Indiana Senate District 49
The Indiana State Senate is the upper chamber of the Indiana General Assembly. Alongside the Indiana House of Representatives, it forms the legislative branch of the Indiana state government and works alongside the governor of Indiana to create laws and establish a state budget. Legislative authority and responsibilities of the Indiana State Senate include passing bills on public policy matters, setting levels for state spending, raising and lowering taxes, and voting to uphold or override gubernatorial vetoes.toThe Indiana State Senate meets in the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. There are 50 seats in the chamber. One half of the seats are up for election every 2 years. Senators are elected every 4 years.
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Cindi Clayton
(Dem)
What training, experience, and characteristics qualify you for this position?
How can the state manage Indiana’s natural resources (water, wetlands, prairie, forest, air) while keeping a balance between protection for the future and reasonable economic growth?
Indiana has the most expensive school voucher system in the country, sending public tax dollars to private and religious schools. Should these schools be mandated to participate in required testing, evaluation, and fiscal transparency the same as the public schools? Please explain your answer.
In the 2026 legislative session, some progress was made to help citizens get relief from high utility bills. What are the next steps you plan to take to make even more progress in lowering the cost of their utilities?
What role can the Indiana Legislature play in helping citizens have access to affordable housing?
Campaign Phone
8125759329
I'm a teacher and have 25 years experience in HR, including employment law and immigration compliance. I've been through a lot of experiences in life that allow me to see issues affecting Hoosiers from multiple perspectives. I grew up in a union household, then we owned a small business. I am the proud product of public schools, including USI. I've served my community in a variety of ways, including 11 years on the board of Holly's House. Our government pulled the ladder up behind them, and I want all Hoosiers to have the same opportunities I did.
Our governor has sold us out to Data Centers, including Blackrock buying Central Indiana's grid. We have Centerpoint in Evansville, which is the cash cow for the Houston-based corporation. We already can't afford our bills and the governor and his billionaire buddies are pushing laws that take away local say over property and allow data centers to operate by only taking from our communities. I resent that the governor has had this much latitude selling us out with the help from the rest of the Republican supermajority. We have the opportunity to lead the way with solar and wind power as we transition from fossil fuels. We can do so responsibly just like other states have already demonstrated.
Of course - any organization that receives state or federal tax dollars has reporting and compliance obligations. I've worked as an affirmative action director and supported organizations that receive state and federal funds that require at least quarterly reporting. No tax dollar should be spent without accountability. While this used to be the stance of conservatives, they have been taken over by Christian Nationalism and no longer have the former goals. If you take tax money, you have to follow the rules. Even if the Lt. Governor likes your congregation. End of story.
My opponent, after 16 years in office, keeps talking about wanting the CEO of Centerpoint to fly up and meet with him as his only way of dealing with our cost of energy crisis. That's not a strategy. A stern talking to, no matter if it is in person, is not a plan. We must first address the obvious - taxpayers should not be paying in advance for work not completed on projects, especially with no refund if the project isn't even started or finished. We must reign in the fees that the legislature has allowed outside of the IURC's purview. We must cap the "record profits" made off taxpayer backs. Finally, citizens need to have options for energy independence.
The federal government, in the past, has modeled incentives for homebuyers, like a tax credit for first-time home buyers. Similar incentives can be offered at the state level. There seems to be a somewhat bipartisan effort to limit corporations buying up large quantities of homes. We can make that happen much easier at the state level. Finally, creative solutions can exist like in downtown Evansville, where Mayor Terry has kept her promise to build more affordable housing downtown. Where supply and demand is the issue, we can replicate that success throughout the state.
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