Belinda Drake

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Belinda Drake

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 3, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis, 2009

Personal

Birthplace

Gary, Ind.

Religion

Christian

Profession

Family case manager

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Campaign YouTube

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Belinda Drake (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Indiana State Senate to represent District 32. She lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Drake also ran for election to the Indiana House of Representatives to represent District 89. She did not appear on the ballot for the Democratic primary on June 2, 2020.

Drake completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Belinda Drake was born in Gary, Indiana. She earned a bachelor's degree from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis in 2009. Her career experience includes working as a family case manager.

Elections

2020

State Senate

See also: Indiana State Senate elections, 2020

General election

General election for Indiana State Senate District 32

Incumbent Aaron Freeman defeated Belinda Drake in the general election for Indiana State Senate District 32 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Aaron Freeman (R)	59.0	35,517
		Belinda Drake (D)	41.0	24,688

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 60,205
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Indiana State Senate District 32

Belinda Drake advanced from the Democratic primary for Indiana State Senate District 32 on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Belinda Drake	100.0	9,158

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 9,158
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Indiana State Senate District 32

Incumbent Aaron Freeman advanced from the Republican primary for Indiana State Senate District 32 on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Aaron Freeman	100.0	8,486

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 8,486
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

To view Drake's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.

State House

See also: Indiana House of Representatives elections, 2020

Drake declared her intentions to run for Indiana House of Representatives District 89 in 2020, but withdrew to run for Indiana State Senate District 32 instead.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Belinda Drake completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Drake's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Belinda Drake. I'm the Democratic Candidate for Indiana Senate District 32. I was born and raised in Gary, IN and graduated from Gary West Side High School in 2004. I completed my undergrad at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, where I studied Political Science and Legal Studies, and obtained my Bachelors of Arts Degree in 2009. I am a former intern for Congressman Andre Carson. I am currently the 7th District Chair for Indiana Young Democrats. I serve as the Racial Justice and Diversity Coordinator for Indiana National Organization for Women (NOW). I also serve on the Indianapolis NAACP Young Adults Committee.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Servant Leadership
• Full-Spectrum Economic Equity
• Inclusive Policy

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Legalization and decriminalization of marijuana throughout the state of Indiana, improved common-sense gun regulation to protect our youth and communities from preventable deaths by gun violence, fair and inclusive state policies to strengthen our democracy and ensure our government works for ALL Hoosiers, equitable education and economic stability for all, all underscored by environmental & climate justice.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am a servant first and a leader second. By being an elected servant leader, I would have the ability to make change that will create better outcomes for the types of issues that I have seen and dealt with as a social worker. Being very driven to succeed, I put a lot of focus on developing working real-world solutions to problems that arise.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Listening and advocacy. As an elected official, it is imperative that you listen to your voters and advocate for the items that they need to thrive, while being fiscally responsible the process.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was at Jillian's, in downtown Indy, as a game technician. I would walk home after work, sometimes as late as 3 AM because I didn't have a car. But I loved that job. Seeing the kids and families have a great time made it worth it.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Andra Day - "Rise Up"

What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?

We are currently 8th highest for infant mortality. We are also 40th in the nation for healthcare, 39th for air and water quality, 49th on pollution, 37th on infrastructure, 42nd on internet access, and we are 34th in the nation on crime and corrections. These rankings show that we must focus on healthcare, criminal justice reform, infrastructure, and the environment. The largest challenge will be getting strong bipartisan legislation passed on these issues. But we WILL get it done.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Definitely. To pass legislation that works, you must gather consensus and support. It is a large part of being an effective legislator, gathering sponsors and cosponsors, and when necessary, to stop a bad bill.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Corrections, Criminal, and Civil Matters Committee

Health And Provider Services Committee

Education and Career Development Committee

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

No. I want to make effective changes to better the lives of Hoosiers. That happens in the statehouse.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2020 Elections

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External links

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Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the Indiana State Senate

Leadership

Majority Leader:Chris Garten

Senators

District 1

Dan Dernulc (R)

District 2

Lonnie Randolph (D)

District 3

Mark Spencer (D)

District 4

Rodney Pol (D)

District 5

Ed Charbonneau (R)

District 6

Rick Niemeyer (R)

District 7

Brian Buchanan (R)

District 8

Mike Bohacek (R)

District 9

Ryan Mishler (R)

District 10

David Niezgodski (D)

District 11

Linda Rogers (R)

District 12

Blake Doriot (R)

District 13

Susan Glick (R)

District 14

Tyler Johnson (R)

District 15

Liz Brown (R)

District 16

Justin Busch (R)

District 17

Andy Zay (R)

District 18

Stacey Donato (R)

District 19

Travis Holdman (R)

District 20

Scott Baldwin (R)

District 21

James Buck (R)

District 22

Ronnie Alting (R)

District 23

Spencer Deery (R)

District 24

Brett Clark (R)

District 25

Mike Gaskill (R)

District 26

Scott Alexander (R)

District 27

Jeff Raatz (R)

District 28

Michael Crider (R)

District 29

J.D. Ford (D)

District 30

Fady Qaddoura (D)

District 31

Kyle Walker (R)

District 32

Aaron Freeman (R)

District 33

Greg Taylor (D)

District 34

La Keisha Jackson (D)

District 35

Michael Young (R)

District 36

Cyndi Carrasco (R)

District 37

Rodric Bray (R)

District 38

Greg Goode (R)

District 39

Eric Bassler (R)

District 40

Shelli Yoder (D)

District 41

Greg Walker (R)

District 42

Jean Leising (R)

District 43

Randy Maxwell (R)

District 44

Eric Koch (R)

District 45

Chris Garten (R)

District 46

Andrea Hunley (D)

District 47

Gary Byrne (R)

District 48

Daryl Schmitt (R)

District 49

Jim Tomes (R)

District 50

Vaneta Becker (R)

Republican Party (40)

Democratic Party (10)