Meet the candidates running for Indiana Senate District 31

Democrat Jocelyn Vare and incumbent Republican Sen. Kyle Walker are running for the Indiana Senate District 31 seat.
*provided photos*

Two candidates are running to represent Indiana Senate District 31, which includes portions of Marion and Hamilton counties: incumbent Republican State Sen. Kyle Walker (R-Fishers) and Democrat Jocelyn Vare.

Vare is the president and owner of advertising agency Propeller Marketing, and she currently serves on the Fishers City Council.

Walker is an executive vice president at MO Strategies. The Republican Party caucus chose him to fill the seat in 2020 after State Sen. Jim Merritt's retirement.

WFYI sent each of the candidates five questions to help voters learn more ahead of early voting and Election Day, Nov. 8. Their answers are presented in alphabetical order.

Editor’s note: Candidate responses were edited for AP Style and grammar, and any numbers used were checked for accuracy. When a statement required more clarification or could not be independently verified, WFYI reached out to candidates before publication. Those instances, and those candidate responses, are noted throughout in editors’ notes.

Jocelyn Vare

What do you see as the most pressing issue lawmakers will address in the upcoming legislative session?

The 2023 legislative session is a budget setting session. The most pressing issue will be to ensure our Statehouse invests in the education, health and future of Hoosiers.

Indiana’s schools are facing numerous challenges, including teacher shortages, racial achievement gaps, reading ability and declining college-going rates. What do you see as the state’s top education issues, and how would you address them?

The top education issue in our state is to prioritize and value public education. Communities are only as strong as their public schools. At some point, the supermajority in our Statehouse chose to diminish public education, and Hoosiers are paying an exorbitant price for their irresponsible actions. Tackling Indiana’s education challenges can only be achieved once we return to the very basic principle of prioritizing and valuing public education. From there, we can effectively address the teacher shortage, which in turn will allow us to move all students forward.

As a current Fishers city councilor, I have been hard at work on the problem of affordable housing. I also know through my conversations with voters that it is a problem throughout Indiana State Senate District 31. Incentivizing community land trusts that invest in affordable housing for first-time homeowners and multi-unit affordable housing developments for people who rent is a great start. In tandem with community land trust development, passing judgment on people who need and seek income-based housing has got to stop. As a public servant, I recognize that affordable housing is a basic human need. When we meet the need, we build strong, financially diverse communities that have the greatest potential for economic development.

In recent legislative sessions, state lawmakers have tried to regulate local decision-making; two examples are wind turbine regulation and bail reform. How would you approach issues of local versus state control as a lawmaker?

It is accurate to say that state lawmakers have wasted voters’ valuable time and resources in the Statehouse. In some cases, they have even violated Indiana’s Constitution by taking decisions away from local leaders and citizens. Whether it is innovative power sources, public transportation or economic development, communities should be lifted up and encouraged when they grow and serve their community’s needs.

Indiana lawmakers voted to ban most abortions, with narrow exceptions for rape, incest, and certain serious medical complications and emergencies. Would you support the legislature revisiting Indiana’s abortion law? What would you change?

I support repealing Indiana’s current extreme abortion ban and returning bodily autonomy to all Hoosier women. All women deserve to be trusted to make their own medical decisions.

Kyle Walker

What do you see as the most pressing issue lawmakers will address in the upcoming legislative session?

I believe we need to stay laser focused on strengthening our economy and doing what we can to alleviate the impacts of inflation caused by unsustainable national policies that are harming Hoosiers. I will continue to support fiscally responsible policies, a balanced state budget and low taxes so that Hoosiers keep more of their hard-earned dollars. I’m also focused on accelerating economic development and bringing high-paying jobs to our district. Equally as important are efforts to improve quality of life in our communities, including bolstering public safety and supporting our students and schools.

Indiana’s schools are facing numerous challenges, including teacher shortages, racial achievement gaps, reading ability and declining college-going rates. What do you see as the state’s top education issues, and how would you address them?

I was proud to support historic investments for our schools in the last state budget and expanded school choice so that parents and students can attend a school that best fits their needs. The budget increased K-12 education funding by $1.93 billion, including $1 billion in increased tuition support, $150 million dedicated to student learning loss due to the pandemic, and funding to raise teacher salaries. I will always support fully funding and supporting our students, schools and teachers. There are a lot of challenges facing our education system and chief among them is making sure our schools are adequately preparing our students for the future. Our education system can’t be one-size-fits-all. We should look at innovative ways to ensure our students are getting the skills they need to compete in today’s economy. We should expand pathways into high-paying, high-quality jobs that include college as well as alternative options.

Indiana lacks affordable housing inventory and communities across the state deal with landlords who shrug off local health and safety violations. How would you address the state’s lack of affordable housing and laws to protect tenants from bad-acting landlords?

Affordable housing is one of Indiana’s key economic advantages that makes our state an attractive place to live and raise a family. We should strive to ensure that is true for all of our communities and populations. I’m supportive of state efforts and incentives aimed at providing affordable housing options and I also believe we should have prudent policies to protect tenants from bad-acting landlords.

In recent legislative sessions, state lawmakers have tried to regulate local decision-making; two examples are wind turbine regulation and bail reform. How would you approach issues of local versus state control as a lawmaker?

These are complex issues and my approach is to evaluate each piece of legislation on its own merits. In general, I support local control when it makes sense and to the extent possible, though there are instances in which state policy is preferred because it can provide a consistent regulatory environment that is beneficial to our state. I supported a bill that allowed local governments to opt-in to receive incentives for renewable energy projects. I believe Indiana should embrace clean and renewable energy options as an economic development strategy, to reduce energy costs for our businesses and residents, and to improve the quality of life for Hoosiers.

Indiana lawmakers voted to ban most abortions, with narrow exceptions for rape, incest, and certain serious medical complications and emergencies. Would you support the legislature revisiting Indiana’s abortion law? What would you change?

Yes, I believe we should repeal the ban. I spoke out and voted against the recent abortion ban because I believe we must strike a balance for pregnant women to make their own health decisions in the first trimester of pregnancy and also provide protections for an unborn baby as it progresses toward viability outside the womb. I advocated for exceptions for rape, incest, health and life of the mother, and cases of fatal fetal anomaly.

There are several components of the new law that were objectionable to me and that I would change. Limiting girls or women who are victims of rape or incest to only 10 weeks is unacceptable as some may not know they are pregnant, have enough time to get to the doctor, process what has happened, learn what support and resources are available, and be prepared to make a decision. I contend that given more time to decide, more women will choose life. Further, I strongly oppose requiring a girl or woman who is a victim of rape or incest to get a signed affidavit notarized, which I believe further victimizes a woman in this horrific situation. Fortunately, that language wasn’t in the final bill, but I would strongly oppose any future effort to make that law.