Three Democrats are competing in the May 5 primary for an open Indiana Senate District 46 seat after Sen. Andrea Hunley (D-Indianapolis) announced in January she will not seek reelection. Hunley, who was first elected in 2022, did not reveal her future plans, but there has been ongoing speculation she will enter the 2027 Indianapolis mayoral race.
The district covers downtown Indianapolis and surrounding neighborhoods, including the Near Eastside, Irvington, Martindale-Brightwood, Fountain Square, Fletcher Place, Beech Grove and parts of the south side. All three candidates have focused on protecting public school funding, affordable housing and opposing corporate subsidies, particularly for data centers.
No Republican filed for the seat, meaning the winner of the Democratic primary will represent District 46 in the state Senate.
WFYI contacted each campaign to ask why the candidate is running and what their priorities are. For candidates who did not respond, information was gathered from their campaign websites and social media. Candidate statements have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Sam Glynn
Party: Democrat
Occupation: Grocery store worker
Age: 25
Residence: Indianapolis
Website: samglynn4indy.wixsite.com
Campaign message: Glynn, a Marian University graduate with a degree in political science, said he has spent seven years working at a downtown Indianapolis grocery store and is running to represent "every Hoosier that has had to work two jobs to pay off loans, put themselves through college, and been tired of the status quo," according to his campaign website
Top priorities: Glynn's six-issue platform, according to his website, includes raising the state minimum wage to $15.88, banning new data centers and reducing electricity bills, expanding public transportation and creating walkable cities, protecting union workers and guaranteeing paid time off, opposing corporate and out-of-state campaign donations and instituting age and term limits for elected officials, and reducing Indiana's dependence on coal.
Allissa Impink
Party: Democrat
Occupation: Director of statewide community engagement, Women's Foundation of Indiana
Age: 42
Residence: Fletcher Place neighborhood
Website: allissaimpink.com
Campaign message: Impink said she is running "because every family deserves the same thing I want for my own: stability, opportunity, and a fair shot." She currently serves as an IPS Board commissioner, elected in 2024, and has worked as a child welfare supervisor. "I am running because I am the best qualified candidate to make a difference in the Senate and am the most prepared candidate to affect change."
Top priorities: Impink said she would immediately file legislation to place a moratorium on new charter schools within the IPS boundary and push for increased public school funding. She also supports repealing Indiana's abortion ban, expanding Medicaid to include comprehensive postpartum care, and addressing housing affordability by opposing policies she says criminalize poverty and investing in "proven housing solutions that promote stability and connect people to services."
Clif Marsiglio
Party: Democrat
Age: 54
Occupation: Management analyst, Indiana University
Residence: Indianapolis
Website: Facebook
Campaign message: Marsiglio, who describes himself as a progressive Democrat, said he is running because "District 46 needs a fighter who refuses to compromise our values before even sitting down at the table." He has spent 30 years as an educator and administrator at Indiana University. "I am an activist who has spent decades working alongside our most vulnerable neighbors, and I'm running to bring that unapologetic, community-first advocacy to the Statehouse — without the doublespeak."
Top priorities: Marsiglio's priorities include establishing civilian-led crisis response models and science-based harm reduction for public health, protecting public school funding and opposing the expansion of private school vouchers. He wants to expand affordable housing and strengthen renter protections to prevent long-term residents from being "priced out of their own neighborhoods," and opposing corporate tax breaks and data center subsidies that he says "drain local resources" without benefiting local families.
WFYI Data Journalist Zak Cassel contributed to this report.
