Voters in Indiana House District 38 will choose between two candidates this November to represent them in the Indiana House of Representatives. The district includes all of Tipton and Carroll counties, and portions of Howard, Cass, Clinton and Tippecanoe counties. It includes the cities of Battle Ground, Delphi, Flora, Russiaville and Tipton.
There are 100 members of the Indiana House of Representatives. Their job is to work alongside the governor and the Indiana State Senate to create laws and set the state budget. Their seats go up for election every two years, and in Indiana there is no limit on the number of terms a representative can serve.
WFYI opened an ongoing voter survey in May, and the most common voting issues were data center policy, affordability, and feeling disempowered.
WFYI contacted each campaign and sent a survey based on voter questions — it asked candidates for their top priorities and their positions on civic health, data centers and affordability. For candidates who did not respond, information was gathered from websites and social media for a "Top priorities" note. Candidates are listed in alphabetical order.
Nate Stout
Personal information provided by candidate.
Party: Democrat
Website: natefor38.com
Age: 45
Occupation: Owner and Founder of Stout Consulting
Residence: Russiaville
Top donors (via Transparency USA):
- Terri Stout
- Cass County Democratic Central Committee
- Jack Donaldson
- Joshua Havens
- Paul Price
Stout accepted WFYI's invitation to take a survey. WFYI fact checked statements about publicly available data.
If elected, what are your top policy priorities?
If elected, I've narrowed my focus to improve three things in Indiana; public education, economic development and rural healthcare access.
Public education quality continues to slip while private schools have gobbled up over $2.66 Billion since 2011. We've given this experiment 15 years and I don't see any improvements.
In terms of economic development, the State has too much power and interest in driving large scale projects with minimal local benefit. The state will roll out the red carpet for the logos while we all take incremental tax increases to finance the infrastructure. Bills like 2026's HB1333 lay the groundwork for giving even greater power to the state, and that should all give us pause.
Lastly, access to healthcare services have diminished for a lot of rural Hoosiers. Hospitals continue to consolidate and as such, services get fewer and farther in between. We need to look for creative solutions to ensure our most vulnerable can get care without a 45 minute drive.
Many voters told us they don't think today's politicians listen to their constituents. Why do you think that is, and how would you address the concern?
I think voters don't believe politicians listen because they're not very accessible. I want to change that by having quarterly townhalls, both in person and online. These should be mandatory for every state representative, but most stick to traveling in groups and maybe hitting a random chamber of commerce meeting. Voters deserve to know who votes on their behalf and I look forward to being someone that returns phone calls quickly and isn't afraid have face to face discussions.
What is your position on data center development in Indiana?
Data Centers are going in all over Indiana right now, and while I'm grateful for the work they provide for some Hoosiers, I am concerned about the environmental impact. I don't believe that everything is either/or, but leaders haven't been transparent about these projects and that concerns me. I'm grateful to be living in a time where technology will continue evolve, but we must protect our people and wildlife from noise, light, water and any other pollution we see from similar projects.
Many voters told us they struggle to afford food, housing and healthcare. If elected, how would you help them address those needs?
If elected, I will advocate for those who are struggling. Right now we're sitting on an estimated $2 billion in surplus, but if Hoosiers are still struggling, it's not a surplus, it's mismanagement. Additionally, I will advocate for more efficient ways of administering federal programs like Sun Bucks. We rejected $70MM in aid because it costs the state millions of dollars to administer. Federal programs are available for a reason and it's irresponsible to not use them when hungry kids are on the line.
Heath VanNatter
Candidate did not fill out WFYI's survey.
Incumbent
Party: Republican
Website: facebook.com/repvannatter
Age: 49
Occupation: Indiana State Representative, District 38; Owner, Operator of VanNatter Construction
Residence: Kokomo
Top donors (via Transparency USA):
- House Republican Campaign Committee
- Indiana Builders PAC
- Indiana Assn. of Beverage Retailers - Good Gov't Fund
- Indiana Multi Family Housing PAC
- Indiana BANKPAC - State Fund
Top priorities: On the Indiana General Assembly website, VanNatter is said to support safe and affordable housing and economic development. In the Indiana House of Representatives, he serves on the Commerce, Small Business and Economic Development and the Public Policy committees, and serves as Chair of the Employment, Labor and Pensions Committee.
