For the first time in 22 years, two Democrats will compete for the party’s nomination in the Statehouse District 61 primary election. Matt Pierce will defend the statehouse seat he’s held since 2002 against first-time candidate Lilliana Young.
WFIU/WTIU News interviewed both candidates last month. Some responses have been shortened for clarity.
Why should people vote for you?
Pierce: I have a proven track record of being an outspoken advocate for the values of our community, for progressive policies, and I think particularly in this time when we're not only fighting to help Hoosier families with their everyday challenges, like affording their utilities, housing, childcare, very long list of things where people are struggling at the same time, we have to defend democracy itself. And I think when you find yourself in that situation, you want to have someone who understands the legislature, how it works, and has proven that they can get the job done.
Young: We have a very big problem in Indiana where we keep electing the same people or same kinds of people over and over, and it's clearly not leading to solving the problems that the state's facing. The problems have only gotten worse over the last decade, and I think a big problem that we have is the people in our state legislature – they're lawyers, they're business owners, they're people with a lot of money, they're very separated from the things that happen in this state, Democrat and Republican alike. They all have treasure troves to fall back on. I don't have that. I am just a restaurant worker. I feel that sting every week, every month of the stress of bills and rent and childcare and healthcare, and it's people like me in that position who understand that pain so well that are the ones I think most motivated to actually get in there roll up our sleeves and start solving these problems, rather than taking our time and letting the process unfold in some nebulous, natural way.
What’s the number one issue this cycle?
Young: Affordability across the board, but that would be raising state minimum wage, using the state's power to force lower housing costs and improving our funding and access to the state Medicaid program.
Pierce: The top thing is the so-called affordability issue. I mean, families just can't get by, and it just keeps getting worse. We had tariffs put on by President Trump that caused prices to go up, and now we have the war in Iran driving up gas prices. People are going to find it harder and harder to just meet their basic needs. I think that's where the legislature needs to be stepping up and saying, what can we do to make childcare accessible and affordable? What about health care? What about housing? Instead, the legislature is going in the opposite direction. They're making it harder to get health care. They've been slow to do much of anything about childcare and housing. They really haven't gotten the job done.
How will you work within a presumably Republican-run state house?
Pierce: I think that I've shown that I've been able to operate within that environment. Unfortunately, you can't convince them to reverse their most damaging policies, but you can work within that kind of framework to try to do better. And I think that, for example, we were able to fight back the attempt to redistrict congressional seats in the middle of the decade. I mean, that looked like an uphill battle, but I took a leadership role in that, spoke out on national media, helped organize people, we had rallies. We pushed together, made speeches on the floor, and we were fortunate that at the end of the day that did not become law.
Young: If that still is true, then my goal is to organize the Democrats into an obstruction party. On a federal level, Republicans are very good about organizing to obstruct and slow the process. This is something that the Democrats badly need to learn how to do, especially here in Indiana. Now, if that super majority does break because there's many Democrats challenging for seats this year, then that may not end up being as necessary. We might be able to actually pass through some legislation, or if not that at the very least, we may actually be able to attempt a compromise with Republicans on some things.
What is the most significant difference between you and your opponent?
Young: Mostly, I think our backgrounds, I would consider Matt to be one of the people of money who is separated from a lot of the problems that the rest of us are living with. I also do believe that there is a point where a person stays in office for so long that regardless of their background, they become very separated from the people that they're supposed to be representing. And he's held this seat for 24 years. I only want to do this for maybe a decade at the most before I pass it on to somebody else. I don't want this to be my life's career. I just want to set a foundation for other people to build on.
Pierce: I have a proven record of being able to work within the system. I'm working to try to strengthen the voice of Democrats at the statehouse, get more Democrats elected. And I think if you just look at my track record, you will see that I'm addressing the key issues that people want addressed in Bloomington, and I'm doing it in a forceful way.
