Hoosier Progressiveness
Let there be no question: I’m a proud progressive. My 20 years as a city councilman defined me as an outspoken leader on progressive policy. But I grew up in Southern Indiana, playing country music on my grandparents’ farm and fishing on the East Fork of the White River. I live in the urban landscape of Bloomington, but I have always felt just at home in the countryside. This duality has had a major influence on my progressive politics, and allows me to see big, structural problems through the lens of small town rural Indiana as well as that of our growing suburbs and urban centers. Plain and simple, I’m able to connect with Hoosiers all across the district.
The hardworking people of Indiana’s Ninth have been getting the short end of the stick for too long. Bad trade deals cost us manufacturing jobs. Climate change is wreaking havoc on farmers. Overpriced college tuition has saddled our children with massive debt. The Great Recession and the COVID-19 crisis has led to income inequality not seen since the days before the Great Depression.
My campaign is dedicated to empowering Hoosiers by strengthening unions and collective bargaining rights, opposing bad trade deals, supporting smart climate change initiatives, and guaranteeing the right to an affordable education and publicly-funded, quality healthcare to Hoosier families regardless of their employment. We will address these issues and more from a diverse, inclusive Southern Indiana perspective. Big cities do not own progressiveness. Economic populism is not a radical idea.
This campaign is focused on addressing the problems that Hoosiers face every day, and we’re dedicated to proposing progressive solutions to improve lives. Our commitment to Hoosiers is real, whether they’re conservative or liberals. The folks in our district have long been forgotten by the Democratic and Republican Parties, leaving a void that has been filled by a multi-millionaire from Tennessee who is more motivated by self-interest than helping constituents. I aim to change that.
-ANDY