Cynthia Wirth

What makes you qualified or uniquely fit for this position?

I am a teacher, scientist, and a small business owner, born, raised, and still living in the 6th District. I’ve raised a family here, taught public school here, owned a small business here, worked on Capitol Hill, written and passed public policy, and am the first in my family to graduate from college. I am the only candidate in the primary with this combination of lived experience and education, and that’s exactly what everyday Hoosiers need: someone who understands our daily struggles, not someone trying to build a career or pad a stock portfolio. I’ve been at county meetings and protests, standing up to data centers and using my voice for our communities. I am not trying to make this a career. I am running to listen to what people say they need and fight to make life better for all Hoosiers.

What do you believe are the top three most pressing issues in your district and how will you address them?

The top three most pressing issues in Indiana’s 6th District are affordability in our communities, protecting public education, and ensuring clean air and water for our families. I will champion legislation that provides universal single-payer health care for all, incentivizes doctors to work in underserved hospitals and clinics, raise the minimum wage to a living wage, and provide support for small Main Street businesses, childcare providers, startups, and clean energy jobs while accelerating our transition to green, renewable energy. I will work to ensure our Department of Education remains focused on fully supporting our public schools and paying our teachers like the professionals they are. I will fight to fully fund our schools, reduce class sizes, invest in Title I schools, and protect our students’ right to an honest, inclusive education that is free from political interference, book bans, and attacks on LGBTQ+ and Black history.

What is your stance on how the federal government is handling immigration enforcement?

I was the first candidate in this race to publicly call for ICE to be abolished. ICE is currently not serving and protecting, but rather acting as a private police force for the Executive Branch. We need our valuable and competent Customs and Immigration Officers at our borders, but the work that ICE, a separate and unnecessary entity, has been doing is illegal and unconstitutional. I will work to hold our leaders accountable for all of the orders and actions that have violated our laws and Constitution. In 2024, a bipartisan-supported immigration bill was deliberately blocked for political gain. It included training for Customs and Border Protection, and criminals were prioritized for removal. Our immigrantion system needs real reform that is humane, fair, and rooted in our Constitution. I stand with immigrant families, working-class Hoosiers, and the principle that no one is above the law.

Many residents are concerned about the cost of food, housing and health care. How would you work to address these concerns?

We need affordable healthcare, childcare, housing and an economy that works for all Hoosiers. A universal single-payer healthcare bill, funded by taxing the wealthiest 1% is critical because it would also provide grants/Medicaid reinstatement plans for struggling hospitals and incentivize health care providers, via tuitition assistance and grants in exchange for 10-year commitments, to serve in underserved areas. We need a federal housing bill that blocks foreign investors and large private-equity firms from buying up single-family homes nd driving up rents and home prices. We need down-payment assistance, tax credits, and low-interest loan programs, so working families can finally reach the American dream of home ownership instead of being priced out of their own communities. A living wage means that when someone works full-time, they should be able to afford basics like rent, groceries, and utilities without having to choose between them. Right now in Indiana, a full-time minimum wage job does not cover decent housing, food and bills, which is why I support raising the federal minimum wage to a true living wage and adding stronger protections for renters, food assitance, and help with utility bills so families are not forced to choose between feeding their kids and keeping heat on.

If you win, how can Marion County constituents expect their lives to improve?

When I win, Marion County’s Decatur, Perry, and Franklin Township constituents can expect their lives to improve in very concrete ways. First, I will push for a federal halt on federal tax incentives and infrastructure funding for new data centers until we put in place strong federal rules that require every single large energy-intensive project to be fully transparent, comply with robust EPA environmental standards, and undergo meaningful community input at township, city, and county levels. That means no more back-room deals nd no more corporations dumping massive, energy-intensive, potentially hazardous projects on our neighborhoods without real public process. At the same time, I will fight to expand access to affordable, truly universal health care; raise the federal minimum wage to a true living wage so families can afford food, rent and utilities; strengthen rent protections and help with utility biils; and make real, sustained investments in our public schools and teachers. In Marion County’s Decatur, Perry and Franklin Township, that means safer, healthier, neighborhoods, more stable housing, and better-paid workers who can support their families instead of living patycheck to paycheck.