Chris Garten
Indiana State Senator, District 45 since 2018. Ran for re-election in 2026; the count goes on.
Indiana State Senator, District 45Military personnel
- In office
- 7 yrs
- Since 2018
- Bills became law
- 26
- 52 sponsored, 2025–2026 session
- Votes missed
- 17.7%
- Chamber median 2.2%
- With party
- 98%
- On votes splitting the parties
- Last margin
- +24.1
- Won 2022
Source: Wikidata, congress-legislators and Open States; 99chambers legislative recordsUpdated Oct 27, 2026, 1:52 PM ET
Committees
As of 2026-10.
- Appropriations · ranking republican member
- Health Care Cost Oversight Task Force · vice chair
- Rules and Legislative Procedure · ranking republican member
- Fiscal Policy Interim Study
- Joint Rules
- Legislative Council
- Tax and Fiscal Policy
Source: Open States committeesUpdated Oct 27, 2026, 9:43 AM ET
Legislation
AGENCIES; Department of Homeland Security (IDHS) · Became law Mar 2026
AGENCIES; Department of Administration (IDOA) · Became law Mar 2026
Source: Open States billsUpdated Nov 6, 2026, 4:22 PM ET
Voting record
Where Garten sits in the Indiana State Senate
Garten is closer to the center than 10% of the chamber's Republicans.
Closest: Jeff Raatz, Liz Brown, Scott Alexander
Source: 99chambers roll-call scalingUpdated Nov 6, 2026, 4:50 PM ET
With Garten’s party
- Votes with the chamber's Republicans98%
- Cosponsorships of the other party's bills43%
Black tick: the average of Republicans in the Indiana State Senate.
Source: 99chambers legislative scores from roll calls and cosponsorships
Key votes
Votes chosen for their effect, not their side: Garten’s vote, each party’s majority, and the result. An orange vote differs from most Republicans.
| Date | Bill | Garten | Rep. majority | Dem. majority | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 27, 2026 | HB 1266: Department of education and education matters. | Yes | Yes | No | Passed 28–19 |
| Feb 26, 2026 | SB 285: Housing matters. | Yes | Yes | No | Passed 28–22 |
| Feb 26, 2026 | SB 27: Stadium authority. | No | Yes | Yes | Passed 45–4 |
| Feb 25, 2026 | SB 277: Indiana department of environmental management. | Yes | Yes | No | Passed 26–21 |
| Feb 24, 2026 | HB 1004: Various education matters. | Yes | Yes | No | Passed 28–20 |
Source: 99chambers key votes from Congress.gov, Voteview and Open States roll calls
Career
Offices held, and every time Garten was on a ballot. Filled marks are general elections won; hollow marks are primaries; an orange outline is a loss.
Source: 99chambers results archive (MEDSL, Klarner, state election offices)
Elections
Margin against the seat’s presidential baseline: how the seat voted for president in the same or nearest year.
| Year | Race | Result | Margin | Seat | +/− |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Indiana Senate District 45 | Counting | R+0.7 | R+19.7 | −19.0 |
| 2022 | Indiana State Senate, District 45 | Won | R+24.1 | — | — |
| 2018 | Indiana State Senate, District 45 | Won | R+28.6 | — | — |
Source: 99chambers results archive; 2026: Indiana Election Division (unofficial)Updated Nov 8, 2026, 7:01 PM ET
Seats Garten has held
- Indiana State Senate, District 45 · since 2018
Source: 99chambers results archive
Who Garten has run against
- Nick Marshall (D) · 2026 general
- Nick Marshall (D) · 2022 election, won
- John Perkins (D) · 2018 election, won
Source: 99chambers results archive; 2026: Indiana Election Division (unofficial)
How we know Garten
One person, matched across every source we use.
- Open States ocd-person/dc07e0d2-7372-46c2-967c-878ec522879d
- Wikidata Q107279064
Source: Identity links: Wikidata, congress-legislators, Open States, FECUpdated Oct 27, 2026, 1:52 PM ET