Matthew Peiffer doesn’t expect to win the nine-way Republican primary race to represent Indiana’s 5th District in Congress.
But he decided to run for the seat after becoming frustrated with elected officials not addressing problems that impacted his life, such as child abuse and organ donation.
“I was really frustrated that we’re focusing on all these big, mainstream issues that don’t really affect our day-to-day life,” the Muncie resident said.
By running for office, Peiffer wants to bring several issues to the forefront of discussion that haven’t typically received much attention.
Peiffer was adopted as a young child and moved to Grant County, where he said his adoptive parents molested and abused him and his two sisters. The children entered foster care, but one of his sisters committed suicide a month after aging out of the system.
These experiences inspired his advocacy work, which has included urging legislators to improve the foster care system and starting a nonprofit, A Voice for Kids, which aims to benefit children in the foster care system and spread awareness around related issues.
In 2022, Peiffer donated a kidney, which is when he learned those who choose to make that sacrifice may be disqualified from certain insurance or medical benefits. It’s another issue he would like lawmakers to address.
“That’s a burden that people don’t think about,” he said.
Peiffer said he hasn’t spent money on his campaign and he doesn’t have a campaign website.
“At the end of the day, I just want people to understand that there are bigger issues in the world,” he said. “Let’s try to help everybody and change the world.”
THE CANDIDATES
Learn more about the nine Republican candidates running for Indiana’s 5th Congressional District by reading a questionnaire they each completed for Current. Find it online at youarecurrent.com/2024/03/22/
