2 GOP, 2 Dems seeking House Dist. 4 nomination

Voters on both sides of the aisle have a competitive race in the primary for the District 4 seat in the Indiana House of Representatives.

For the two Democrat candidates seeking a spot on the November ballot, Ben Blohm and Deb Porter, the issues at hand include funding public education and health care, among other matters.

Republican newcomer Sara Blohm, who is not related to Ben Blohm, said she’s running in support of term limits and to provide constituents with a fresh perspective. She faces incumbent Ed Soliday, 75, of Valparaiso, a Republican who has served the district since 2006. He did not respond to requests for comment.

Sara Blohm, 40, a Porter County native, lives in Liberty Township, is a veteran of the U.S. Army and a small business owner.

“I just felt called (to run) as continued service to my country,” she said.

She would like to see term limits for the House, likely at three terms since anything shorter would make the constant turnover too difficult for representatives to get anything done. Representatives serve twoyear terms.

New voices also are going to be able to more easily relate to younger voters in their 20s and 30s, Blohm said, adding even if she doesn’t win, she wants to encourage others to run for office even if they aren’t politicians.

“Whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican, you’re representing the people in your district,” she said.

Democrat contenders

Ben Blohm, 34, of Valparaiso, and Deb Porter, 61, also of Valparaiso, are the two Democrat contenders for a spot on the November ballot.

Blohm is a member of the Valparaiso Fire Protection Board, among other duties, and previously ran for the Center Township Advisory Board. Porter is a longtime educator in the Portage Township schools who served a term on the Valparaiso City Council and made an unsuccessful primary run last year for mayor.

The priorities of both candidates are similar and include funding public education and affordable health care.

Blohm said over the past 14 years, he’s seen public education funding for teachers and students, affordable health care and quality jobs slip, and is concerned about the environment as well.

“Our representation is just not doing a good job taking care of people,” he said, adding his mentor was the late Ralph Ayres, a Republican who held the seat before Soliday did and was Blohm’s government teacher at Chesterton High School.

He noted that the world has changed since he entered the race with the COVID-19 pandemic, and while his priorities are the same, how he thinks about them has to be reframed.

“We cannot waste a dime. We have to make sure our people are taken care of,” he said, adding when he calls voters, they’re talking about the pandemic.

Porter said she was motivated to run for the seat after the “Red for Ed” rally in November and Soliday’s response to it, that the education budget had increased.

Public school teachers received a 2% increase, Porter said, while charter, voucher and virtual school teachers received much more.

“We have got to do something with public education in our state,” she said.

She also is concerned the impact of water, soil and air pollution on health, as well as health care, given the state’s high rankings for infant and maternal mortality.

Coming out of the pandemic is putting a strain on state finances. Businesses are shuttered or not up to full capacity, she said.

“We need to have some very creative ways of helping,” particularly small businesses that likely won’t qualify for federal aid. “We need to have some support for entrepreneurs and micro-businesses.”