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Indiana

Created by the Indiana Stance on Science team. Please contact StanceOnScienceIN@gmail.com with any questions. Follow us on Instagram and Bluesky.

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Indiana will face many challenges in the coming years, and it is increasingly critical that our policymakers understand the importance of evidence-based decision-making. The goals of this resource are to:

  1. Provide voters with clear, accessible information so they can see how candidates value science in decision-making.
  2. Hold candidates accountable by sharing their responses publicly on our website and via local media.
  3. Encourage thoughtful engagement between communities and policymakers on science policy-related topics in our state.

Through Stance on Science, we hope to help Hoosiers understand how their elected representatives will utilize science to improve the state that they love. Learn more about this initiative on the home page.

How to use this resource

This webpage houses the responses to 4 questions crafted by the Indiana Stance on Science team.

Only official candidates who will appear on ballots were contacted.

Candidates were contacted in October 2026 (with a follow-up to those who did not initially respond) and given the opportunity to answer all questions. Only the responses of candidates who answered the questions are included. None of the candidates' responses were modified in any way before being published on this resource page.

For the November 3 Midterms, only candidates in the following elections were contacted:

US Congress
State Senate
State House of Representatives
The questions posed
  1. PFAS chemicals are widely used in consumer products but have raised health concerns due to their persistence in the environment and humans. What balance should policymakers strike among public-health protection, testing and monitoring, feasibility for manufacturers, and the availability of safer substitutes? (see "Environment")
  2. Indiana currently has 59 data centers, with 12 underway, and plans for 27 more. What policies, if any, do you support in managing existing data centers or establishing additional data centers? What specific plans do you have, if any, to mitigate utility cost burden for residents? Why these steps? (modified from above questions) (see "Energy")
  3. Scientific issues increasingly influence public policy. When developing policy positions or making decisions on topics involving science, how do you seek out information, evaluate scientific evidence and expert input, and ensure your decisions are well informed? If you can, please share an example of when this process influenced your perspective or decision. (see "Trust in Science")
  4. Indiana universities receive millions of dollars annually in federal research funding. In FY2025, Indiana universities saw a decline in that funding by over $24 million. What is your view on these funding reductions, and what policies, if any, would you support regarding funding for scientific research conducted in Indiana? (see "Science Funding")

Disclaimer

The responses of candidates shared on this webpage do not reflect the views of the Indiana Stance on Science team or the Scientist Network for Advancing Policy (SNAP) Coalition. SNAP is a non-partisan organization (please see more about SNAP here). SNAP and the Indiana Stance on Science team do not endorse any candidates. The goals of this initiative can be found here. Please contact StanceOnScienceIN@gmail.com with any questions.

To find your districts for state and federal races and see who is on your ballot, please visit the Ballotpedia website.

November 3 Midterms

No candidate responses have been published yet. Please check back soon.

Press Mentions

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