in a state House race can decide representation for the next term, so voter turnout in close districts carries direct weight. Watching vote totals across election cycles helps show whether a seat is trending competitive.
Further reading
For context on how state legislative contests are decided, see Elections coverage for Indiana.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Observer.
Live Poll
Do you trust your local state representative to serve your community well?
