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Julie Olthoff — portrait

Julie Olthoff

RepublicanIncumbentState House District 19· Merrillville, IN
Photo: via Ballotpedia (public profile)
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Contact

Contact information verified 2026-04-22.

Snapshot

Fiscal responsibilitySupport
Limited governmentSupport
Second AmendmentStrong support
Pro-life issuesNo public position found
Family valuesSupport

Background

Julie Olthoff has represented House District 19 — covering Crown Point, Winfield, Lakes of Four Seasons, and parts of Hobart and Merrillville in Lake County — since 2014, with a gap in 2019–2020, and continuously from 2021 onward. She serves as Assistant Majority Whip and sits on the Commerce, Small Business and Economic Development Committee; the Family, Children and Human Affairs Committee; and the Rules and Legislative Procedures Committee. A businesswoman, she is President/Owner of VIA Marketing since 1987, holds a BA in Fine and Studio Arts from Indiana University Northwest, and is an active member of CrossPoint Church. She previously served as President of the Merrillville Redevelopment Authority and chairs the Merrillville Plan Commission (2).

Positions

Fiscal responsibility

Support

Olthoff voted Yea on SB 1 (2026, Medicaid/SNAP eligibility and immigration verification); she is not among the four Republicans who voted No (Source 6). No separate floor statement by Olthoff specifically on fiscal restraint was found during research.

Limited government

Support

Olthoff is listed in the Yea column for HB 1032 (2025 special session redistricting, 57–41) (Source 5). Her committee assignments include Commerce and Small Business, consistent with business-focused regulatory interests, but no explicit "limited government" statement found.

Second Amendment

Strong support

Olthoff voted Yea on the HB 1296 conference committee report (constitutional carry) on March 8, 2022, which passed 68–30 (Source 3, 5). No separate NRA-PVF letter grade was located during research; the floor vote itself documents her direct position.

Pro-life issues

No public position found

No public position found on pro-life issues. SB 236 (2026) never reached a House floor vote (Source 7); no Olthoff statement or pledge on abortion found during research.

Family values

Support

Olthoff serves on the Family, Children and Human Affairs Committee, which has jurisdiction over parental-rights and family-related legislation. She has voted Yea on the party-line SB 1 (2026) and HB 1032 (Source 5, 7). No direct floor statement specifically invoking "family values" found; committee service documents engagement with the issue area.

Voting record

BillSessionTitleVoteLens
HB 12962022 RegularConstitutional CarryYeaSecond Amendment
HB 10322025 SpecialMid-cycle redistrictingYeaLimited government
SB 12026 RegularMedicaid/SNAP immigration verificationYeaFiscal responsibility
SB 2362026 RegularAbortion-inducing drug banNo floor votePro-life

Endorsements

  • NRA-PVF
    No rating found during research.
  • Indiana Right to Life
    No rating found during research.
  • Indiana Family Institute
    No scorecard entry located during research.

Sources

  1. 1.
    Voters for Julie Olthoff campaign site
    https://www.votersforjulie.com
  2. 3.
    TrackBill HB 1296 — Olthoff in Yea list (Conference Committee Report 1)
    https://trackbill.com/bill/indiana-house-bill-1296-firearms-matters/2219120/
  3. 4.
    LegiScan HB 1296 (2022) House final vote
    https://legiscan.com/IN/rollcall/HB1296/id/1165335
  4. 5.
    FastDemocracy HB 1032 (2025 special) — Olthoff in Yea list
    https://fastdemocracy.com/bill-search/in/2026/bills/INB00014747/
  5. 7.
    Chicago Tribune — Indiana bills that died, SB 236 (2026)
    https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/02/indiana-bills-that-died/
  6. 8.
  7. 9.
    Freedom Index — Indiana scorecard (Olthoff individual page not resolved during research; landing page cited)
    https://thefreedomindex.org/in/
  8. 10.
    Ballotpedia — Julie Olthoff
    https://ballotpedia.org/Julie_Olthoff
  9. 11.
    Porter County Indiana Young Democrats / votenickneal.com (confirms Olthoff is incumbent HD-19)
    https://www.pciyoungdems.com/Elected-Officials
Last researched: 2026-04-15