Sandy James
From Ballotpedia
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Sandy James (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Indiana House of Representatives to represent District 58. She lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.
James completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Sandy James was born in Terre Haute, Indiana. James' career experience includes working as an educator. She earned a bachelor's degree from Indiana State University in 1983 and a graduate degree from Indiana University in 1994. James has been affiliated with the American Psychological Association.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: Indiana House of Representatives elections, 2024
General election
General election for Indiana House of Representatives District 58
Incumbent Michelle Davis defeated Sandy James in the general election for Indiana House of Representatives District 58 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Michelle Davis (R) | 67.4 | 18,731 |
 | Sandy James (D)  | 32.6 | 9,051 | |
| Total votes: 27,782 | |||
| = 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 House of Representatives District 58
Sandy James advanced from the Democratic primary for Indiana House of Representatives District 58 on May 7, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Sandy James | 100.0 | 869 |
| Total votes: 869 | |||
| = 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 House of Representatives District 58
Incumbent Michelle Davis advanced from the Republican primary for Indiana House of Representatives District 58 on May 7, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Michelle Davis | 100.0 | 4,728 |
| Total votes: 4,728 | |||
| = 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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Campaign finance
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for James in this election.
Pledges
James signed the following pledges.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Sandy James completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by James' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I’m a native Hoosier, and Johnson County has been my home for forty years. After receiving my Bachelor’s degree from Indiana State University, I married Jeff James. We raised two amazing kids together. I stayed at home with them while also attending night school at IUPUI to earn Master’s degree in Education. Once the kids started school, I started my career as an educator. I’ve been a social studies instructor at Greenwood Community High School for almost thirty years. In that time, I’ve taught United States history, sociology, current events, and English. After bring psychology into the curriculum, I became an adjunct professor through my work with Indiana University’s Advance College Project. I’ve been with IU’s ACP for over twenty years. I also taught as an adjunct professor for Ivy Tech Community College. Jeff and I were married almost thirty-four years. We were blessed with our first grandchild in 2014. Unfortunately, our lives took a tragic turn. Jeff was diagnosed with colon cancer. To my great sorrow, I lost him in 2016, just a short time before the birth of our second grandchild. I threw myself in my career as an educator, and I enjoyed spending time with the grandchildren. I was then blessed to meet Brian Dieckmann. We “clicked” right away. He asked me to marry him, and we tied the knot in 2019.
I believe it's time to try to bring about some of the positive changes here in Indiana.
- As a thirty-year educator, I know what is needed to make Hoosier schools the best educators of our children. Too many laws have been passed that pull the tax dollars meant for public schools into private and religious institutions. Tax dollars are meant for public schools. I also see the problems for students in the cruel laws that are targeting LGBTQ students and making their lives more difficult. Money is wasted on repeated testing of students, and testing has become onerous to educators. Let them be the professionals they are and stop tying their hands.
- Hoosier women deserve every kind of healthcare, including reproductive freedom. The anti-abortion movement has created a situation in this state that is costing women their lives and fertility in a misguided notion that their religious beliefs should guide legislation. Abortion is healthcare, and I support the restoration of Roe v. Wade.
- I support equal treatment of ALL Hoosiers, including anyone who identifies as LGBTQ. I am horrified by the effort to try to overturn legal same sex marriages in Indiana, and my opponent is trying to not only end same sex marriage but to void all previous marriages. Besides being unconstitutional, it is cruel. LGBTQ have the same rights as all other citizens, and I will do everything I can to ensure equal treatment of all Hoosiers.
Education is my passion.
In 2004, I saw a movie called “Iron Jawed Angels.” Despite knowing the history of the Suffragette Movement, I hadn’t realized the depth of commitment those women made to helping women get the right to vote. What that movie taught me is that change doesn’t happen without hard work, and that good causes are worth fighting for.
Good lawmakers know the importance of cooperation. Indiana has suffered under a one-party supermajority. We need to bring back bipartisanship to stop the polarization of citizens. I also think a good lawmaker is approachable. Citizens need to know that they’re being heard. Finally, maturity and intelligence are necessary qualities for anyone in public office.
Having been a teacher for three decades, I've learned how to work well with all kinds of people. I've also had to learn to choose my words carefully and to really listen to people. I think these skills would help me as a legislator.
An elected official needs to constantly keep in mind the best interests of the people she represents. She owes her constituents her integrity, honesty, and judgment. She needs to constantly educate herself in the issues of her state, and she needs to be willing to listen to the concerns of the people in her district. Ideally, she is not only accessible but open minded.
One of my earliest memories was going to the Terre Haute airport to meet Robert Kennedy when I was not quite five years old. My mother was so excited, and her enthusiasm had a big impact on me. As I grew and learned more about history, I realized that day was also the day Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated.
My first job was working at McDonald's. I think all people should have experience in customer service so that they understand the difficulties of the job.
Since my late twenties, I have battled lupus. In having a chronic illness, I've learned so much about the difficulties of people with health issues. There have been so many ups and downs in navigating the healthcare system to get the proper treatments.
There needs to be a steady dialogue between the governor and the members of the legislature. They might not have common goals, and discussion can bring about the compromise necessary to get things accomplished. Even when the governor and legislature are of different political parties, they can still enact laws that help Hoosiers.
Climate change is impacting Indiana in so many ways. Farmers are facing extreme conditions such as drought on a more frequent basis. We need to make positive changes that will stop the progress of climate change in a way that doesn’t cripple businesses. Alternative power such as solar should be explored and encouraged.
I don’t see previous experience as a great asset. In fact, having fresh blood in the legislature is likely to bring about positive change.
Cooperation is absolutely necessary for lawmakers. Indiana has been under the rule of a one-party supermajority for far too long. It’s been bad for the state. We need both parties to have a voice in making laws. Bipartisanship gets things accomplished that help all people instead of having half the citizens of the state going unheard.
