History & Records | Moses M. Kelley IV

Records & Indiana Heritage

"The First Black Man Elected in This State Was a Republican. I'm Finishing What He Started."

If elected in November 2028, Moses M. Kelley IV would become the youngest Republican ever elected to the U.S. Senate and Indiana's first Black U.S. Senator.

U.S. Senate Age Benchmark (If Elected)

"I'm the age of the people you're asking to fund Social Security."

Senator	Age on Election Day	Age When Sworn In
Moses M. Kelley IV (Nov 7, 2028 / Jan 3, 2029)	31 years, 2 months	31 years, 4 months
Don Nickles (R-OK, 1980) — current youngest GOP record	31 years, 10 months	32 years, 0 months
Joe Biden (D-DE, 1972) — last younger senator sworn in	29 years, 11 months	30 years, 1 month

Historical precision: If elected, Moses would be roughly 8–9 months younger than Sen. Don Nickles (R-OK) at swearing-in, making him the youngest Republican ever elected to the U.S. Senate and the youngest U.S. Senator sworn in since 1973.

Indiana Pioneer Legacy

Standing on the Shoulders of Hoosier Republicans

While Indiana has never sent a Black Senator to Washington, Black trailblazers in Indiana politics started right inside the Republican Party:

James S. Hinton (1880)The first Black legislator ever elected to the Indiana General Assembly (Indiana House of Representatives) — elected as a Republican.
Robert Lee Brokenburr (1940)The first Black Hoosier ever elected to the Indiana State Senate — also a Republican, representing Indianapolis.

"The first Black man elected in this state was a Republican. I'm finishing what he started."