Indiana State Senate District 47 candidate surveys, 2022

Elections in Indiana, 2022

---

On the ballot: U.S. Senate • U.S. House • Congressional special elections • State executive offices • State Senate • State House • Appellate courts • School boards • Municipal

This article shows responses from candidates in the 2022 election for Indiana State Senate District 47 who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.

• Click here to see candidates and election results.
• Click here to see Candidate Connection survey responses.

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Indiana State Senate District 47

Incumbent Gary Byrne defeated Katie Forte in the general election for Indiana State Senate District 47 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Gary Byrne (R)	66.8	28,959
		Katie Forte (D)	33.2	14,404

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 43,363
= 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.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

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.

Expand all | Collapse all

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?

Katie Forte (D)

When working families are doing well, that trickles out into the economy… An empowered workforce is able to be healthy and strong, workers are able to work more, provide better for their families, and feed the economy through their spending.

When working families have access to affordable, high quality childcare, and when working families have access to a high-quality education within the public schools system, both parents can afford to work and feel confident that their children are safe and their minds are being nurtured.

When working families have access to affordable, high quality broadband, they can keep working and learning, even from home.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Katie Forte (D)

I am passionate about working on public policy in Indiana that empowers the working families, small businesses, and family farms of Southern Indiana. I'm an Indiana native that grew up in a household with two Republican parents. Back then, being a Republican was about being fiscally conservative and encouraging personal responsibility, but my parents also understood that they needed the state government well-funding things like our public schools, so that everyone would have their fairest shot at the American dream. I think most people agree that we need to get back to this. We need to restore RESPECT for our laborers, our educators, health care workers, and law enforcement workers. As a mom, a former teacher, and now a small business owner, I get it. Southern Indiana families are tired of the extremism and are ready to elect someone who gets that they work for the people and not for a particular political party or special interest group. I'm ready to get to work for YOU.

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

Katie Forte (D)

The core responsibility of people elected to office is to represent the concerns and interests of ALL of the people of the district they were elected to represent.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Katie Forte (D)

The attack on 9/11 was the first historical event that I remember. I remember standing in long lines that afternoon at the American Red Cross in Louisville to donate blood along with others who just wanted be able to do something to try to help.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

Katie Forte (D)

The ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature is one in which the state legislature works to enact laws or change laws to protect and promote the well-being of ALL of the people in the state. The governor's role would be to make sure that the laws are followed and that the "business" of the state government gets done according to the demonstrated will of the public through their elected representatives.

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

Katie Forte (D)

Over the next decade, the biggest challenge to our state is going to be investing wisely in our human and physical infrastructure so that Indiana can attract and keep employers who are looking to locate in states in which they are able to access a healthy and well-educated work force.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of a unicameral state legislature, in your opinion?

Katie Forte (D)

The benefit of a unicameral state legislature would be more efficient lawmaking. The drawback would also be more efficient lawmaking. It's appropriate that change happens slowly in government in order to allow all sides of an issue to be properly evaluated and heard from.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Katie Forte (D)

A state legislator must be able to listen, study the information, and make decisions that will protect and promote the well-being of the ALL of the people in their district.

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

Katie Forte (D)

It is important for legislators to build relationships with other legislators. Building relationships with other legislators makes it easier to reach pragmatic solutions that will best serve the people they are representing.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

Katie Forte (D)

I would favor redistricting by a non-partisan commission.

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

Katie Forte (D)

Education and Career Development, Family and Children Services, Commerce and Technology, Agriculture

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

Katie Forte (D)

The legislature should oversee the use of emergency powers.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Katie Forte (D)

Compromise is necessary and desirable when it comes to policy making. The extremists want to distract us from the real issues at hand. It's much easier to get people mad and afraid of those who are different. than it is to convince people to set their differences aside in order to find the common ground. We need politicians who understand that one's own religious beliefs have no business being dividing lines on common ground that's needed to keep moving forward.

See also

More about these elections:

• Indiana State Senate elections, 2022

Select a district below to read responses from candidates in those races:

District 1District 4District 6District 11District 14District 15District 17District 19District 21District 22District 23District 25District 26District 27District 29District 31District 38District 39District 41District 43District 45District 46District 47District 48District 49Submit