Voters in Indiana House District 44 will choose between two candidates this November to represent them in the Indiana House of Representatives. The district includes all of Putnam County and a portion of Montgomery County. It includes the cities of Crawfordsville and Greencastle.
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.
Beau Baird
Candidate did not fill out WFYI's survey.
Incumbent
Party: Republican
Website: facebook.com/BeauBairdIN
Age: Not verified
Occupation: Indiana State Representative, District 44; Owner/operator, Baird Ranch; Chief financial officer, Indiana Home Care Plus
Residence: Greencastle
Top donors (via Transparency USA):
- Indiana Multi Family Housing PAC
- Beer Industry PAC
- Valero PAC
- Arcwood Environmental PAC
- Creek Run LLC Environmental Engineering
Top priorities: On the Indiana General Assembly website, Baird is said to support agricultural and economic development. In the Indiana House of Representatives, he currently serves on the Agricultural and Rural Development, and Rules and Legislative Procedures committees, and serves as Chair of the Environmental Affairs committee.
Kelsey Kauffman
Candidate did not fill out WFYI's survey.
Party: Democrat
Website: kauffmanindiana.com
Age: 78
Occupation: Retired teacher
Residence: Greencastle
Top donors (via Transparency USA):
- Kelsey Kauffman (self)
Top priorities: On her website, Kauffman says she supports democracy and due process for all people, and "opposes ICE, mass deportation, white nationalism, and cruelty in any form of government." She says she would prioritize education, healthcare, a strong economy, property taxes and childcare support.
