This is Andy.
Andy jumped into politics back in 1999 as a voice of opposition against the swamp dwellers who stood to benefit from the I-69 construction project. It was known as the ‘NAFTA highway’ for the number of jobs it would transport out of manufacturing-based regions like Southern Indiana. While Andy believes in infrastructure investment, he thought Hoosiers should be the ones to benefit.
He spent 20 years on the Bloomington City Council, taking bold stances on fair wages, freedom of speech, workers’ rights and many other issues important to the economic and social well-being of his community. As years passed, he came to fully understand just how devastating the thoughtless greed of Wall Street and Washington was to the forgotten middle class of the Crossroads of America.
While in office, he wasn’t afraid to collaborate with people with opposing ideas or views. To achieve real progress in a state like Indiana, you must be willing to see past the petty differences of opinion that money and media exploit to keep us divided.
Andy is as sick and tired as you are of watching the ultra-rich real estate mogul Trey Hollingsworth repeatedly buy his way into power. He is committed to returning an independent Hoosier voice to Congress.
Want to see what a Hoosier Progressive can do for you? Check out Andy’s Record.
This is Andy.
Music has always influenced politics, and politics has always influenced music; Southern Indiana has been called the ‘little honky tonk capital’ of the Midwest; so it makes sense that somewhere in the region, there would be a honky tonk politician.
Andy’s love of music began with an 8-track player in his dad’s green Mercury Montego. Johnny Horton, Roger Miller and Johnny Cash were his favorites. Later, he befriended a kid from Texas whose dad lent him Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson on vinyl.
He picked up a guitar at age 20 after seeing Bill Monroe at Brown County’s Bean Blossom jamboree, dreaming, as many do, of fronting his own band. Ten years later, The Dew Daddies — with Andy Ruff on lead vocals and rhythm guitar — was opening for big acts like Junior Brown and releasing their first album.
Many artists think politics doesn’t belong in music, but Andy has always admired those who let injustice fuel their creativity. Woody Guthrie was one his heroes, musically as well as politically. Andy has seen that when a song reaches people, differences melt away leaving only a common fellowship. Whether on stage or in the audience, it energizes and makes him hopeful every time.
That which connects Hoosiers to each other goes much deeper than politics, as well. It’s something Andy finds when singing to a room full of people — strangers yes, but neighbors and family through the heartaches and joys that run through the strings of a pure country song.
Got ears? Check out Andy’s music.
This is Andy.
Andy Ruff fishing on a typical weekend along a beautiful river in the 9th District. He is a man deeply connected and committed to Southern Indiana, the place he calls home.
Andy’s mom was raised in a farming family in Miami County. His dad was a poor kid from Evansville. They met in the middle, where they raised Andy and his three brothers. Once grown, Andy stayed put, marrying a Hoosier and raising his own kids right here in the Ninth. He became a high school science teacher for public schools and continued working with students as a Human Biology advisor for Indiana University.
Between a 40-hour workweek, an active civic life and moonlighting as an amateur musician, Andy still always finds time for fishing. He knows all of Southern Indiana’s rivers, lakes, bends and backroads. Like most proud fishermen, he loves to photo-document his catches so that nobody can accuse him of exaggerating his angling feats. (He has thousands of photos just like this one.)
Andy is passionate about the Hoosier waters that he floats and fishes on. Many of his environmental policies are designed to keep our water clean for sportsmen. His wife and sons often go on overnight camping and fishing trips with Andy via canoe. He is deeply committed to caring for Indiana’s natural resources.
