Voters in Indiana Senate District 41 will choose between two candidates this November to represent them in the Indiana Senate. The district includes all of Bartholomew County and a portion of Johnson County. It includes the cities of Columbus, Whiteland and Franklin.
Republican incumbent Greg Walker lost the primary to Michelle Davis.
There are 50 members of the Indiana Senate. Their job is to work alongside the governor and the Indiana House of Representatives to create laws and set the state budget. They serve four-year terms, and in Indiana there is no limit on the number of terms a senator 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.
Michelle Davis
Candidate did not fill out WFYI's survey.
Party: Republican
Website: vote4michelledavis.com
Age: Not verified
Occupation: Director of Adult Education at Central Nine Career Center
Residence: Greenwood
Top donors (via Transparency USA):
- Hoosiers for Quality Education PAC
- Indiana Merit Construction PAC of ABC
- Indiana Multi Family Housing PAC
- Jack E Jordan
- Keith Hardin
Top priorities: On her website, Davis says she prioritizes the separation of athletics by biological sex and the freedom of educational choice. She says she's pro-life, and she supports the 2nd Amendment, traditional family values and limiting federal government overreach.
Ross Thomas
Personal information provided by candidate.
Party: Democrat
Website: voterossthomas.com
Age: 56
Occupation: Owner of The Law Office of Ross G. Thomas
Residence: Columbus
Top donors (via Transparency USA):
- Ross Thomas (self)
- Faith Thomas
- Dennis Baute
- Michael Mullett
- Steve Schoettmer
Thomas accepted WFYI's invitation to take a survey. WFYI fact checked statements about publicly available data.
If elected, what are your top policy priorities?
Real property tax reform, Public education, supporting working families
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?
In Indiana the main reason for this is gerrymandering. Our state legislature is gerrymandered to the point that many races have traditionally been non-competitive. A politician running in a district he or she thinks they are practically guaranteed to win is much more willing to support something that donors or national politicians want, even when they majority of their voters oppose it.
What is your position on data center development in Indiana?
I support a moratorium on new data center development until such time as the many concerns residents have about the developments have been adequately addressed. From strains on the electrical grid and water usage to health concerns and property values, I just haven't seen that these developments benefit the communities they would like to build them in. Until such time as I can be show that the benefits (to the community, not the billion dollar corporations building them) outweigh the drawbacks, I am not going to support these developments in our communities.
Many voters told us they struggle to afford food, housing and healthcare. If elected, how would you help them address those needs?
In the long run, we need better paying jobs, which means raising the minimum wage, supporting collective bargaining and investing in education and training. We must address the childcare crisis in this state by investing in a professional, taxpayer funded child care system, not simply further deregulating an already broken privatized child care system. We need to use tax abatements and incentives to encourage the building of more affordable housing while aggressively limiting how large out of state investors are able to game our housing market.
