Both of the candidates running in the November 8, 2022, general election for Indiana House of Representatives District 73 — Mimi Pruett (D) and Jennifer Meltzer (R) — completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey. These survey responses allow voters to hear directly from candidates about what motivates them to run for office.
Eighty-eight of the country’s 99 state legislative chambers will hold regularly scheduled elections in 2022. The Republican Party controls both chambers of Indiana’s state legislature. Indiana is one of 23 states with a Republican trifecta.
Here are excerpts from candidates’ responses to the question: What public policies are you personally passionate about?
Polk:
“I am passionate about mental health, healthcare and rural life issues. People who live in rural communities in the US make up 14% of the population but provide the vast majority of food, clean water, energy and outdoor recreational area to the rest of the county but get very little back in return. They need an advocate looking out for them. One who listens and learns from them not ignores them. Also mental health and healthcare are areas I know well and understand. Legislation regulating third party payers and education to reduce the stigma of mental illness could go a long way to change outcomes long-term.”
Meltzer:
“Jennifer is passionate about mental health, education, and local control. Mental health is the elephant in the room that has been ignored for too long. Big Pharma lied to us. They advertised and encouraged the prescribing of opioids for their own financial gain knowing they were highly addictive. Now after years of litigation by local governments the State has an opportunity to receive millions in settlement dollars. These monies need to be channeled directly to local communities who have been on the frontlines of responding to the opioid epidemic for years.”
Click on candidates’ profile pages below to read their full responses to this and other questions.
We ask all federal, state, and local candidates with profiles on Ballotpedia to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Ask the candidates in your area to fill out the survey.
Additional reading:
- Races with a 100% Candidate Connection completion rate, 2022
- Indiana House of Representatives elections, 2022
