Candidate Q&A

What makes you the right person to represent Indianapolis in Congress?

As a lifelong activist and Indianapolis resident, I understand the needs of our community. As Congressman, I’ve brought over $1 billion to our district in sidewalk and road repairs, mental health resources, youth programming, and job training. My job is not to lord over Indianapolis residents. It’s to listen, and bring back results. Over the last two years, I’ve been fighting the Trump administration’s harmful policies, including his attacks on DEI, voting rights, anti-immigrant policies, and devastating cuts to Medicaid and SNAP. I’m running to undo the damage Trump has done and build on the progress Democrats started.

What are the top three issues you hear from constituents?

Affordability. Under the Trump administration, the average American is paying close to $4,000 more a year just for essential items. Trump’s tariffs and cuts to programs like Medicaid and SNAP are hitting Hoosiers hard. Currently, data centers are also a top issue. I support a nationwide pause on data centers until we can ensure they will not raise your utility rates or burden neighborhoods. Indy residents are also concerned with ICE and its reign of terror. Indianapolis has a deeply valued and vibrant immigrant population. I continue to vote against ICE funding and host immigrant rights webinars to make it clear: I stand with Hoosier immigrants.

What is at least one federal policy you’d propose to address those constituent concerns?

We need to reverse Donald Trump’s harmful policies over the last two years and build on the progress Democrats started. Prior to Trump’s second term, the economy was strong. I worked to lower the cost of prescription drugs, utility bills, and healthcare—but Trump had taken us down the wrong path. We need to stop Trump’s reckless war in Iran, which is impacting gas prices, and reinstate healthcare cost savings that helped millions of Americans afford health insurance. We also need to restore faith in our democracy again. Trump’s lawless, unethical, and unstable administration has hurt our country.

What have you heard from people in your district about data centers? How would you address the data center issue in Congress?

I support a federal moratorium on data centers until we can guarantee protections. People in Indianapolis are already seeing higher energy bills, and they shouldn’t have to pay for a corporation’s data center. We also need more transparency. Too often, neighbors hear about data center development after plans are already in place. My Data Center Transparency Act would change that. We need protections for workers who build data centers and protections for consumers, who shouldn’t have to pay more for energy they aren’t using.

Indianapolis has long struggled with road funding. How would you leverage federal infrastructure funding to improve Marion County’s streets and roads?

I’ve long fought for federal funding for Indianapolis, including passing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which brought roughly $9 billion to Indiana for road repair, pedestrian safety, public transit, and expanded internet infrastructure. But one of Trump’s first actions as president was attempting to roll back this landmark law. Plus, the chaos of Trump’s tariffs have made all infrastructure improvements more expensive, in addition to federal workforce cuts. As a senior member of the Transportation and Infrastructure, I’m in a unique position to advocate for Indianapolis. I will be fighting to build on the progress of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and bring funding where it belongs—right here at home in Indianapolis.