By Desiree Williams
After losing the 2014 election to Republican Mike Delph by more than 2,000 votes, Democrat J.D. Ford is back to fight for the District 29 seat in the Indiana State Senate.
Ford is an Ohio native who moved to Indiana in 2005 after graduating from the University of Akron with a bachelor’s degree in political science and criminal justice. He later graduated from Purdue University with a master’s degree in education.
Professionally, Ford has worked with Theta Chi Fraternity in various roles and currently substitute teaches while on the campaign trail.
Ford credits his internship with the Ohio Senate as the experience that ignited his passion for state politics.
“I could’ve gone to do a federal internship, but I chose to do state politics because I feel like it’s closer to the people,” he said.
Ford, an Indianapolis resident, said he decided to run in 2014 because he felt that Sen. Delph didn’t connect well with constituents and that the general assembly wasn’t an accurate representation of Indiana.
“I didn’t see a lot of people of color in the general assembly,” he said. “There are not enough women in the general assembly. Me personally, I would be (Indiana’s) first LGBT member of the general assembly, so there’s no representation for the LGBT community, so that’s an important piece to me as well.”
Ford said he feels more prepared this year. His goal is to listen to constituents and build rapport with other senators to be able to pass bills.
Campaign platforms
- Education: Strengthen public schools and respect teachers
- Economy: Create high-paying jobs
- Elections: Eliminate gerrymandering
- Equality: Pass a hate crimes bill and increase LGBTQ representation
- Environment: Provide clean air and water
