Porter County Superior Court Judge, No. 4

McCarthy has spent more than 25 years living, working, and serving in Northwest Indiana, per McCarthy campaign site.

Christopher A. Buckley

Republican

Buckley has served as Porter County Superior Court Judge since 2021 and previously served as Lowell Town Court Judge from 2016 to 2020, per Buckley campaign site. He teaches as an adjunct professor at Valparaiso University School of Law and chairs Indiana's statewide Problem-Solving Courts Committee, presiding over Porter County's adult mental health problem-solving court, per Buckley campaign site. He served four years in the U.S. Marine Corps as a motor transport operator and machine gunner with the Third Battalion, Third Marines, per Buckley campaign site.

2026 priorities (per the campaign site)

• Bringing compassion and evidence-based solutions to mental health cases through the county's problem-solving court
• Applying thoughtful judgment and common sense to criminal, civil, and protective order matters

Source: candidate campaign site.