I always admired Evan Bayh. As both senator and governor, he was always willing to reach across the aisle to do what was right for Indiana. The division I see now—the “us” v. “them”—needs to end. Only through cooperation can Indiana move forward and address the issues of its citizens.
I have no desire for any office beyond serving in the Indiana House of Representatives.
A talented young teacher at my school was forced to give up the profession after only a couple of years teaching. He shared with me that he and his wife wanted to have children and that he simply couldn’t raise a family on a teacher’s salary. His story really brought home to me how teachers have been treated very poorly in Indiana, and we are now facing a teacher shortage. Until we make some changes in how teachers are paid, that shortage will only become worse. If we want our children to receive the best education possible, we need to recruit and retrain talented educators. That means higher pay.
In times of crisis, the governor may need to have emergency powers. I believe that in those times, it is vital that legislators be kept informed of what is happening. As I’ve said in other questions, cooperation is the goal. I will say that I believe Governor Holcomb did a good job during the pandemic in tempering public safety with individual freedoms. There must be boundaries on the amount of time emergency powers can continue, and the legislature should have the ability to end those powers.
I would be proud to introduce a bill to restore reproductive freedom to Hoosier women.
Endorsed by Mad Voters
With my thirty years of experience as a teacher, I believe I would be a great asset to the Education Committee. In addition, my extensive study of psychology would make me a productive member of the Public Health Committee. Being on the Public Health committee would also me to do all I could to improve the mental health of Hoosiers.
I think that candidates owe it to their voters to let them know where the funds they use to campaign have come from. One of the worst things to happen in politics was the ruling of Citizens United v. FEC that brought about the influx of dark money to politics. Once elected, I believe an official still owes financial transparency in all she does, from the bills she writes to the budgets she votes for. I would always be forthcoming with information to my constituents.
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Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Candidate Indiana House of Representatives District 58 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on March 26, 2024
Current members of the Indiana House of Representatives
Leadership
Speaker of the House:Todd Huston
Majority Leader:Matthew Lehman
Representatives
District 1
Carolyn Jackson (D)
District 2
Earl Harris (D)
District 3
Ragen Hatcher (D)
District 4
Edmond Soliday (R)
District 5
Dale DeVon (R)
District 6
Maureen Bauer (D)
District 7
Jake Teshka (R)
District 8
Ryan Dvorak (D)
District 9
Vacant
District 10
Charles Moseley (D)
District 11
District 12
Mike Andrade (D)
District 13
Matt Commons (R)
District 14
Vernon Smith (D)
District 15
Harold Slager (R)
District 16
Kendell Culp (R)
District 17
Jack Jordan (R)
District 18
David Abbott (R)
District 19
Julie Olthoff (R)
District 20
Jim Pressel (R)
District 21
Timothy Wesco (R)
District 22
Craig Snow (R)
District 23
Ethan Manning (R)
District 24
Hunter Smith (R)
District 25
Becky Cash (R)
District 26
Chris Campbell (D)
District 27
Sheila Klinker (D)
District 28
Jeffrey Thompson (R)
District 29
District 30
District 31
Lori Goss-Reaves (R)
District 32
District 33
John Prescott (R)
District 34
Sue Errington (D)
District 35
Elizabeth Rowray (R)
District 36
Kyle Pierce (R)
District 37
Todd Huston (R)
District 38
Heath VanNatter (R)
District 39
Daniel Lopez (R)
District 40
District 41
Mark Genda (R)
District 42
Tim Yocum (R)
District 43
Tonya Pfaff (D)
District 44
Beau Baird (R)
District 45
Bruce Borders (R)
District 46
Bob Heaton (R)
District 47
Robb Greene (R)
District 48
Doug Miller (R)
District 49
Joanna King (R)
District 50
Lorissa Sweet (R)
District 51
Tony Isa (R)
District 52
Ben Smaltz (R)
District 53
Ethan Lawson (R)
District 54
Cory Criswell (R)
District 55
District 56
Bradford Barrett (R)
District 57
Craig Haggard (R)
District 58
Michelle Davis (R)
District 59
Ryan Lauer (R)
District 60
Peggy Mayfield (R)
District 61
Matt Pierce (D)
District 62
Dave Hall (R)
District 63
Shane Lindauer (R)
District 64
Matt Hostettler (R)
District 65
Christopher May (R)
District 66
Zach Payne (R)
District 67
Alex Zimmerman (R)
District 68
Garrett Bascom (R)
District 69
Jim Lucas (R)
District 70
Karen Engleman (R)
District 71
District 72
Edward Clere (R)
District 73
Jennifer Meltzer (R)
District 74
Steve Bartels (R)
District 75
Cindy Ledbetter (R)
District 76
Wendy McNamara (R)
District 77
Alex Burton (D)
District 78
Tim O'Brien (R)
District 79
Matthew Lehman (R)
District 80
Phil GiaQuinta (D)
District 81
Martin Carbaugh (R)
District 82
Kyle Miller (D)
District 83
Christopher Judy (R)
District 84
Bob Morris (R)
District 85
David Heine (R)
District 86
Edward DeLaney (D)
District 87
Carey Hamilton (D)
District 88
Chris Jeter (R)
District 89
Mitch Gore (D)
District 90
Andrew Ireland (R)
District 91
Robert Behning (R)
District 92
Renee Pack (D)
District 93
Julie McGuire (R)
District 94
Cherrish Pryor (D)
District 95
John Bartlett (D)
District 96
Gregory Porter (D)
District 97
Justin Moed (D)
District 98
District 99
Vanessa Summers (D)
District 100
Robert Johnson (D)
Republican Party (70)
Democratic Party (29)
Vacancies (1)
