Westfield Democrat: more of us than we’ve been led to believe

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Dear Editor:

As a lifelong Hoosier, I care deeply about the future of our state. As a Democrat living in what I believed to be a firmly red state, I had started to believe there weren’t enough people here who believed as I do to really make a difference.

When a friend told me last spring there were two Democrats on the ballot in Westfield for city council, my curiosity was piqued. When he mentioned that one of them was a woman in my district, I reached out immediately.

That was the beginning of a new phase of activism in my life. While canvassing with Alexis Lowry, we came across large blocks of homes (sometimes 10 to 15 in a row) who’d fake whisper, “I’m a Democrat, but don’t tell my neighbors.” We need these voters to be empowered to tell their neighbors and friends what they care about and why it matters to them, and we need them to show up and vote in November. There are more of us than we’ve been led to believe.

Alexis missed a city council seat in Westfield by only 23 votes AND had about 5 times that in voters who promised their support but just didn’t show up at the polls in November for one reason or another. Now I’m volunteering for her husband Josh Lowry in his bid for Indiana House District 24’s seat, and we need Democrats here to learn the lesson from his wife’s campaign. We need people to believe we can do this, so that we will actually do this!

Indiana Republicans have held a supermajority in the House since the 2012 election. Because of this, Republicans can strip women of their autonomy, use your tax dollars to pay private school tuition, and make life more difficult for marginalized Hoosiers without even listening to their constituents.

BUT that doesn’t have to be that way next year. Democrats only need to take 4 seats to break the supermajority in the House, and each Hoosier Democrat can be a part of making that happen. Donate, volunteer, support the candidates’ social media, and most importantly VOTE! Together, we can build a better future for all Hoosiers.

Cary Fuller
Westfield