TERRE HAUTE – This Sunday, March 15, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., a coalition of teachers, small-crop farmers, and healthcare activists will gather outside the historic Eugene V. Debs’ house to announce the formation of a new, grassroots political party: the Socialist Party of Indiana.
This new political party positions itself as a radical new alternative to Indiana’s two major parties. “The two-party system has failed working-class Hoosiers. It’s not about liberal versus conservative or Republican versus Democrat. It’s about who is going to stick up and fight for the working class,” said Mary Kate Dugan, chairperson and founding member of the Socialist Party of Indiana. “If the major parties aren’t going to do it, we’ve got to do it ourselves.”
Recent polling conducted by Independent Indiana reflects Hoosiers’ discontent with the political status quo. Despite Indiana’s reputation as a solidly “red” state, the popularity of top Republican officials, including President Donald Trump, Governor Mike Braun, and Secretary of State Diego Morales, is dismal. And Democrats aren’t happy either. According to a recent poll, 71% of Hoosier Democrats say they are dissatisfied with their choices at the polls.
Meanwhile, a plurality of Hoosier voters consider themselves independent (44%) as opposed to Democrat (25%) or Republican (31%).
Speakers at the March 15 announcement will include Socialist Party candidates Ben Davis for Indiana House District 13, Tanya Pearson for Indiana Senate District 26, and Harrison Jacobo for Indiana Secretary of State, as well as other workers, students, activists, and supporters.
