The District 62 election for state representative was among the most competitive in the state two years ago. Dave Hall, a Republican, won by a mere 74 votes out of more than 26,000 votes.
Democrat Thomas Horrocks, pastor at Beechwood Christian Church in French Lick, is a former military chaplain and political newcomer. He's running for the District 62 seat in November as a democrat.
“So having done the work of a pastor and chaplain for the last decade or so, it became increasingly clear to me that charity will never fix what policy creates," Horrocks said.
Horrocks isn’t suggesting an end to charity. He’s explaining why he’s running for a seat in the state legislature. He said he’s particularly concerned about issues such as food insecurity, mental health, and healthcare expenses.
“So for the last few years, I've been paying more and more attention to politics, state level politics, paying attention specifically to state legislatures, which I think have a lot of influence over people's lives," he said.
The state can choose to take action on issues like education and workers' protections, he said.
Despite having no political experience, Horrocks believes he can be an effective representative for the district. District 62 includes all of Brown County, and parts of Monroe and Jackson Counties.
He said issues such as the lack of maternal care in some counties is the result of years of Republican leadership.
“These are the problems that are the result of a supermajority that continually prioritizes the wrong things, and they're hurting everyday Hoosiers and Dave Hall is a part of that right. He often votes right alongside with the supermajority. And even when he doesn't, there's not enough accountability there.”
Horrocks is acutely aware that Hall won election to his first term in 2022 with only 50.1 percent of the vote. He said he’s communicating that to voters.
“This particular district is not one that's so gerrymandered that that … you know their vote matters all the time, anytime but in this particular race, every vote is crucial.”
WTIU News made several attempts to reach out to Dave Hall but did not receive a response.
