Yoder campaign goals include name recognition

Challengers in elections are nearly always less well-known than their opponents, a disadvantage come Election Day.

Shelli Yoder wants voters to know her name.

Yoder is the Democratic candidate for Indiana’s 9th District in the U.S. House of Representatives. She challenges incumbent Rep. Todd Young, R-9th District.

Yoder’s campaign recently expanded, and staff now work out of two headquarters.

One is in a rented house on College Avenue. The other is in Jeffersonville, Ind., two hours from Bloomington and located at the far southeastern corner of the district.

Katie Carlson, the campaign’s manager, said having two headquarters will help the campaign reach voters in the sprawling district.

She said the campaign’s staff is growing, especially with the return of IU students. The campaign is offering internships, and 90 students have indicated interest so far.

Carlson could not give a specific number that will be hired.

“It’s how people can fit well into the program,” she said.

Three IU students serve as internship coordinators for the campaign, interviewing, hiring and managing student interns with Carlson’s input. She said this allows the coordinators, who have worked with campaigns before, gain management experience before they graduate.

With a growing staff and expanded headquarters, the campaign can outline and execute its objectives. Carlson said in addition to informing voters about Yoder’s name and platform, the campaign is focused on fundraising, field programs and denouncing Young’s actions during his two years in office.

The campaign is fundraising to increase television and mail advertisements. The field volunteers and staff, who phone voters and go door-to-door, are invaluable, Carlson said.

“There’s nobody better at talking about these issues than other people in the district affected by them,” Carlson said.

Yoder was endorsed this month by the political action committee founded by former Democratic presidential candidate and Vermont Gov. Howard Dean. The PAC, which is endorsing just a dozen congressional candidates, will fundraise on her behalf and send staff to train her Bloomington volunteers, Carlson said.

The campaign continues to grow, and Carlson said both Tea and Libertarian Party identifiers have reached out to Yoder, who has met with them personally. Carlson said members of other political parties now volunteer for Yoder.

“They really just want to be listened to,” Carlson said.

For now, the main focus of the campaign is to spread Yoder’s name across southern Indiana.

“But more importantly, the people of the 9th District need to be heard and represented,” Carlson said. “We don’t feel like Todd Young has done that so far.”

She said she hopes the grassroots campaign will continue to grow as fundraising makes advertising more extensive.

“There isn’t a party tied to just listening, but that’s what we want to do,” Carlson continued. “That’s why Shelli’s running.”