INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana’s sixth district will have a new member of the U.S. House of Representatives after November’s election.
U.S. Rep. Greg Pence, R-Ind. District 6 announced in January that he would not be running for reelection for the position. Pence, who was initially elected to the seat in 2018, said at the time that his frustration with GOP infighting as well as the lack of congressional progress played a role in his decision to retire.
After May’s primary, the candidates who will be on November’s general election ballot for the sixth district position in the U.S. House of Representatives include:
- Jefferson Shreve – Republican
- Cynthia (Cinde) Wirth – Democrat
- James Sceniak – Libertarian
Jefferson Shreve
Over the course of his career, Jefferson Shreve has held, and run for, many political offices, including stints on the Indianapolis City-County Council, as well as an Indianapolis mayoral run in 2023.
But he maintains that while the jobs are different, many of his positions on topics have remained the same.
“To be mayor of a large city is to be the chief executive … I’m running for a federal office, a legislative office, policymaking,” Shreve said. “It’s not that my positions are different, it’s that the focus of the work ahead of us, and the job that I’m applying for, is very different.”
In May, Shreve survived a crowded Republican primary, garnering 28.38% of the vote against six other candidates, including Indiana State Rep. Mike Speedy, R-District 90 and Jamison Carrier.
During an interview with FOX59/CBS4, Shreve criticized the current U.S. Congress, stressing that they have not been productive. Shreve said if he is elected, he will work to complete the “backlog of work” that the previous lawmakers have left for them.
“I want to be a part of that. I want to get to work,” he said. “I know that the people of our state and our country want Congress to get to work. I’m eager to get at it.”
As Shreve has campaigned for the position, the biggest focus Shreve said he is taking is on the fiscal challenges facing the United States, as well as border security. Shreve thinks that the impact of the country’s $36 trillion deficit is “crucial” for the U.S. Congress to understand.
“It’s crucial that the members of Congress understand what that means as a menace to our long-term democracy and that we’d be able to communicate that back to our constituents in Indiana and beyond that this is something we have to manage and tackle,” he said. “… The most engaged voters are those that most appreciate the threat that we have from the amount of debt that we have layered on … They do understand that the value of the dollar is declining and inflation continues to be more and more of an issue for a lot of folks.”
Other issues that Shreve has focused on throughout his campaign include:
- Secure the border and fix the country’s “broken immigration policies”
- This includes completing the border wall, reforming the immigration system and ending fentanyl trafficking over the southern border.
- Support law enforcement and support the military
- Protect the unborn and protect the health of expectant mothers
- Protect the Second Amendment
- This includes advocating for policies that promote responsible gun ownership
- Support for farmers
- This includes standing up to “regulatory overreach” and keeping trade and export markets open to Indiana agriculture producers.
- Advocate for small businesses and support Hoosier job creators
- Support Israel politically and through continued aid
- This includes the United States working to secure an agreement that safely returns all Israeli and American hostages
- National security, including advancing the country’s leadership in technology and innovation
Ultimately, Shreve believes he will bring the fiscal discipline, as well as the political experience that he states is important for a person in the seat.
“I think I’ve got something to offer and that is a track record of getting up and getting after it every day… working in the civic side of life, and working twice on our City-County Council in a minority, reaching across the aisle to get some things done that were good for my district, good for my community,” Shreve said. “I’ll bring that to Congress, whether we are in the majority or in the minority, I understand what it is like to work with a broader body.”
Cinde Wirth
Cinde Wirth, a science teacher from Bartholomew County, never thought of herself as a politician.
“I always voted and I always did my homework,” she said. “I mostly voted for the person and I looked at what their policies were. So, I was an engaged voter that way, but I was not involved in the political system at all.”
However, after she worked as a science and education expert for the U.S. Congress in 2018-2019, Wirth got the chance to experience what it takes to put together policy and legislation, motivating her to run of office.
Wirth is now the Democratic candidate for Indiana’s open sixth district seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Some of Wirth’s legislative experience came from working on Capitol Hill and putting together legislation, stating that she has experience working in a bipartisan fashion, collaborating to complete tasks and ultimately impacting the U.S. Congress.
“I’ve had the experience of writing an original bill that I researched and wrote myself… that’s something that a lot of congresspeople have never done,” she said. “So, I understand how that needs to happen, how you have to take the bill to different offices in a bipartisan way, get support from both sides. It is a lot of work. I have that experience where not very many people actually have had that experience.”
During her campaign, Wirth has traveled through the district and said she has heard similar concerns and issues she has centered her campaign around, including:
- Affordable childcare/paid family leave
- Social Security and Medicare
- Affordable housing
- Support public education, as well as teachers and students.
- “An investment in education is an investment in the future. To have a world-class education in Indiana, we need to incentivize teaching and a profession and make sure teachers have the classroom resources they need to teach.”
- Helping Indiana create an economy that works for all Hoosiers, ensuring that it has a 21st-century workforce
- Incrementally raise the minimum wage
- Lower healthcare costs, as well as incentivizing and restoring quality, local community healthcare options
- Protect and improve access to reproductive healthcare
- Legalizing medical cannabis and decriminalizing possession of personal use amounts of marijuana.
- Common sense gun laws, including better gun safety regulations
Wirth said she believes that a lot of the policies that are in place right now do not make it easy for families in the sixth district. Before they vote, Wirth encourages residents to “really look at what the candidates stand for and where their positions are on issues.”
Like many people who grew up and live in Indiana, Wirth said she has Hoosier values, stating that she is an “everyday, hardworking Hoosier” that is ready to go to work.
“I grew up here. I’m a seventh-generation resident here. I am very much like everyone else in this district. I’m not a radical from somewhere else who came in to run for office. I live here. I’m in the same house I lived in for 30 years, and I’m in the same town I was born in. So, I am a Hoosier,” she said. “I have Hoosier values, and I think most of us share the same values of taking care of one another, taking care of our retirees, taking care of our children, making sure everyone has a good education, making sure that everybody can afford to live and have some of that breathing room at the end of the day.”
James Sceniak
Sceniak is the Libertarian candidate who is running for the sixth district of the U.S. House of Representatives. This comes after he ran as the Libertarian candidate for Indiana’s U.S. Senate position in 2022.
During his 2022 campaign, Sceniak said he was focused on providing “real solutions for Hoosiers,” stressing the importance of balancing the budget, calling for equality in the election system and stating he supports federal reform for marijuana legalization.
Sceniak participated in a candidate forum in late September, speaking with voters about several topics, including social security, the role of federal government agencies as well as the abortion debate.
FOX59/CBS4 reached out to Sceniak for this story. This story will be updated if he returns the request for comment.
