Democrats vie for 1st District nomination

Voters in Tuesday primary to pick from crowded field of 14 candidates in race for Visclosky’s seat

Fourteen Democratic candidates are running for their party’s nomination for the 1st Congressional District seat in the Tuesday primary.

Longtime U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Gary, who has held the seat for 35 years, announced in November that he wouldn’t seek reelection. Since the announcement, 20 candidates filed to run for the seat, which has been held by a Democrat since 1931.

The 14 Democratic candidates are: State Rep. Mara Candelaria

Reardon, D-Munster; Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott, North Township Trustee Frank Mrvan, Melissa Borom, Jim Harper, Scott Costello, Sabrina Haake, Ryan Farrar, Jayson Reeves, Antonio Daggett, Wendell Mosby, Carrie Castro, John Henry Hall and Andrew Sylwestrowicz.

If a Democrat maintains the seat, their congressional term will likely begin with addressing the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a Post-Tribune questionnaire, 11 of the 14 candidates said they would focus on accessible health care and offered options for creating jobs for unemployed Americans.

Mosby, Reeves and Sylwestrowicz did not respond.

If they were Congress members during the pandemic, the Democratic candidates said they would’ve proposed legislation that would give more money to American citizens and small businesses.

“Simply put, Congress needs to spend whatever it takes to keep families on their feet and get Main Street thriving again,” Reardon, 55, of Munster, said.

Haake, 57, of Gary, said she “would have funded Main Street, not Wall Street, with a stimulus bill to supplement payroll of small and medium size businesses.”

Additionally, Haake said she would have supported funding to upgrade factories, offices and meatpacking plants and other manufacturing businesses so that employees “could work with proper social distancing and (personal protective equipment).”

Harper, 37, of Valparaiso, said he “would have fought for” a $2,000 monthly check to every American during the crisis and provided aid to small businesses.

“I also believe that there should be a large amount of funding for state and municipal governments to get through the crisis, including funding for no-excuse vote-bymail in every state,” Harper said.

Farrar, 40, of DeMotte, said his economic relief package “would have been centered around people” and he called the one-time $1,200 payment “pathetic.”

The Democratic candidates said that the pandemic has exposed that health insurance tied to employment is not sustainable, and the suggested options from expanding the Affordable Care Act to “Medicare for All Who Need It” to Medicare for all.

“With the current levels of unemployment, and more people losing their jobs every day, there is no health care safety net,” said McDermott, 51, of Hammond.

Borom, 32, of Gary, said she would’ve focused on a health care bill that would fund hospitals and

to “mandate that every citizen take a test.”

Mental health concerns during the pandemic should also be addressed, Mrvan, 51, said. Further, Mrvan said he’d “provide more resources to assist hospitals, health care workers, those at home, and organizations that provide health services.”

All the candidate said they would support increasing minimum wage.

To address environmental concerns, Costello, 50, of Highland, said the country needs “to eliminate subsidies for carbon producing energy systems and instead subsidize the development and massive expansion of carbon neutral and carbon free energy systems, such as solar and wind and batteries.”

Haake gave a long list of environmental actions she would take, including declaring a national emergency on climate change, transforming energy to carbon-free renewable energy and rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement.

The candidates said that after the pandemic ends, Congress needs to focus on getting people back to work, but also reflect on how to be better prepared for future pandemics.

Hall, 87, of Gary, said in the aftermath of the virus he’d focus on “getting the economy productive again … and offering low interest rate loans to those who establish a financial need to maintain and replenish their productivity capabilities.”

In the aftermath of the virus, Costello said Congress should hold hearings “with experts on the what was effective and ineffective at managing the pandemic and for preventing the next pandemic.”

“Based on these hearings, congress needs to develop legislation to implement the findings,” Costello said.

Reardon said Congress “needs to spend whatever it takes to get tens of millions of Americans back to work” and establish a “9/11 Commission-style study” to help legislatures learn from the pandemic and “be better prepared for the next one.”

In getting people back to work, Reardon, McDermott and Mrvan proposed investing in American manufacturing and infrastructure, which would provide jobs while boosting the economy.

Antonio Daggett, 60, of Hammond, said he will focus on legislation to protect jobs, defend and protect the dignity of human life and protect Lake Michigan.

Congress “must assess the economic impact and health care challenges” of the virus and “help resolve the after-effects” while planning for any future pandemic, Castro, 60, of Lake Station said.

All of the candidates gave President Donald Trump’s administration low marks for its response to the pandemic.

“Unprepared. Chaotic. Unresolved,” Castro said.

“Is there a grade lower than F-?” Reardon said.