For the first time since 2014, the Indiana State Senate 6th District will have a new face for its leader.
DeMotte Democrat Kate-Lynn Holley and DeMotte Republican James “Jay” Starkey are facing off for the seat. State Sen. Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell, was ousted from the position after he was defeated in the May primary.
Real estate agent Kate-Lynn Holley said she decided to run for state senate because it’s harder for Hoosiers to make ends meet.
“That mixed with the fact that I talked to a lot of my friends, and no matter where they are on the political spectrum, they feel disenfranchised with politics (and) that people don’t have a voice because it’s just going to be decided for us anyway,” Holley said.
This is Holley’s first time running for political office, she said. However, she thinks her background as a real estate agent and former professional wrestler have helped her campaign, especially with knowing how to market herself, Holley said.
Affordability is Holley’s top campaign issue, which is a large umbrella, she said. Holley wants to look at improving Indiana’s housing affordability because she’s seen clients get through the home buying process and get priced out.
“These are people who are teachers or health care workers or even union workers who have a budget that five or six years ago would have sounded astounding,” Holley said.
Holley also wants to take action to lower utility, groceries and gas prices. She doesn’t want someone to buy a house, then struggle to afford groceries or utilities because their mortgage is high.
Another one of Holley’s priorities is supporting public schools, she said, including evaluating Indiana’s voucher program that provides state-funded scholarships to offset costs to participating private schools. Holley said state data shows the most people utilizing the voucher program make about $250,000 to $300,000 a year.
“My point is, if you cannot qualify for free lunch, why do you qualify for private school?” Holley said. “I’m not necessarily taking that away from those people. What I’m saying is, we need to evaluate where the money is going.”
Although Starkey has been endorsed by several state officials, Holley said she’s not letting it affect her campaign.
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“I’m working on my plan, and I know who I’m trying to connect with,” she said. “And the people I’m trying to connect with are fed up, and this is on all sides of the aisle.”
Holley encouraged voters to put aside party interests and focus on those who have their best interests at heart.
“Put aside everything they’re telling us to believe and actually talk to our neighbors and understand there’s way more that we all agree on than those people in power are telling us we disagree on,” Holley said. “Then we can get back to Hoosier hospitality.”
Starkey, construction project manager from DeMotte, did not respond to multiple requests for comment, including by phone, email and text message.
However, according to his campaign website, he describes himself as “a true Christian conservative and will “stand firmly alongside” President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” agenda.
“As your State Senator, I will bring responsive, accountable leadership to our State Senate, fight to protect life from conception, defend our traditional Christian family values, and fight for further tax reform and lower taxes to empower working- and middle-class Hoosiers,” Starkey’s website says.
According to Post-Tribune archives, Starkey said during the Republican primary campaign that he had strong support in Lake County and felt voters wanted new Republican members in the state legislature.
Starkey is one of several successful challengers to Republican state senators who voted against Indiana’s mid-census redistricting attempt. He’s been endorsed by Gov. Mike Braun, Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith and Attorney General Todd Rokita.
Starkey plans to stand for “strong immigration enforcement”and collaboration with federal enforcement authorities. Starkey also believes in increased school choice and strengthening “parents’ role as the primary decision-makers in their children’s education,” and he’s opposed to diversity, equity and inclusion and critical race theory policies.
Starkey also wrote on his website that he wants to encourage responsible economic growth to preserve rural communities and sustain the domestic economy. He supports local law enforcement, saying police must have the “resources, backing, and support” to do their jobs.
If elected, he plans to fight for property tax reform, saying the sixth district faces a future of increased taxation. Starkey also plans to fight for fair utility prices, saying online that constituents are facing a “massive price hike from local utility companies” because of data center development in Northwest Indiana.
“We can no longer afford to have weak, out-of-touch leadership in our State Senate,” Starkey’s website says. “We need a Senator who will listen to the voice of the people in our district, not the Indy lobbyist or corrupt Politician whispering in their ear.”