JASPER— The Indiana Rural Summit, nine Democratic State House candidates from districts representing 24% of Indiana across 22 counties, is rallying around a unified message of hope for Hoosiers: Rural communities and small towns can have better healthcare, schools, and jobs.
Turning disempowering gerrymandered districts into a secret superpower, they are uniting to spread this hopeful message to thousands of rural voters, too often left without a choice on the ballot for state representatives due to unopposed races.
“We care about local issues, and our concerns are deeply rooted in our love of family, community, and the beauty of our region,” says Ryan Still, Monroe County Rural Engagement Deputy Director and organizer for the Indiana Rural Summit. “The continued policies of extraction and exploitation from our legislature have left us behind and silenced. Our current state representatives prioritize corporate lobbyists and outside influencers over Hoosiers. We want legislators who understand our concerns and refuse to sell us out. We want a state that works for all of us, not just the wealthy few. We all want to live in communities that thrive.”
Inspired by our first national motto, “E Pluribus Unum” (“Out of many, one”), these candidates are kicking off a six-stop tour around the region this August and September to connect with some of Indiana’s most ignored and poorly represented voters. First stop: Jasper’s popular Strassenfest, home to the Indiana Rural Summit member Teresa Kendall, who is running for House District 63. Rural Summit Kick-Off Strassenfest Parade on August 4th at 1:00 p.m.
Rural Summit candidates, Jennifer McCormick (candidate for Governor) and Destiny Wells (candidate for Attorney General) will march in the beloved parade. German band Hungry5 will be performing traditional music to add to the festivities.
“Most of our districts are rural or artificially rural due to gerrymandering, keeping rural voters isolated, unheard, and desperately misunderstood. Rarely are these voters asked about their vision for Indiana by those elected to represent them,” explains Michelle Higgs, Indiana Rural Summit member running for HD 60. (Monroe/Morgan/Johnson Counties). “Rural voters need a seat at the table.”
The Indiana Rural Summit is using the very cause that isolates communities to unite and give rural voters both a voice and an option. Unifying gerrymandered districts that share county overlap, these eight candidates are turning gerrymandering into a regional coalition fighting for regional solutions to improve rural Hoosiers’ quality of life. These solutions include better access to comprehensive healthcare, jobs with livable wages and benefits, safe and affordable housing, and quality public education.
Meet the Indiana Rural Summit cohort:
● HD 46 Kurtis Cummings [Vigo/Clay/Owen/Monroe Counties]
● HD 47 Michael Potter [Johnson/Shelby Counties]
● HD 60 Michelle Higgs [Monroe/Morgan/Johnson Counties]
● HD 62 Thomas Horrocks [Monroe/Brown Counties]
● HD 63 Teresa Kendall [Davies/Martin/Pike/Dubois Counties]
● HD 66 Jennifer David [Scott/Jefferson/Clark Counties]
● HD 69 Trish Whitcomb [Bartholomew/Jackson/Scott/Washington Counties]
● HD 70 Sarah Blessing [Harrison/Floyd/Clark/Washington Counties]
● HD 73 Hollie Payton [Shelby/Bartholomew/Decatur/Jennings Counties]
Why do we need the Indiana Rural Summit?
Indiana has the lowest voter turnout in the nation. It also has a large slate of unopposed races. (Indiana currently has 26 uncontested House seats.)
These two facts are connected: The Indiana General Assembly creates voter suppression and apathy through gerrymandering and blocking ballot initiatives so they can pass embarrassingly bad legislation here first (what Michelle Higgs, Rural Summit cohort candidate for HD 60, calls Indiana’s “Midwest Nice Legislative Stamp of Approval”).
The Indiana Rural Summit wants to empower disheartened voters across 22 counties. It aims to get voters to the polls supporting Hoosier-focused candidates in their districts. When you invest in House District candidates, you turn out voters for both up and down-ballot races. These include:
- 9 IN State House Representatives (including the most flippable seat in the state),
- 4 Congressional Districts (CDs 4, 6, 8 & 9)
- 3 Statewide Races (Gov/Lt. Gov, Attorney General & US Senator)
- AND 1 Presidential Election
Officials are focused on the real kitchen-table issues voters care about. They are taking their vision to voters on tour this autumn. (Full schedule here) At every tour stop, they will amplify a different core issue and focus on the truth that the Indiana General Assembly (and our opponents) are hurting rural voters.
Get Involved
Interested Hoosiers can join the Rural Summit mailing list, become volunteers, and, most significantly, donate to support our tour. For more information, click here.
To donate, click here.
