Opinion: Representation Matters in Indiana

Over the course of my life, I’ve heard many people tell me what limitations I have based on things I cannot control. My height, my appearance, my race.
But more than anything else, I’ve been told I couldn’t do something because I’m a woman.
Too often, our society still treats those presumptions as acceptable. We celebrate women like Dolly Parton and Kelsey Mitchell for making and breaking records, leading their industry, and shaping our culture.
Yet many people still struggle to believe that women can lead successfully in government, especially in Indiana.
Only 26% of Indiana state legislators are women; a clear reminder of how far we still have to go. Even with that low percentage, women continue to step up to run for office year after year, motivated by a desire to serve their communities and create a more representative government for all.

But success is about more than simply winning elections. Success is about building communities that support qualified candidates regardless of gender, race, disability, or sexual orientation. Creating a political culture where leadership is defined by integrity, vision, and service, not status quo. And it is about showing younger generations that even when the odds feel stacked against you, you step up and try anyway.

As Lauren Merrifield Wilson said in the 2025 article Where are all the women? , “When women run, they win. We all benefit when we have the best candidates on the ballot, and our democracy benefits when we have competitive elections with more of them.”

Women have always led movements. Women have always led change.
There is no reason they cannot lead in government.

For years, people have repeated the phrase “Indiana doesn’t elect women.”
This November, we can change that narrative.