Recent, public-facing issues have exposed Indiana Rep. Trey Hollingsworth, R-9th District, as a failure to his constituents, while Democratic challenger Andy Ruff has made a strong case for himself as a leader.
A crisis like a pandemic should prompt leaders to rise above ideology to serve their constituents, something Hollingsworth has utterly failed to do. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hollingsworth said increased deaths due to the virus was ‘the lesser of two evils’ over keeping the economy closed, a view seemingly parroted directly from President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
Hollingsworth has always touted himself as a job creator. It appears he has taken that to a new extreme, valuing jobs above the people that hold them.
The protests continuing to engulf the country in support of Black Lives Matter have pressured some leaders to take a stand against systemic racism, and again Hollingsworth failed to rise to the occasion. He has not released a statement, let alone taken any action on policing or racism.
One of Hollingsworth’s primary legislative agendas has been expanding police protections, serving as the primary sponsor for a bill to give law enforcement the ability to be armed and potentially use force in more locations and voting against the police reform bill that recently passed in the House. While an attempted lynching of a community leader in his district sparked national outrage, Hollingsworth gave his unfortunately expected reaction: silence.
Ruff represents a stark contrast to Hollingsworth. He is experienced in governance with deep ties to Indiana and plans to help the people of this state, not its corporations. He is supported by organized labor and is dedicated to protecting the health and wellbeing of working families.
In a world of COVID-19, civil unrest and a collapsing faith in government, Ruff has been in the streets with protesters, while Hollingsworth has continued to hide.
November might feel like a referendum on the Trump presidency, but it also represents a careful consideration in what we value in government.
Removing a self-interested, ultra-rich sellout and instead backing a lifelong educator, environmentalist and civil servant would show our values to be honesty, human dignity and compassion. Vote and volunteer for Ruff. We should be rejecting those that put us at risk, not reelecting them.
Adam Diersing is a volunteer for Andy Ruff's campaign and a recent IU graduate.
