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Cory Criswell — portrait

Cory Criswell

RepublicanIncumbentState House District 54· Middletown, IN
Photo: via Ballotpedia (public profile)
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Contact

Contact information verified 2026-04-22.

Snapshot

Fiscal responsibilitySupport
Limited governmentSupport
Second AmendmentSupport
Pro-life issuesSupport
Family valuesSupport

Background

Cory Criswell (R-Middletown) was first elected in November 2022 and represents House District 54, covering most of Henry and Rush counties and portions of Hancock and Shelby counties (Sources 1, 2). A lifelong Henry County resident, Criswell works as Development Director for the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame and runs his own lawn care business (Source 2). He serves as Assistant Majority Whip and sits on the House Ways and Means, Agriculture and Rural Development, and Public Policy committees (Sources 2, 14). The Freedom Index gave Criswell a 2023 score of 79% (Source 4). He runs uncontested in 2026 with no Democratic or other opponent filed (Source 3).

Positions

Fiscal responsibility

Support

Criswell voted YES on SB 1 (2025), the property tax relief and local government finance reform bill (Source 5). He voted YES on SB 1 (2026), the Medicaid/SNAP immigration verification and eligibility reform bill (he was not among the four Republican dissenters) (Source 6). His 2023 Freedom Index score of 79% reflects general alignment with fiscal-conservative positions (Source 4).

Limited government

Support

Criswell voted YES on HB 1032 (2025 special session), the mid-cycle redistricting bill; he was not among the 12 Republicans who voted no (Source 8). He voted YES on SB 289 (2025), the DEI prohibition bill (Source 11). His role as Assistant Majority Whip indicates active involvement in advancing the Republican caucus agenda (Source 13).

Second Amendment

Support

Criswell voted YES on HB 1084 (2024), the Firearms Financial Transactions Privacy Act (Source 9). No NRA-PVF rating or signed pledge confirmed specifically for Criswell as of April 2026.

Pro-life issues

Support

Criswell voted YES on SB 236 (2026), the abortion-inducing drug ban and wrongful-death liability bill (Source 12). No contrary vote or statement on pro-life issues found.

Family values

Support

Criswell voted YES on HB 1041 (2025), the collegiate transgender sports ban (Source 7), and YES on SB 143 (2025), the Parental Rights Act (Source 10). He also voted YES on SB 289 (2025), the DEI prohibition (Source 11). He highlighted new education laws including expanded school choice in a joint public statement (Source 14).

Voting record

BillSessionTitleVoteLens
SB 12025Property tax relief / local govt financeYeaFiscal responsibility
SB 12026Medicaid/SNAP immigration verificationYeaFiscal responsibility
HB 108420242A Firearms Financial Privacy ActYeaSecond Amendment
HB 10412025Save Women's College Sports (collegiate)YeaFamily values
HB 10322025SMid-cycle redistrictingYeaLimited government
SB 1432025Parental Rights ActYeaFamily values
SB 2892025DEI prohibitionYeaLimited government / Family values
SB 2362026Abortion-inducing drug ban/liabilityYeaPro-life issues

Endorsements

  • None independently confirmed as of April 2026. Rule 8 scorecard sources listed above (Sources 4, 5).

Sources

  1. 5.
    SB 1 (2025) property tax relief House vote roll call
    https://open.pluralpolicy.com/vote/3e747de2-1442-4429-af30-11db2a57570b/
  2. 7.
    HB 1041 (2025) Save Women's College Sports House vote
    https://legiscan.com/IN/rollcall/HB1041/id/1491031
  3. 10.
    SB 143 (2025) Parental Rights House vote
    https://legiscan.com/IN/bill/SB0143/2025
  4. 11.
    SB 289 (2025) DEI prohibition House vote
    https://legiscan.com/IN/bill/SB0289/2025
Last researched: 2026-04-16